Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age or Star Wars
Obi-Wan Kenobi, approaching the final episode and I've loved it so far, shows a new side of Kenobi whilst building up to the one we'll see in a New Hope plus some great Vader moments.
Dragon Wars: The Force of Others
Episode 38: The battle of Korvis part 1
Hyperspace offered a calm that Klue seldom experienced anymore. He leant his head against the seat and just slept for a bit, letting himself drift into a blissful dream. Attachments and passions were discouraged by the order, but even at their most rigid point in history, they weren't always celibate. Klue imagined a beautiful red head, a kiss illuminated by the haze of setting suns. Once that dream passed he looked again into the blue field of hyper space, a world in itself. Suddenly, he was back in normal space, feeling the G forces jerk him back into his chair. He engaged the turbo engines and increased his flight speed, streaming across the sector. A ping came up on his console and he reduced speed, relaxing his grip on his flight controls and letting the Headhunter drift. Two gold and silver fighters flanked the Headhunter, and Klue saw the pilots with their leather helmets and goggles on.
"Jedi Master Klue, this is a pleasant surprise, what brings you to Nubian space?" one of the pilots asked.
"A calm before a storm young man, whom amongst the royal family is in Theed at the moment?" Klue asked.
"Before that, let's get the formalities out of the way, beyond the fields and the plasma, what is the most precious thing on Naboo?" the other pilot asked.
"The iron of its people to never surrender in the face of tyranny and oppression," Klue said.
"Very good Master Klue, we'll escort you to the royal port, just sit back and relinquish control," the Naboo star pilot said.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Klue grinned, before he punched the turbo engines and rushed past the N1 fighters.
"He just challenged us to a race didn't he?" the senior pilot asked his wingman.
"Yep, let's show him how foolish he is sir."
Both N1s roared to life, leaving trails of energy behind them as they chased the Headhunter towards their beautiful green and blue world. The formally dressed people on the streets of Theed watched the space race quickly shift into the skies above their city. People cheered in awe, hounding the N1 not to lose to the more shoddily built star fighter. Their yells of approval and celebration erupted, and could be heard from the deepest parts of the swamp land surrounding the city. Klue smiled, despite losing the rush of the race distracted him from the severity of his situation. That distraction was good, because it allowed him to reanalyse that state and approach it with a fresh and more positive outlook. He brought the Headhunter into a landing, sliding it through the port located on the far side of the palace. Guards in leather armour and caps were waiting, their grips on their blasters relaxed slightly, as one would when a friend approached. Even their guard over their charge was more relaxed as she stepped forward to get a better view of Klue.
She was dressed in a short skirted practical red dress, the robes across her front and her sleeves were all tight so as to not disallow movement. But there was still a great beauty in the design of her clothes, deeper shades of red across the dress revealed flower patterns, gold embroidery ran around the sleeves and up the sides of the skirt. The stockings had elaborate patterns on them, though most striking of all was the makeup she wore. It made her skin look white; the centre of her lips was painted red, with beauty marks painted on her cheeks. Klue knew her to be a short haired woman, most of the hair wrapped up in the elaborate crown on her head and the sides of her face was fake.
"As darkness envelops the republic, a warrior of light appears in a kingdom of peace, seeking the council of the wise. As my godfather would say, 'for that is why you have come is it not,' truly Klue it is wonderful to see you again," the young woman raised her arms, enveloping Klue in a hug.
They patted their foreheads together, maintaining a gentle hold of one another's hands when they pulled apart.
"Princess Tiana, you honour me with your presence, though for a moment I believed I was seeing your mother before me," Klue said.
"The years have been kind to both of us," Tiana said.
Klue chuckled, patting his girth to Tiana's amusement. They walked amongst the spectacular sights, the guards relaxing as they knew their princess was in good hands. It didn't take long for them to settle at seats in the garden, where a modest lunch of tea and cakes had been prepared. Klue draped his coat over the back of his seat and spoke with the princess on matters of both Naboo and Coruscant.
