Roxas stood waiting as Leina was changing/adding in her new armor and clothing pieces from the smithy to give her more padding and to cover her up a bit more as she was very distracting to both Roxas and several of the soldiers in camp. It would also save her from the judging and disgusted looks from some of the females in the area too.
"Okay, I'm ready." Leina's voice came as she stepped out and Roxas got a good look at her. She now had leather pants, shirt, and belt straps on her arms, though it was clear the leather was only accentuating her curves more and, suspiciously, her cleavage was still there entirely with a simple belt near her neck crossing over it. Roxas assumed it was to keep her boobs from possibly popping free of her chest plate, though it was the pants that made him shift slightly, he remembered Olette, or at least the digital version, wearing those at times and they were usually on days with some "fun" memories.
Anyway, all in all, Leina looked beautiful yet ready for combat.
"You look great." Roxas stated as Leina blushed a bit at his intense gaze going up and down her body a few times.
She could admit, it felt nice to be appreciated by someone who didn't just want her for her status.
"Thank you." She stated with a smile that Roxas returned before he motioned with his head that they should get moving and Leina nodded in agreement as they headed towards the meeting place.
Roxas and Leina approached the table within what Roxas assumed was the great hall at some point and saw the king and Teyrn Loghain were arguing once again while Duncan and Alistair were nearby along a woman in robes accompanied by a few men in armor and some other people there too, which Roxas assumed were commanders or had some rank or influence on the army gathered..
Although, Roxas found it a bit odd that a man sworn to serve the king would routinely argue with him over many things.
Then again, what did he know about being a king or ruling? For all he knew every king had a man like Loghain in their service.
"Loghain my decision is final; I will stand with the Wardens during this assault." Cailan argued with Loghain, not wanting to hear any more from the man, but the Teryn persisted and seemed like he wouldn't let up.
"You risk too much, Cailan." Loghain said with concern and a bit annoyance in his voice, "The Darkspawn Horde is too dangerous for you to be playing Hero on the front lines where any of them could get lucky with an arrow, sword, spear, or some kind of weapon that will kill you." He said with annoyance that Cailan was clearly feeling over this as well.
"If that's the case, and the horde is that dangerous, then maybe we should wait for the Orlesians to join us before we face the main horde." Cailan said with a smirk, clearly hoping/knowing his words would piss off Loghain and, from the looks of it, it was working too.
"How long have they been at this?" Leina asked Alistair as she and Roxas moved to stand by the more senior wardens.
"About fifteen minutes." Alistair said while shrugging as Duncan had to keep himself from sighing and Roxas looked on in disappointment and annoyance.
"I must repeat my protest over your fool's notion that we need the Orlesians' assistance in defending ourselves." He said with frustration and disgust, which to those who knew the history could understand since he had been one of the chief commanders in overthrowing the Orlesian occupation of Fereldan and was the previous king's right hand man in the war.
Cailan looked hurt by those words, almost like a child being scolded by their parents, "It is not a fool's notion as you are the one who constantly says that numbers and might make good for any battle against an enemy." Cailan said with a biting tongue and glare to match, "Our disagreements with the Orlesians are a thing of the past, and you will remember who is king between the two of us." He finished with authority in his tone and Roxas was finally seeing him act like a true king.
Loghain, however, seemed only angry by that insinuation and tone. "How fortunate that Maric did not live to see his son hand over Ferelden to those who had us enslaved for a century before he and I led the charge against them and cast them out only 30 years ago." Loghain said with tranquil fury, showing that the war left some scars on the man and made him hateful and distrustful of the Orlesians.
Which was understandable: Your people suffer under them for 100 years, you fight and strive for 15 to finally cast them out and have peace and your own country again, and now the son of your best friend was inviting those same tyrants/enslavers back to the country to help them fight. Anyone with military experience would find that hard to stomach and be afraid of the Orlesians using the chaos of the Darkspawn to retake Fereldan and undo all that Loghain and King Maric fought and bled for.
Roxas was just glad he had read the history books Duncan provided on their trip to Ostagar.
However, he needed to end this little spat so they could get down to business. "Uhh… Excuse me, we do have a battle to prepare for, can this wait until after we at least repel the incoming attack?" He asked with annoyance being clear, shocking all five of the others there.
"Mind your tongue boy." Loghain said looking ready to backhand the Nobody, while admittedly respecting that the boy didn't even flinch under his glare, until Cailan stepped in.
