"What do we have here? A rebellious minion? An escaped slave?" the demon laughed, "My, my… but you do have some gall. But playtime is over. You all have to go back now."
Everyone popped in to existence behind me.
"I am here, and it is time to finish this. I have had enough of cages." Sten grumbled.
"Oh, here I am! And there you are! You just disappeared. Well, no matter!" Ali still sounded confused.
"You tried to keep us apart. You led us from each other because you fear us. Don't you?" Leliana murmured, voice velvet soft.
"You will not hold us, demon. We found each other in this place, and you cannot stand against us!" Wynne declared.
Yup. That was everyone.
"If you go back quietly, I'll do better this time. I'll make you much happier." Sloth cooed.
"I'll make my own happiness."
"Can't you think about someone other than yourself? I'm hurt. So very, very hurt."
My eyes rolled at the sarcasm, "Sorry, I'd rather just be rid of your evil right now."
"You wish to battle me? So be it. You will learn to bow to your betters, mortal."
A wave of energy knocked us off our feet. Before us, Sloth took on the form of an Ogre.
Alistair was the first to get to his feet, Sten and Leliana not far behind. Leliana helped Wynne, then me. I was more than a little dizzy from the sudden blow.
Our mage acting as support, the warriors and I launched ourselves at the demon. Leliana stood back, releasing arrow after arrow. A stab here, a thrust there. A few well-placed swipes.
Just when we thought the fight was over, it changed, a Rage demon standing in its place. How was that even possible? I couldn't argue with what my eyes were showing me, but still, I thought demons were only one type. I would have to ask Wynne or another mage on the specifics later.
Leliana's arrows served as the best weapons we could have asked for, at that point. Ali, Sten, and I couldn't get too close to it, because Rage demons were covered in fire. Molten, melting-to-the-touch fire.
The rogue whittled down its health until- Dammit! It changed again!
The abomination roared at us, showing its discontent at being bested twice already.
I took the opportunity to run my dagger through its chest, but of course it didn't die. Stupid demon. It merely shifted again, reverting back to the Sloth façade.
He was definitely angry now.
He knocked Alistair to the other side of the battlefield. Wynne ran to his aid, Leliana momentarily distracted by the scene.
Sten swung his greatsword with all his might, but the demon just knocked his blade aside.
"You cannot hope to best me with that meager force. Why even try? Would it not be easier to just give up and go back to your places?" it taunted.
"Shut your mouth." My tone was low, deadly, "You need to shut your mouth, before I lose my temper."
"Do I anger you, child?"
That was the last straw. This… thing… had played with me and my emotions for Maker only knows how long. And now it was hurting my friends.
Not thinking about the consequences, I reached out and pulled magic to me. Gathered it in to a tight ball.
"You… leave… my friends… alone!" screaming in rage, I hurled the ball at Sloth, obliterating it.
"Stupid demon. Stupid Tower. Stupid evil mages who want to destroy everything." I muttered, kicking the ground.
"I…. What just happened?" Alistair's voice seemed to come from a long way off.
"It is the Fade." Wynne spoke quickly, busying herself with tending to Alistair's cuts and scrapes, "The magic here is strong enough to be influenced by sheer will alone. It doesn't take a mage, only a strong desire."
"Oh." He fell silent.
"Let's go, before I lose my temper again and accidentally kill someone important." I said through gritted teeth, "Once I'm free of this place, I'll need to meditate."
I stormed off toward the glowing fountain. It was just like the others, miraculously appearing when we were finished what needed to be done.
"Stupid fountains. Stupid demons. Stupid Fade." I muttered under my breath over and over until I touched the fountain.
The room swam in to focus. Thank the Maker, we were free.
"There. We need to find the scroll." Leliana said softly.
"The Litany of Adralla. Niall supposedly took it when he went to face Uldred. If we find him-" the mage fell silent, staring at a prone body.
"Niall?" Alistair asked.
Wynne nodded mutely.
I bent and slid my hand in to the pockets of his robes. My fingers wrapped around the scroll, pulling it out, "Let's go."
With everyone gathered together, we continued our climb to the top of the tower.
"This trick again? I know what you are. It won't work. I will stay strong…." A deep voice stopped me in my tracks.