"Word reached us of events on Coruscant, the shutdown of the militia and the appointment of the First Order as a legitimate security provider, you and admiral Onasi are to be brought back to Coruscant to face justice for disturbing the peace process," Tiana explained.
"You can't negotiate with a Rancor when your head is in its mouth," Klue said.
"Naboo knows this all too well, Czerka, the trade federation, the Junker guild, they've all tried intimidating us into turning over our power and resources. The King and his children are carrying out a campaign of expansion that has put them into conflict with the Jedi warlords," Tiana said and Klue shook his head.
"Hoth, that old battle axe, can a compromise be reached?" Klue asked.
"You do not compromise with monsters, that is what my uncle the king has said."
"You fight monsters, it used to be that you knew who those monsters were, the Mandalorians were those monsters at one point and then…"
"The problem with trying to understand an enemy, is that sometimes they aren't monsters to you anymore, the old saying 'there's always a bigger fish' is a reflection of the situation those fishes face, the bigger fish will always be the monster to the smaller one. But you're not here to offer your council on the state of Naboo are you?" Tiana asked.
"Korvis, it troubles me my dear," Klue said.
"A shadow looms over Korvis, not just the criminal or dark Jedi factions there, but there is chaos too. People have hope there again, but they also have an eerie fear, and that has been given to them by a rising champion, one whose power is similar to the force but so different from it too," Tiana explained.
"I have sensed as such, with some context I now understand, an individual unlike any that has been seen before has come to Korvis and offered the people there hope again," Klue said.
"Perhaps you will find the monster you're looking for there," she smirked, despite the frown and low gaze of her guest. "I am sorry I could not bring better news."
"No Tiana, you have done well, I am just feeling sad but not for the state of the republic. The republic has been on the brink for years now, yet it endures because the ideals of the republic endure. Korvis too is something I am less saddened by, in Korvis I can find a simple battle, and perhaps an answer to the mystery that plagues me. No Tiana I feel sad because you are doing well as your uncle's spymaster, your mother wanted you to be an artist," regret filled Klue's eyes, and for a moment it was reflected in Tiana.
"She was the one with the talent," she said.
Korvis
Alarms blared in the first order ship, some troopers ran towards the danger, others waited for their moment to strike or their moment to evacuate. A group of troopers were running down the corridors, feeling the ship shake, hearing the explosions and screams of slaughter in the distance.
"What is that?" one of the troopers asked.
"Is that, that gladiator?" asked another.
"I don't think it is anymore," muttered a third.
The fourth shook his head, his rifle shaking.
"We were supposed to be fighting for order, but all we did was purchase a few slaves, slaves, like us," he said.
"Slaves, no we're…"
"The property of the First Order, we were abducted nothing more, promised that we would be dying for a purpose, now here we are in the ass end of nowhere fighting for our lives," the trooper explained.
"What else is there?" asked one of the troopers.
"That gladiator was trying to teach this planet what else there could be, its why our people picked him up, he maintained his defiance until the very end."
"And they killed him for it!"
"All evidence to the contrary."
The batch remained silent, hesitant, fearful and angry that this was where their stories might end. There was another explosion across the ship when the blast door behind the batch opened. One of the troopers walked through and yelped in surprise. The other batch members quickly ran to his side and saw what had shocked him. The trooper Captain was overseeing the packing of treasures.
"I am securing resources for us to use, we have recovered riches to finance our future operations," she claimed.
"And what were you going to do afterwards?" one of the troopers asked.
"That is none of your concern, batch eight, cover our escape," the captain commanded.
"Against that, we'll die," one of the troopers said.
Phasma had no idea which of the troopers had spoken. In truth she didn't care, she stood tall (not difficult considering her natural height) and walked over to the troopers.
"Yes you may die, but you will have bought time for me to extract our precious resources, I am in command here and thus you will obey," she explained.
"We should all escape, if the first order is as powerful and as righteous as you've always drilled into us, then it doesn't need a few trinkets to survive," said one of the batch troopers.
Phasma was about to retort when the radio blared.
"This is SP-117, we can't hold the line here, there's no point in us dying, batch 2 is retreating!"