"No, he is right, Loghain, we have a battle to prepare for. Depending on how this goes, we can broach the subject of Orlais and where I will be in the fight afterward." Cailan said as Loghain snorted a bit, "Let's table this for now and plan our next move, our dispute should not be done at the cost of our men who are here to follow us." Cailan said making Loghain give a nod knowing the men surviving was the key point before Cailan turned to Duncan. "Are your men ready for battle?" He asked and Duncan gave a nod.
"They are, your Majesty. The Wardens are ready to fight." Duncan replied respectfully as Cailan nodded, though Roxas noted that Loghain was trying not to scowl or sneer at Duncan, making him wonder if the two had history or if Loghain didn't like the Wardens.
"Excellent! These 2 must be your newest initiates. Congratulations are in order, and thank you for stepping in, Roxas, if you hadn't me and Loghain would have been going at it for hours or until the Darkspawn were upon us." Cailan said as Roxas just nodded his head.
"That's an understatement." All three younger Wardens thought as Calian turned to Loghain and motioned to the map for their battle plan.
"Speak your strategy, Loghain, the Grey Wardens and I draw the Darkspawn into charging our lines here at the center and then?" Cailan stated as Loghain took a breath before moving to the map.
"You will alert the tower to light the beacon, signaling my men to charge from cover for the ambush." Loghain explained as Cailan nodded.
"And flank the Darkspawn, trapping them in a pincer movement, I remember. This is the Tower of Ishal in the Ruins, yes?" He asked, pointing to it on the map and Loghain nodded, "Who shall light this beacon?" Cailan asked as that hadn't been discussed yet.
Loghain was quick to reply, "I have a few men stationed there, it's not a dangerous task but it is vital for the plan to work." Loghain stated, since there was no reason to expect any resistance or fighting at the beacon. "Once we're ready, I'll have a runner ready to go and light the beacon on schedule." He added and Cailan nodded before he thought for a moment.
"Good, then we shall send our best. Send Alistair and the 2 new Wardens to make sure it's done correctly." Cailan said surprising all three, though a few winced since Cailan had essentially just said that Loghain's men weren't as competent as the wardens were.
"I'd have thought you'd want us in the middle of the fighting to help clear the Darkspawn, especially since Lord Loghain's men are surely some of the best you have." Roxas stated trying to make the king understand that he really needed more tact. Loghain looked the slightest bit appreciative while Duncan smiled, but Cailan was completely oblivious.
"Nonsense. If it is so crucial, it's best to leave it to the best and if there are problems, then I'm sure you can handle it." Cailan stated making Roxas bite back a groan and facepalm while Loghain glared at him.
"If that's what you want, your majesty, we won't let you down." Roxas said not fully agreeing with his situation but understood it was important and he couldn't keep questioning the king.
Loghain had no such hesitance of letting his annoyance be known. "You rely on these Wardens too much. Are you sure that this is wise and not possibly a trap of some kind?" Loghain asked, knowing that the Grey Wardens had been cast out of Ferelden before Orlais invaded and most of the Wardens now were from the Orlesian branch, meaning they had at least some loyalty to Orlais.
"Enough of your conspiracies, Loghain. The Grey Wardens battle the Blight no matter where they are from, it's why I hold them in such high regard since they care not for kingdoms or status, they fight what they should and where they should regardless of affiliations." Calain explained, making Loghain frown since the last Wardens of Ferelden rebelled after trying to assassinate the king, granted the king was a bastard and horrible, but still.
Duncan, however, felt the need to interject. "Your majesty, while it's true we face the Blights, those are only if an Archdemon is present. I promise you, what we've seen is nothing compared to a true Blight, we should be cautious of there being one. Has there been any sign of the Archdemon?" He said with worry while Loghain rolled his eyes and Calain looked a bit disappointed.
"There have been no signs of Dragons in the Wilds." Loghain said dismissively, knowing the old warden had brought up the damned thing over and over, with Calian agreeing.
"Not that we have to worry too much. Isn't the purpose of your men to kill the Archdemon should it show up, Duncan?" Calain asked, knowing that was why they had a relatively large contingent of Wardens here and why they had worked to add more recruits to handle the coming fight.
"I… Er, Yes. Your Majesty, that is correct." Duncan replied with slight embarrassment, though whether because he was trying not to question the king or because Calain had talked down to him in a way was unknown.