Who..?
A man wearing Templar armor knelt just to the left of the next staircase, encased by a magical barrier.
"Are you alright?" I inched toward him.
"Your tricks will not work on me." He brought his hands together in prayer.
"The boy is exhausted. And this cage… I've never seen anything like it." Wynne commented, "Rest easy… help is here."
"Enough visions. If anything in you is human… kill me now and stop this game." The man cried out, "You broke the others, but I will stay strong, for my sake… for theirs…. Sifting through my thoughts… tempting me with visions of aid... I am so tired of these cruel jokes… these tricks… these…." He trailed off, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"This is not a trick. We're here to help." I crouched in front of the barrier, trying to calm him down.
"Silence! I'll not listen to anything you say. Now begone!" the Templar launched himself to his feet, yelling, "Still here? But that's always worked before. I close my eyes, but you are still here when I open them." His tone became increasingly confused.
"I'm real, and I'm here to help you. Tell me where the surviving mages are." My voice gentle, trying to coax information from him.
"They deserve to die, Uldred most of all." His words came out as a growl, low and dangerous, "They caged us like animals… looked for ways to break us. I'm the only one left…."
"Be proud." My head swung around as Sten chimed in inappropriately, "You mastered yourself."
Why, Sten…? Oh, why did you say that?
"Be proud? What is there to be proud of? That I lived and they died?" the caged man's shoulders dropped, "They turned some in to… monsters. And… there was nothing I could do."
"You must stay strong." The words left my lips before I could recall them.
"And to think I once thought we were too hard on the mages."
"They're not all evil."
"Only mages have that much power at their fingertips. Only mages are so susceptible to the infernal whisperings of the demons."
"This is a discussion for another time!" Wynne scolded us, "Irving and the other mages who fought Uldred. Where are they?"
"They are in the Harrowing Chamber." He pointed at the stairs, "The sounds coming out from there… oh, Maker…."
"We must hurry. They are in grave danger; I am sure of it." Urgency filled us all at her words.
"You can't save them. You don't know what they've become." he moved closer to the barrier, scowling.
"We can't just kill them all." I swiped my hand through the air.
"But you haven't been up there. You haven't been under their influence. They've been surrounded b-by blood mages whose wicked fingers snake in to your mind and corrupt your thoughts."
Alistair broke his silence, "His hatred of mages is so intense… the memory of his friends' deaths is still fresh in his mind."
"You have to end it, now, before it's too late."
I shook my head, "I want to save everyone who can possibly be saved."
"Are you really saving anyone by taking this risk? To ensure this horror is ended… to guarantee that no abominations or blood mages live, you must kill everyone up there."
I brought my face up close to the barrier, waiting until he knelt so we were eye to eye, "I'd rather spare a maleficarum than risk harming an innocent."
"Thank you. I knew you would make a rational decision." The Senior Enchanter murmured quietly.
"Rational? How is this rational? Do you understand the danger?" back to yelling.
"I know full well the dangers of magic, but killing innocents because they might be maleficarum is not justice. I know you are angry-"
"You know nothing! I am thinking about the future of the Circle. Of Ferelden." He cut her off, snarling. He reminded me of Seraphine, when she fought Darkspawn beside us.
"It isn't as bad as you make it out to be." I bit back.
"I am just willing to see the painful truth, which you are content to ignore. But what can I do?"
"What he says makes sense." Sten, Sten, Sten. Please, "Do not discard it out of hand… these mages are out of control."
"You support his opinion?" my tone velvet.
"I do. This infection must be cleansed before it spreads."
"It isn't that simple, Sten."
A moment of silence, "Perhaps."
"As you can see, I am in no position to directly influence your actions, though I would love to deal with the mages myself."
"Maybe we can free you."
"Don't waste time on me... Deal with Uldred, if that is what you plan to do. Once he is dead, I will be freed."
"Stay safe. It will be over soon." I walked past him.
"No one ever listens, not until it's far too late." He watched us, resigned, "Maker turn his gaze on you. I hope your compassion hasn't doomed us all."
"It hasn't." I snapped, hating being questioned to such an extent, "I know what I'm doing."
The next floor held-