"ST-271277, we are AAAGH!"
"Fark this, we're out of here!"
"That Kriffing monster is ripping us to shreds, and we're just running towards it, dank farrick!"
Phasma raised her head, seeing the troopers beginning to walk away.
"Wait, what are you doing?" she demanded.
"We've lost, this ship, this planet, we're not running to slaughter so you can escape with your riches," FN-2365 said.
Phasma drew out her pistol, aiming it at the troopers.
"I trained you all to be fearless, to be merciless, to give everything for Primo Ordonis," she seethed.
"We are being merciless," FN-2817 said. "By leaving you to that thing's mercy," he pointed over Phasma's shoulder.
She turned and saw the bloodied and hunched figure of what had been rampaging through the ship. He was snarling like an animal, holding the body of a trooper by the collar, the bloody weapons floating around him. Phasma slid our her staff and began to fire at the berserker, whose shield got in the way of her bolts. At this point, Batch eight and many others had already begun to run away, leaving their tormentor, one whom had beaten them, used them and discarded them, to her fate. She fired as the berserker rushed forward; swinging her staff and hitting one of his swords. He grabbed her by her pistol hand, twisting it back enough for her to yell in pain. She tried to aim a kick, only for him block the blow and push her down the corridor.
"Fall, FALL! JUST DIE!" she yelled, firing her pistol again and again.
A sword rushed through her pistol, slicing it apart and sending a line through her arm. Blood sprayed out of the wound and she screamed, trying to swing her staff with both hands into the approaching berserker. He grabbed her staff, holding it in place, keeping her in place whilst the bloody weapons span around her. A knife sliced her heel tendons, forcing her to the ground and then an axe swept through her wrist, cutting off the hand that held her weapon. She gripped the stump that was her dominant right hand, looking at the berserker in fear. He grabbed onto a maul, his teeth grinding together whilst he moved the hammer over her helmet.
"No, please I beg of you, WAIT!" she yelled.
He roared, swinging the hammer and launching her head down the corridor.
Spectators and gladiators alike could see the fall of the First order war ship. It was going to crash into the outer territories, where the great creatures of Korvis gathered. But another figure drew their attention, a dragon of metal that flew towards the arena. It landed on the balcony where guests like the First order once watched. Opening its maw, it released a screech that made every spectator in the arena scream. The rider let go of the chains and floated onto the walkway towards Kalla's palace. His leather boots clicked against the stone, the leather and metal suit he wore took in some of the desert dust, yet it did nothing to lessen how truly terrifying the mere sight of him was to the guards. Gamorreans squealed, Trandoshans hissed and screamed, as if they had been reduced to their primordial states. He dragged the staff he carried against the ground; metal horns had been grafted onto a skull he had taken from a dead trooper.
"You can all decide to do the right thing, you can run away, or you can join me," he said.
He slammed his staff into the ground and red energy surged down the pole and seeped into the ground. His head pulled back, recoiling and gasping with an ecstatic moan. One of the guards, armed with a rotary cannon yelled as he began firing at the figure. His blasts struck the field of energy, simply merging with it. The mage flicked his fingers, sending out a spike of ice that pierced through the man's mouth. Just as his body fell to the ground though, the red energy slithered across the floor and began to wrap around the man like vines. His shocked eyes glowed an eerie blue and his heels snapped, keeping his body from hitting the ground. He snapped back, moaning hoarsely, the hole in the back of his head was visible for all to see. One of the Gamoreans squealed before running at the mage with his axe poised to strike him, but the mage turned and dragged one of the metallic horns on his head across the Gamorean's belly. Its guts and chords began to pour out of its body, but the pig like alien was trapped by the same energy as his ally had been. He began to move, dragging the intestines behind him.
"It isn't as if any of you have a choice anyway," the mage grinned.