Before anyone could make further comments, a Circle Mage came running up, "Your Majesty, I apologize, I had heard there was a planning session going on and was somehow uninformed of it." The mage stated while giving a pointed look at the woman in robes, who only sneered/scowled at him. "I understand it pertains to the means of starting the ambush, I feel I must once again point out that the tower and the beacon are unnecessary. The Circle of Magi are fully capable of–" The mage continued before he was interrupted by the woman in robes, who Alistair informed Roxas was known as the Mother of the Chantry, the religious group that basically were in charge of keeping the mages in line.
"We shall not trust any of our precious lives to your spells, Mage. Save them for the Darkspawn, they were created from such things after all." The Mother spat, with disgust for Mages and magic in general being heard clearly while the mage scowled at her, but the men near her grabbing their swords was enough to stay him back.
"Remind me not to mention to her that I can do various kinds of magic." Roxas commented lightly to Leina and Alistair, who both blinked before nodding slightly.
"Enough!" Loghain said with authority that practically shook the room and even made the Mother of all people flinch and cease her hostilities."This plan shall suffice, we have already allocated our forces, supplies, and time to do so and I will not see them wasted by changing it. The Grey Wardens shall light the beacon and signal the attack, and that is final!" Loghain stated making the mage, mother, guards, other commanders, and even Duncan nod.
"He seems more like the king than Calain is. Then again, he fought beside and helped the last king rule, so he'd know how to rule and command respect and obedience. He's probably annoyed and saddened that Calain doesn't seem to be taking things as seriously as he should, nor paying as much attention to tactics and respect as he should either." Roxas thought since it was clear that if Loghain wasn't there, Calain would be floundering around having no idea what to do and no hope of keeping the various personalities in line to work together in the army.
Calian looked at him with gratitude and a touch of admiration, "Thank you, Loghain. Oh, this will be so grand. I cannot wait for that glorious moment! The Grey Wardens battle alongside the king of Ferelden to stem the Tide of Evil and slay the beasts!" He said with excitement making many look at him in either disappointment or disgust.
The man clearly thought things would be so simple and easy and hadn't given any thought to the number of people that would die in this coming battle. He'd get glory if they won, while all of them would have to see to burying their comrades and loyal followers, since to think that they could stop the Darkspawn without suffering casualties and losses from it.
Calain didn't seem to understand or, at worst, possibly care about anyone dying except himself.
Roxas just hoped he was naive rather than careless or heartless.
"He's certainly an excitable one, ain't he." Leina said leaning over to both Roxas and Alistair, who could only nod sadly, though Alistair also sported a disappointed look.
"He is indeed, let's just hope his excitement doesn't get himself or others killed by charging in blindly." Roxas whispered back as Duncan looked worried, whether for the king or for the coming fight was unknown.
Few moments later the wardens were back at the bond fire where Duncan laid out the plan for a refresher
"You heard the Plan, The three of you will go to the Tower of Ishal and make sure that the beacon is lit " he explained
"You're serious, we won't be in the Battle? " Alistair asked hoping Duncan would aloud then to join instead of Lighting the beacon
Duncan looked at his charge sympathetically "This is by the King's request Alistair, If the beacon is not lit Teryn Loghain's men won't know when to charge "
"So he needs three Grey Wardens up there holding the torch ,just in case right ?" Alistair said unamused
"I agree with Alistair " Leina said "we should be out there with you"
"Yeah, after all that we're not going to helping you" Roxas agreed
"That is not your choice ,If Calian wishes Grey Wardens to ensure that the beacon is lit, then the Grey Wardens shall be there" Duncan said his voice full of finality " We must do whatever it takes to destroy the darkspawn exciting or no "
"I get it, I get it ," Alistair said exasperated " just so you know, if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold , I'm drawing the line Darkspawn or no"
Roxas snorted "I'd actually pay to see that, what about you Leina" he asked seeing the young woman who was equally amused by the thought
"Oh yes, I think you'd look quite nice in a dress Alistair, " she imagining him in a ball gown
" Well for you two it would have to be a pretty dress" he said smirking
Duncan could only sigh " next generation of Wardens maker help us all" he thought before getting back on track " The Tower is on the other side of the gorge from the King's camp, The way we came when we arrived . " He explained to Roxas "You'll need to cross the gorge and head through the gate and up to the Tower entrance. From the top , you'll overlook the entire valley "
"That sounds easy enough "Roxas said
"We will signal you all when the time is right , Alistair will know what to look for " Duncan explained