Ugnaught's typically handled junk, though on Korvis they had also been tasked with carrying bodies to the pits to burn. Four Ugnaught's yelled at one another in their language as they carried a Wookie corpse between them, its rib cage and half its skull exposed. A red pulse moved through the area, and the Wookie roared with a broken version of its people's famous cry. It grabbed one of the Ugnaught's and gripping its legs, slowly began to bisect it, splitting its groin apart. Dead gladiators rolled out of the pit in a pile, moving like they were their own great body and burying some of the droids and Ugnaught's. Guards came out of the nearby elevator and began to fire at the reanimated corpses with their blasters. Arm less corpses used their own bones to stab the guards, whilst others pounced on them and began to bite at their throats and heels. A guard ran for the elevator, only for the previously bisected Ugnaught to grab his heel. He shot the Ugnaught in the head, but a chain suddenly wrapped around his neck and pulled him to the floor. Undead Twi'lek slave girls began to crawl over the man, digging their fingers into his belly and ripping through his head. The Undead Wookie ripped off the guard's head and held it high, letting the blood flow to the floor.
Those pools of blood acted as portals, slowly shades began to rise from the ground. Ghosts of flesh and leather bound by straps over their heads, the creatures 'flowed' over the ground, leaving smoke behind them. Throughout the area of the arena and Kalla's castle, dead began to rise, Porgs were good for their meat and sometimes the chefs relished in slaughtering them. But what they previously 'mercy killed' for their ingredients began to swarm them in the kitchens. Those small creatures weren't the problem, when guards went to the stables to see why the Dewbacks and Dogas were screaming, they were met by the sight of Undead slaughter. A Doga with its beak half broken threw one of the guards across the sands, and began to lead a charge of the undead monsters, Acklay's with two or three legs cut off, Blurrgs with parts of their skulls exposed and Nexus that had half of their faces ripped off.
"What's going on?" Kalla demanded.
"Riots have broken out in the arena, we've got the dead coming out of the ground, our own men are shooting at us and we can hear reports of monsters moving through the castle," one of her guards reported.
"Bah, what nonsense, you're fired," the Hutt snarled.
She slammed her bloated hand into the button on her side, opening the door the guard was standing over. He fell through and Kalla watched in glee, yanking the chain of the Twi'lek girl she kept. The other guards looked at their boss and shook their heads.
"Ma'am, you do remember that the Rancor is dead right, we moved the corpse out of here yesterday," one of the guards said.
"I…of course I know that, we still have the First Order out there don't we, and the contingent in the North, just contact them, get them to send reinforcements," Kalla explained.
She yelped slightly when she heard the blast door creak. Her guards readied their weapons, hearing the scratching and snarling on the other side. Slowly the door was slid open by sheer force, a hand wrapped in bandages was raised and the mage walked through the door, fully revealing his face to Kalla. Deathly pale, with thinning white hair and metal horns sticking out of his head. The mage smiled, his teeth going black as blood poured out of his mouth.
"Slave thirteen," Kalla gasped.
"I am, I am Daylen Amell, but also not Daylen Amell," he said and let out a disturbed cackle, snorting and chattering his teeth together. "I felt it, the blood of the arena, the energy in that ship, the fear in all of you, you reek of it, you're saturated by it and your deepest, darkest desires are known to me. Your greed for wealth and credits, for land, power, title and reputation, your desire, even you whom have desire Hutt," the mage of the Undead walked closer and closer towards Kalla, the guards overcome by fear so much that they couldn't pull the triggers for their weapons.
"DEMON!" save for one of the guards who fired his pistol.
The mage deflected the blasts with a mana shield, sending one into a guard on his left. He released fire from his hand, burning the guard who shot at him. Then he electrocuted another before summoning a flurry of icicles, piercing the four guards protecting Kalla. Her tail shook in fear and her tongue trembled in her mouth. She had even let go of the chain attached to the slave girl's neck. The mage looked at the Twi'Lek girl, who crawled back in fear. But a warm expression cross his face, the blood faded from his mouth and his eyes changed from black to bewitching blue colour.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you, but to save you," he said.
"The Champion," she whispered, recognising his face even if his skin tone was different.
"Yes, I am here for you," he offered her his hand.
She stood, walking towards him, accepting his hand. Suddenly, he pulled her towards him, wrapping an arm around her hip, pulling their hips together. She rested her hands on his chest, staring into his eyes, enthralled by them.
"What is it you desire?" he asked.
"I want…I want," her voice trembled, her eyelids fluttered as if she was drugged. "Freedom, to be home, to see her suffer," she said.
"You don't have to hold back anymore," the mage pulled her closer.
Kalla watched awkwardly, even disturbed as the mage and her slave kissed. She knew when something was unwanted, but the girl slowly melted into the kiss, revelling in a small pleasure.
"I want her to suffer, I want her to suffer," she said between the kisses.
"She will," the mage promised.
He kissed her one last time before releasing her, snapping her chains. Then he turned fully to face Kalla.
"Look at me slug, am I not desirable, am I not handsome, it's what you've done to all your slaves after all, it's what you wanted all your slaves to be after all, am I not appealing to your eyes fat slug?" he asked as he stepped closer and closer.
"By the Sith, what, what are you?" she demanded.
"I am what is beyond the veil, I am what embodies all your fears and your desires in one, I am your darkness and your light, your hypocrisies and contradictions, I am YOUR CHAOS!" he raised his hand.
Kalla thrashed around as she was lifted off of her pedestal. Her faced slammed into the ground and if she had nails she would have dug them into the floor, as Chaos dragged her flailing and reaching form behind him. The blue skinned Twi'lek giggled as she watched Kalla struggle. It was no easy thing for the demon, not just considering the blood and mana he had used before. Hutts were extremely heavy, physically powerful species despite their reputation and again despite reputation quite fast creatures. Chaos had to drag Kalla through the corridors of her castle, for all her still living slaves to see. Fear was replaced by a sense of sadistic satisfaction; some slaves even joined the Twi'lek girl in following behind Kalla, teasing her with offers of help.
Naboo
Klue walked out of the royal garden, looking over his shoulder at the security guards. They were a formality at this point; both recognised Klue was no harm to them or the family they protected. His aim was to visit old friends in the city. Rumours about the Naboo said that they had killed the Gungan people, but though past conflicts had reduced the population, the Gungans were still very much alive and on the mend. Klue's walk took him to a small hut outside the city. A large, green skinned Gungan sat at a rocking chair, watching Klue as he approached.
"Ah boss Nass, good to see you…"
The Gungan proceeded to shake his head and lips, releasing a torrent of spit that made Klue stand with his hands raised, frozen and frowning.
"Still as disgusting as ever," he sighed.
"His symptoms get worse every day," a thick accented voice came from the cabin.
What could have been described as the thin version of Nass walked onto the porch, wiping his hands with a cloth and brushing crumbs off of his apron. Ness was the son and caretaker to the former Gungan ruler, and someone who helped Klue to hide from Anti-Jedi hunters during the Triumvirate days. He motioned for Klue to come inside and when the Jedi did he sighed in ecstasy, breathing in the fumes of freshly cooked ingredients, not the foam stuff that was traded throughout the galaxy. Ness stirred the pot he was given and pushed on the large dispenser set near his cooling unit, pouring purified water into the two glasses he had already taken out.
"Every day I feel a little piece of him fade away, the other day he was convinced he was still in the city, 'MEESA DECLARE YOUSA EXILED!'" Ness bellowed, using the typical accent most of his people used.
Ness however had spent most of his life amongst humans, learning their pronunciation of certain words. He still had the recognisable tone and accent his people couldn't ever lose, but he spoke clearer basic than anyone amongst his people.
"You were here to see the spy mistress weren't you?" Ness asked as he sat down on a work bench.
"Spy master I think is the term they use, spy mistress? I don't know, Tiana has no qualms about what pronoun you use for her title, I'm sorry about your father," Klue said.
"That isn't why you have come though is it?"
"No, unfortunately this isn't a social visit, I left some things with you, I also wanted to see if you were up for one last adventure, but then I saw your father," Klue explained.
"I did sense it, the great void in the force, tell me Master Klue, do you truly believe that saving the people on Korvis will matter when your republic won't be there tomorrow?" Ness asked.