"Can we join the battle afterwards " Leina asked hopefully, wanting to support the other soldier on the Frontlines
"No, the three of you shall stay with the Teryn's men and guard the tower. If your are needed we shall send word" Duncan ordered
"Understood" Leina sighed
"One shouldn't rush into battles Leina" Duncan said chuckling "that goes for you two as well " he said to Roxas and Alistair "Now I must join the others. From here, you three are on your own. Remember you are all Grey Wardens. I expect you to be worthy of that title " he said with a tinge of pride
Alistair spoke up "Duncan…may the Maker watch over you " he said with concern for his mentor
"May he watch over us all" Duncan replied as bid trio Farwell
The fire crackled as three were left alone, before Alistair spoke up " So how the Mabari Hound " he asked as they walked towards the Bridge
Leina perked up " Mabari Hound? " she asked
"It's a very intelligent dog, bred to understand human speech and complete complex tasks" Alistair explained "Roxas here was helping the Kennel master, treat a sick one"
"That was kind of you" she said
"Yeah well I like Dogs," Roxas said " couldn't just let him suffer like that, plus the Kennel Master said , after the battle its possible the dog will imprint of me" he said with Pride
Leina chuckled as his enthusiasm "then we best light that beacon shall we boys"
"Right let's get moving" Alistair said as they crossed the bridge.
A few minutes later, the air turned cold, lightning flashed in the sky , the wind howled and the rain came down. Hundred of soldiers, Men And Women armed with Swords, shield axs bows and what have you all standing guard against the soon to be invading force
Mabari Hounds barking loudly as the revered mothers and sisters of chantry, held lanterns in their hands reciting prayers for the whole army, so that should any one fall in battle they would find peace in the Maker and between all of that walked King Calain, Sword and Shield in Hand and at his Side was Duncan
"The plan will work, Your Majesty "
"Of Course ir will the Blight ends here " Calain replied full of confidence
In the distance a fog rolled in, and with it came the Darkspawn, Hundreds of them marching slowly towards the army, Hurlock Genlocks and few Orges all making inhuman noises as behind them was the forest set ablaze , as from . The middle of the horde out stepped a Hurlock Alpha wearing more proper armor, it was bronze in color , no rust on it could be seen and its hand was a heavy ax, on its helm was horns to signify its rank and authority over the horde. The horde took by waiting for its orders, snarling loudly, eager to fight.
Some of the King's army almost turned and fled before stealing themselves and took arms. Calian looked around at the horde , nervous and concerned but he steeled himself as the Hurlock Alpha, Roared and motioned for the Horde to Charge, and then did something no one expected.
It snapped its fingers, as it did so hundreds of shadowy like monsters rose up from the Shadows of the darkspawn, they weren't the only ones as well, some were slightly taller and wore knight helms and another was in the shape of a monkey it was Brown in color. The Heartless had been called, Charging with the horde.
Calian turned and Called for his Archers , who took aim with flaming and fired, a storm of arrows striking true on the inhuman monster s
"HOUNDS" Calian called out as the Mabari Hounds were sent out to maul the Darkspawn and Heartless , sinking their fangs into creatures.
"FOR FERELDEN " was the battle cry shouted by the king as his army changed at the oncoming horde, the armies meeting head on stabbing and slashing at each other, while the heartless would claim more victims taking the heart of some of the Knights in the battlefield.
The catapults were fired , there flaming payloads hitting on of the guard towers as out three Warden were half across the bridge
"Looks like the battle is on" Roxas said bringing for his Keyblade as Leina and Alistair armed themselves
"Right let's get moving " Alistair said as several knights ran past them to take the archery point across the bridge.
"Right " Leina agreed as they ran for it , almost getting it by an on coming fireball
"Shit " Roxas said as he fell on his ass, the shockwave knocking him down
"Let's go" Leina said helping him up as they reached the other side and were meet by a couple soldiers
"Help us , they taken the tower " one said as Roxas nodded
"What mean taken how " Alistar asked with angry concern
"The Darkspawn came up through the lower chambers , with these shadowy creatures " the soldier said, getting Roxas' attention " They're everywhere! Most of our men are either dead or have just disappeared " he said in panic
"What do you mean disappeared " Leina asked
"one of those monster struck a killing blow and the man just disappeared " The soldier explained
"He was killed by a Heartless," Roxas said, " a creature born of Darkness " he explained " Your unlikely to see those men again" his tone somber and a matter of factly
"Heartless, I've never heard of them " Alistair said "but that doesn't matter right now, if those men are dead then we have go to the beacon and light it ourselves " He declared with Roxas and Leina in agreement
"Right let's go " Roxas said as they went deeper into camp, which was currently on fire with Darkspawn and Knight battling it out.
Suddenly Heartless spawned in, they were A Mix of Soldier Heartless and Power Wilds. Roxas frowned " Great Power Wilds " He muttered calling forth his keyblade and took a swing at a few of them, smacking them into a few darkspawn with Leina and Alistair doing the same
Leina was faster than the soldiers who's most basic attack was to charge at her , she dodged out of one's attack, and swiftly brought her sword on its head causing it to disappear
Alastair blocked an attack from a Power Wild. Before Bashing it into he face with his shield , discombobulating the monkey Heartless, before stabbing it though killing it, causing it to drop Yellow Diamond shaped gems
"I suggest you pick that up Alistair " Roxas said as he picked one up and stored it in his pouch
"What is it"
"Munny" Roxas said simply as if that explained anything
Alistair stared him incredulously "That's its Mummy"
"Yeah Mummy"
Alistair not having the energy for this , simply picked it up and watched as it turned into copper and silver pieces as soon as it entered his money pouch
"Amazing " Leina said as she did the same as they reached the tower entrance, slaying the darkspawn and Heartless that were guarding it and looting whatever they could , Health potions , money, lerium and Stamina droughts.
"You two ready " Roxas asked
"As we'll ever be " Alistar said as he and Roxas pushed the door open.
Upon entering the Tower, the scent of death was hanging in the air, the torches used to light the room gave off an eerie glow, inside they could fortifications in the middle of the room , which were set ablaze limiting where they could go.
"That's just great " Leina muttered as she noticed a trip wire and tossed her knife at it, setting off a great distance from the group.
"A gas trap " Alistair said "Good eye " as prepared for battle against a group of Genlocks who were none to happy there plan failed
" Enough of this " Roxas said " THUNDARA" he shouted as Yellow Lightning came down from the sky and struck the genlocks dead.
"Wow, not bad " Alistair said impressed " hmm smells like pork" he joked as they explored the current floor , entering room after room, encountering genlock and after genlock, Soldier Heartless after Soldier Heartless. In room noticing a massive hole in the ground
"Guess that's how they got in here " Alastair said almost impressed as they Approached the second floor
"Makers breath, what are these darkspawn doing a head of the horde , they wasn't supposed to be any resistance here" Alistair said concerned
Roxas smirked " Well Alistair. You could try telling them their in the wrong place "
"Right cause clearly this is all just a misunderstanding, we'll laugh about it later over drinks" Alistair said sarcastically " But any rates we need to hurry , we need get to the top of the signal tower and light the signal fire in time , Loghain will be waiting for the signal " he said in with stress in his voice
Leina put a hand on his shoulder " Don't worry Alistair, Duncan will be okay" she said emphatically getting Alistar to relax a bit
"Thank you leina I needed that " he replied his nerves back under control as they entered the second floor
The site before them was awful. Bodies all over the floor, some roasting in flames as if they were being cooked for consumption. Several heads were on pikes and bones laid all about the floor
"Oh that's just not right" Roxas said
"Of course they eat people, " Leina said, feeling sick as they continued on slaying any darkspawn they came across, even using the Ballista at once to strike down a group charge Hurlocks
" Loghain better be ready to charge as soon as we light the Signal" Leina said annoyed at they reached the third floor, the darkspawn getting more and more intense as the more they climb up
"Yeah they really don't want us getting to that beacon" Roxas said slightly annoyed by all this
"were almost there " Alistar said " Once Loghain comes through, maybe we can take a nice break" He said trying to lighten the mood
"Oh I hope so, cause I fancy myself a trip to the beach " Roxas said " I really wanna go to the beach"
"Ooh that sounds nice " Leina said " I can show you both my bikini " she said making Alistair laugh and Roxas Blush
"I'll hold you to that " Alastair said as he opened the door as Saw more, …human meat being hung out to dry, and more bones strewn about the place. In the distance The wines of Mabrai Hounds could be heard.
"Oh no, you assholes are not eating Dogs" Roxas said as he ran toward the sounds of the Mabari Hound in Cages being taunted at by the Darkspawn. Roxas frowned before pointing his Keyblade at the cages. A beam of light split into six and opened the cages Letting the Mabari have their revenge on the darkspawn.