"It will, the Chancellor does not have the authority to declare the republic nonexistent, and even if he made a law that did, the people would still rise against his wishes because it robs them of their will, of their power. Power does matter to people, if you rob a person of their voice, their right to complain, their right to appeal against a law in the first place then that anger grows. Empires that do not consider the voice of the people do not last, not forever as those whom create them wish," Klue explained.
"But what of the Jedi, what will become of them, can they really survive another fracture?"
"There is always hope, thank you for keeping an eye on them," Klue said, standing and walking to the footlocker on the far side of the hut.
He removed his Jedi coat and began to put on the plates of orange and yellow republic armour. Klue put the wrist gauntlets over a pair of fingerless gloves and put the greaves over his Jedi boots. Then he put on the Jedi coat, wrapping a sash around it.
"If I am to fight, I will fight not just as a Jedi, but an officer as the republic, we cannot stand by and do nothing anymore," Klue declared.
"Good luck Jedi Master, may the force be with you," Ness said.
When Klue walked back to the palace and the docking bay, he was surprised to see Princess Tiana standing in front of a group of pilots and guards. She wore the tight white garbs royal family members used for combat outings. Her makeup had been wiped away, and without her wig she revealed her short brown hair.
"The situation on Korvis may require a closer look, which is why under my authority I'm deploying the royal yacht and bravo flight alongside the medical corps, those in need of help, won't go without it," the Princess explained.
"Thank you princess," Klue bowed his head.
He flew the Headhunter away from the planet, leading seven Naboo fighters and the silver J-Type barge, capable of carrying the Princess and her complement of guards and medical officers. Klue had his droid punch in the coordinates for the hyper space jump, closing his eyes as he reached out with the force for one last look.
"Darkness and light are colliding on Korvis, but we of the Jedi order, no, we citizens of the galaxy will not stand for evil prevailing anymore. Win or lose, we make our stand here, may the force be with us, punch it," Klue commanded and one by one the fighters shot into hyper space.
Korvis
Rystall and Lyn Me looked to the place where Kalla once watched people die. The metal dragon was perched on the north wall of the arena, its head moving and watching all those whom had been herded into the arena. Though there were those whom had never left in the first place, like the masked man and his group of knights. Lyn wondered if he was the man Admiral Onasi had tasked her and Rystall with finding. Rystall was the one whom had the riches, Lyn had the street smarts. Max Repo gave them the credits and the opportunities to make themselves famous, so that they could get into the infamous places. Old gladiators including Obsidian had been bought up to the stands, and the Undead army remained still, watching like the dragon did.
"Look," one of the slaves pointed to the balcony.
A great mass was suddenly thrown into the sands, Kalla the Hutt. Lyn was no expert in Hutt physiology, she didn't know if half of the rumours about their regenerative abilities were true or if the creatures even had bones as humanoid species knew them. What she saw led to the credence of Hutt bone structure, Kalla's arms had been bent back, her tail twisted and she was only capable of twitching her head. The people in the arena then looked towards her former balcony and saw the Mage.
Chaos drank in the fear and anger he felt when people looked towards him. He rested his staff against the balcony railing and raised his hand, silencing the crowd.
"I am your champion am I not?" he asked over the eerie silence.
None had answered, stuck either because of their fear or suspicion of the conjurer. Lyn wasn't sure which one it was for her, though she began to understand how Rystall was feeling, her friend squeezed her hand tightly.
"Here she is, your tormentor, Kalla the Hutt, she who bowed to the First order whilst depriving you of your basic needs, proving you only with entertainment, well here is the entertainment I offer you," Chaos clicked his fingers and the hatch in front of Kalla opened.
She tried to crawl away, hearing the broken growls coming out of the cell. Her eyes widened in horror as something began to stomp towards her. It was her own reanimated Bull Rancor, the creature moved, sniffing at air and trying to find her. The Rancor dragged its head across the ground, reaching Kalla's tale.
Kalla released a horrific scream as the Rancor began to feast, taking slow bites, ripping at her tail. When there was nothing left of the Hutt, the Rancor spat out her head and marched aimlessly around the arena.