The Hounds Tore them apart as Roxas watched satisfied " Good Boys" he said to them As they turned to Roxas wagging their Tails happy to see a human face, well faces as Alistar and Leina caught up with him
"Well I see you saved the Dogs, now what to do with them" Alistair wondered as Roxas looked at the Hounds and gave them an Order
"Okay boys, I want you get far away as possible it's not safe for you anymore " he said to them as he pointed to the exit " Go on , get, There's a hole on the first floor go thought that an escape " he ordered as the Hounds Barked in Understanding and fled
"You know we could have use their help" Leina said
"Yeah but I'd rather not risk them going back into battle" Roxas Explained "they've been through enough "
"Alright then," Leina said, sort-of understanding his logic as they carried on.
Unfortunately it seemed all that noise attracted the remaining darkspawn on the current floor ,to rush them. But unfortunately for the darkspawn The three Wardens made quick work of them, and soon they arrived at the door to the top floor.
An ominous feeling was coming from the top but they couldn't backdoor not now
" So here we go " Roxas said before Casting CURE on all three of them "You two ready " He asked sheepishly
"As I'll ever be " Alistar stated cracking his neck
"Agreed" Leina said said steeling her nerves
"Right let's go " Roxas said as they headed on up running up the stairs and into the top floor where they came face to face with the Boss of the Tower.
A Massive Purple and Black Heartless, it seemed to be a living set of armor. Its limbs are floating all around it.
"Oh this is just great " Roxas said " A Guard Armor , Get ready you two this is going to be a difficult fight " Roxas said as the Heartless noticed them at last.
The guard armor while slow , walked forward swinging its arms at the group, who dodge it just in time
"Alistair Leina " Roxas Said to then " attack its arms and legs , I've got the body and head " he ordered
"Right/ Gotcha" was the response as Alistair swung his blade at the heartless feet , being careful to dodge out the way when it began stomping them creating shockwaves
"Touch bastard ain't you" he said, blocking an attack from it with his shield and proceeded to bash it repeatedly against its foot until that one foot was destroyed. The Heartless groaned in anger at the lost of one of its limbs
Leina for her part was luring the Guard Armors claws to strike her down, using her speed to jump out of the way of incoming strikes and using her sword to knock the hands back into its body. "Come on then you have to do better than that" she taunted as both arms came flying towards her. Leina barely dodged out of the way as the claws found themselves stuck in the ground, letting Leina wail on its arms before they too were destroyed leaving only the body and head for Roxas.
Speaking of Whom Roxas, was casting magic at the Heartless striking its head with Thundara which discombobulated the Heartless causing it to throw its own head at Roxas, who promptly destroyed it leaving only the body. Which began to charge magic underneath where its legs used to be
"Out of the way you 2" Roxas said as prepared one of his limits "take this Event Horizon " he shouted as Total Eclipse was wrapped in light as Roxas made Several slashes on the Guard Armor, before calling forth Light Pillars to collide with the Heartless.
"Time to finish you off " Roxas said as he Took a Stance , all turned quite and in a moment he moved cutting the heartless down " The End " He said completing His Dual Stance as fell down tired
" Alistair hurry light the Beacon "
"Right, " Alistair said, setting it ablaze. The beacon light up for all to see burning for all to see…but instead of reinforcements Teryn Loghain did the opposite
"Sound the retreat" he ordered which surprised his second in Command
"But what about the Kind " she asked " should we not –" she didn't get far before Loghain grabbed her arm
"Do as I command " he Growled as she yanked her arm free glared at him and went to sound the retreat
"Pull out all of you let's move " She ordered as The Teryns men left the battlefield , the Hounds Roxas rescued following close behind them "
As the battle raged on, it wasn't looking good for Caliam and his men. Several of his men had Fallen to the Darkspawn or the Heartless. Calian himself found himself surrounded on all sides, cutting down any monster that got near. The same was happening with Duncan, you suddenly stopped fighting as if he sensed something and then it happened. An Ogre charged in and picked Calian , it Roared in his Face and then Crushed him killing the man instantly and toss his corpse like a rag doll
Duncan tired and overwhelmed , fell to the floor , could only watch before , standing up charging at the ogre. He leaped into the air with both swords drawn and stabbed them repeatedly into the Ogre's Chest bringing the monster down.
"Ugh" he groaned, grabbing one of his wounds before turning over to see Calian's bloodied corpse in a heap on the ground, he ran over hoping to see by some hope he lived. But it wasn't meant to be as Duncan fell to his knees and watched as the darkspawn killed more and more of his men.
He then looked to the Tower and saw that the beacon was burning ... .but nobody was coming, he looked on as The Hurlock Alpha came charging towards him . Duncan glared defiantly at it as the beast brought down its Axe and took his life.
Meanwhile Inside the tower , Roxas Alistar and Leina were being over run by the darkspawn, the darkspawn had riddled them with several arrows and soon Roxas felt himself losing consciousness as he felt down arrow in his chest and shoulder "Well it was nice while it lasted " he thought before falling unconscious and darkness took him.
But fortunately for Roxas, he didn't find himself fading away instead, he found himself in a bed, in his underwear, in an unknown hour
"Ughh fuck " he moaned grabbing his head
"Ah your Eyes finally open mother shall be pleased " said a familiar face
"I remember you, Morrigan right" Roxas said groggily as still trying to get a grasp on his bearings
" I'm glad you haven't forgotten my name, and right now we are in the Wilds, where I am bandaging your wounds " She said " You are welcome by the way" she said with some snark " Hows does your memory fair, do you remember mothers recuse " she asked making Roxas Blink
"The most I remember was being overwhelmed by darkspawn and almost dying " Roxas said
"Mother managed to save you and your friends, though twas a close call. What is important is that all three of you live " Morrigan explained " The man who was to respond to your signal quit the field, The darkspawn won your battle , those he abandoned were massacred. Your male friend isn't taking it well" she explained
"Neither am I , and I'm sure Leina isn't either, that bastard left us to die and saved himself " Roxas said angrily
"I suggest you talk to him, he has been inconsolable when Mother told him the news " Morrigan explained "they are outside by the fire. Mother asked to see you when you awoke" she said
"Alrighty then, oh and Morrigan Thank you for helping us" He said smiling
I…uh you are welcome, though Mother did most of the work. I am no healer" She said clearly not used to positive praise " First it's that Busty Blonde and now him" she thought to herself
"Alright then Morrigan I'm going to change and see your mother"
"Then I shall stay here make something to eat" she replied leaving Roxas to change back into his armor.
Once outside he could hear Flemeth and Alistari talking while Leina ran over and hugged him
"See here is your other Grey Warden, you worry too much young man" Morrigan's Mother said to Alistar
"Oh thank god you're alive " Leina said squeezing him tightly
"I thought you were dead for sure " Alistair said to him disbelief
" So did I " Roxas replied "Leina please let go your Crushing me " he said
"Oh right sorry" she replied
"Thanks for worrying about me your 2 " Roxas said I appreciate your concern it mean a lot "
" This doesn't seem real. If it were for Morrigan's mother we'd all be dead on top of that tower " Alistair said trembling in disbelief
"Do not talk about me as if I'm not present lad " Morrigan's Mother scolded
"I'm sorry…but uh what do we call you"
"Names are pretty but useless. The Chasend folk call me Flemeth so that' shall do" The now named Flemeth said to him
Alistair was shocked " The Flemeth from the legend, then Daveth was right you are the Witch of the Wilds aren't you"
Flemeth seemed amused by that " and what does that mean ? I know a bit of magic and it has served the 3 of you well has it not ?" She asked
Leina then spoke up " Thank for saving us Lady Flemeth " she said with gratitude, making Flemeth chuckle
"You are quite welcome child "
"Not to sound ungrateful,,but Why did you save us anyway " Roxas asked
Flemeth smirked " Well we can't have all the Grey Wardens Dying at Once. Some
one has to deal with the Darkspawn and The Heartless now do we " she said
"You know about the Heartless " Roxas asked shocked
"I have lived a long time and seen many things child, the heartless just happen the be one of them" she explained "But back on track, it has always been the Grey Wardens duty to unite the lands under the Blight or has that changed when I wasn't looking "
"Of course not " Roxas said
"But we were fighting the darkspawn, the King had nearly Defeated them. " Alistair sated " Why would Teryn Loghain do this" his voice full of sorrow
"Now that is a good question." Flemeth said " Men's hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature. Perhaps he believes the Blight is an army he can maneuver? Perhaps he can not see that the evil behind this is the true threat " she said alluding to one thing