"People of Korvis," Chaos began, looking out at the people in the arena. "Your ruler is dead, on the world I knew when you killed another you took what was theirs. I now take what is hers, her legacy, her credits, her riches and palace, this arena and now I take your lives into my rule. Kneel before me, kneel before the victor!"
Slowly, people across the arena began to kneel, some grateful, others fearful. They knelt because they saw the changing of the winds. Even Lyn Me and Rystall knelt to protect themselves. There was one they noted however who didn't kneel. Chaos looked out across the arena and saw him, Maximus, the Mandalorian. He turned away from the view of the people and looked towards the kneeling Twi'Lek girl.
"Thank you, thank you for freeing me," she said.
"But there is still more to do my dear, still much, much more," he put his finger under her chin, tilting her head up to make her look at him. "There is power in you my dear, power in all of the people down there, all you have to do…" he smirked as her eyes grew wide in wonder, almost worship.
Then he finished with his offer, his eyes glowing red as he said:
"Is let them in!"
The First Order ship had crashed into the desert sands, ripped open by the force of its landing, bodies had scattered across the dunes. A solitary figure walked out of the wreckage, his back hunched over and breathing heavily. Daylen's berserk form fell over numerous bodies, and then thrashed around, still looking for a fight.
"Remarkable, you who do not believe in the Maker, was able to graft your soul onto a semi complete cloned body," Kaius said, his arms crossed as he watched Daylen growl and stomp over the bodies. "It was a truly desperate move, but could it be Daylen that because you don't believe, then your mind is not yet truly ready to awaken?"
The ghostly form of the Chagrian warlord passed through Daylen's fist. He watched Daylen gradually begin to calm, electricity surging around him. Suddenly, Daylen roared, turning into his demonic form whilst everything else changed around him. His heart glowed like molten fire, his skin turned grey whilst horns had grown from his head. And the desert was gone, replaced by a city of some kind.
"Another human breaching the veil!"
He looked towards where the voice had come from. It echoed with an almost divine power, which matched the light coming from the seven shining individuals standing before him. Four were male and three were women, the pointed silhouettes of their ears implied they were elves. Kaius cautiously looked over Daylen's shoulder, seeing the leaf like patterns on the chests of the shining elves.
"Daylen, I would leave if I were you," the Sith ghost said.
But Daylen snarled and roared at the seven. The apparent leader of the group stepped forward, stopping only because of the chains around his wrists. All of the elves had glowing eyes, save for him, whom only had one glowing left eye. He seemed the oldest and tallest of them, commanding a respect akin to a father.
"You might take something back your world won't want young man, perhaps I can help you," the one eyed elf offered Daylen his hand.
Suddenly, Daylen was pushed back, his molten skin and horns was wiped away and he landed in the fade's representation of Korvis. Darkness and red energy enveloped his body, turning him into a shadow monster. And in front of him stood Greagoir, Merrill and Jowan, all of them with weapons at the ready, Merrill in her white Raiment and Greagoir in full armour and helm.
"No Daylen, don't make the same mistake the Magisters did, wake up from this nightmare brother," Jowan said.
"He can't hear you!"
The trio stepped aside as a forth individual walked in. His hair was wild and brown, he had the same Dalish Tattoos Merrill had on his face and he wore Grey Warden scout armour. He was Mahariel as he should have been, if he had not succumbed to the teachings of the Sith.
"He's lost himself, perhaps there's only one solution," Mahariel drew his twin elven long swords and went into a fighting stance.
The shadow that was Daylen ignited a pair of red sabres and ran towards the Dalish rogue.
"WAKE UP DAYLEN!" Jowan yelled as the blades clashed.
Next Episode 39: The Battle of Val Royeaux Part 2: Clash of mages
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter
The design of Chaos was inspired by Yu-Gi-Oh's magician of Black Chaos, as well as the general appearance of Flemeth in her Dragon Age 2 redesign, the horns invoking the demonic origins.
Next time we return to Thedas with Irving and Vivienne entering the battle.