"The Archdemon " Leina said " we need to find the archdemon "
Alistair looked at incredulously " By ourselves, No Grey Warden was ever Defeated the Blight without the army of have a dozen nation behind them , not to mention I don't know how " he said with shame
"How to kill the archdemon and how to raise an army , these are two different questions are they not " Flemeth asked "Do the Grey Wardens lack allies these days " she asked
"I don't know, " Duncan said that the Grey Wardens of Orlais had been called. And Arl Eamon would have never stand for this, Surely " Alistair replied
" you think the Arl would believe us over The Teyrn " Roxas asked apprehensive
"I suppose, Arl Eamon wasn't At Ostagar; he still has all his men and he was Calian's Uncle" Alistair explained "I know him. He's a good man, Respected in the Landsmeet . Of course! " Alistair said getting an idea " We could go to Redcliffe and appeal to him for help" he explained
"We have other Allies besides him right " Leina asked jogging Roxas's memory
"Yeah that's right The Treaties " he said " remember Alistair
"Of course ! The treaties! Grey Wardens can demand aid from dwarves, elves ,mages and other places. They are obligated to help us during a Blight " He proclaimed as Flemeth crossed her arms smiled
"I may be old, but dwarves, elves , mages this Arl Eamon and who knows what else sounds like an army to me " she said coyly
"So can we do this " Leina asked " go to Redcliffe and these other places and build an army "
Roxas smirked " Why not , isn't that our job , this what we signed up to do "
"So you are set then? Ready to be Grey Wardens " Flemeth asked already knowing the answer
" As ready as we'll ever be" Leina said eagerly making Flemeth smile
"No before you go there is more thing I can offer you" she said as Morrigan stepped outside
"The stew is bubbling mother, shall we have three guest for the eve or none "
"The Grey Wardens are leaving shortly, girl and you shall be joining them " Flemeth said shocking the Wardens and as for Morrigan
"Such a shame…..what" she asked in shock
"You heard me girl, last I looked you had ears" she cackled
Roxas looked concerned "Err um. Thank you , but if Morrigan doesn't wish to join us "
"Hwr magic will be useful to you , even better she knows the Wilds and how to avoid the horde " Flemeth explained as Morrigan turned to her mother
"Have I no say in this "
"You have been itching to get out of the Wilds for years. Here is your chance ." She said to Morrigan " As for you Wardens consider this repayment for your lives
Roxas not seeing any other choices nodded "Very well, well take her with us "
"Not to… look a gift horse in the mouth , but won't this add to our problems? Out of the Wilds she's an apostate" Alistair said voicing his concerns
"If you do not wish help Illegal mages perhaps I should have left you on that tower" Flemeth said sternly
"Point taken"
Morrigan addressing Flemeth looked concerned "Mother…this is not how I wanted this. I'm not even ready- -
"You must be ready, these three must unite Ferelden against the Darkspawn" she said sternly " They need you, Morrigan. Without you they will surely fail and will perish under the Blight. Even I "
"I.. I understand " she said begrudgingly
"And you Wardens? Do you understand? I give you that which I value above all in this world. I do this because you must succeed " Flemeth said her staring into their souls with great intensity
"She won't come to harm with us " Leina said "you have our word Lady Flemeth"
Morrigan rolled her eyes " Aloud me to get my things if you please " she said
"Take all the time you need" Roxas said
Few moments later
" I am at your disposal, Grey Wardens. I suggest a village called Lothering north of the Wilds as our first destination. This not far and you will find much you need there " she explained and marking it on the map
"Thank you Morrigan" Roxas replied smiling at her "feel free to speak your mind at point " he making Flemeth Laugh her ass off
"Haha You will regret saying that "
"Dear sweet mother, you are so kind to cast me out like this. How fondly I shall remember this moment " Morrigan said her voicing oozing with sarcasm
"Well I always said, if you want something done do it yourself or hear about it for a decade or 2 afterwards "
Morrigan rolled her eyes " Farewell mother. Do not forget the stew on the fire. I would hate to return to a burned down hut "
" Bah. Tis far more likely you will return to see this entire area along with my hut. Swallowed up by the Blight " Flemeth said bluntly
"I..all I meant was" Morrigan shuddered a lost for words before Flemeth smiled
"Yes I know. Do try to have fun dear " she said kindly and softly as she bid Her daughter a Farewell
"So long Flemeth, and wish us luck" Roxas said as Morrigan led them out of the Wilds and towards Lothering.
The true journey begins now!