Chapter 87
Outside, Emma spotted the blind Templar Ser Otto. Talking to him would start the quest to tackle the evil entity that had taken root in the orphanage, unfortunately, it would also mean the death of the Templar. She weighed up the pros and cons of completing the mission, and after muttering a couple of swear words, she made her way over to him. Aedan and the others quickly caught up to her. "Angel, why are we going this way?"
She pointed to Ser Otto. "Because he has a task that he needs help with."
After speaking to the Templar, they'd found the signs of corruption, and were now stood at the ramshackle door to the orphanage with a dark corridor stretching ahead of them. "Well, this isn't creepy at all," Alistair said, half-joking. Aedan pushed open another door, and Emma just managed to bite back a frightened scream as a ghostly figure of a crying boy scampered away. Bloody hell, she really should have played this quest more often. At least then she would have a better knowledge of what was to come. Unfortunately, she'd always rushed past Ser Otto as she'd been too intent on getting to the end of the game.
The first few rooms were destroyed; broken furniture lay in pieces, and scattered around the floor were dried blood splatters. As they came out of one room, a child started to sing in an off-key voice:
Do you hear me, Ser Wilhelm, Ser Wilhelm?
I'm a falling, Ser Wilhelm, Ser Wilhelm, today.
I'm a maiden, Ser Wilhelm, Ser Wilhelm.
But I'm dying, Ser Wilhelm, Ser Wilhelm, in pain.
"I think if it were possible, I'd be getting goosebumps right about now," Shale quipped. At the end of the corridor, another door beckoned them forth; Emma took a deep breath in preparation, which was just as well, as once more, the little ghostly boy stood up and ran away as he shouted a long, drawn-out "No." Before they'd taken more than two steps into the new corridor, the doors on either side of the hall flew open, and they found themselves face to face with a number of mabari who were rabid if the thick, white froth dripping from their sharp fangs was anything to go by. Emma took up a stance in front of Ser Otto as she remembered losing him once before at this point. These dogs meant business.
She encased them both in an arcane shield and drew her sword to swipe at the closest dog, letting loose a burst of electricity along the metal which made the animal yelp and jump back. Shit! Why did they have to whimper like that? Then one of the mabari got its teeth into Alistair's ankle making him shout in pain. Forgetting the pitiful noises they made, she sliced the large hound across the flank. It turned with snapping teeth, and she slammed the dog into the wall using Telekinetic Burst. When the fight was over, she knelt by Alistair and healed the nasty bite.
"You're getting better at that," he said, as the swelling went down and the deep gouges filled out.
"Well, Wynne is a great teacher."
The white-haired mage blushed and waved away the compliment. "Nonsense, child. You have a great aptitude for magic."
Ser Otto rubbed a hand over his bald head. "I can feel the evil, it's getting stronger." Everyone nodded. It was hard to dismiss the layer of evil that permeated the very walls of this place, and of course, they were heading deeper into the building towards the foreboding presence. The next room revealed another ghost, although this one did not generate feelings of pity as the small boy had done, rather it evoked fear as its maniacal laughter filled the room. The female spirit attacked, and the fight went on for a few minutes; Emma was wondering how the hell they were supposed to beat a ghost when it suddenly stopped fighting back. "I can't die. I can never die." The ghost's voice was different, as though it were on the verge of tears, and then it disappeared into thin air.
All banter had long since ceased as they continued through the rooms, stepping past the bones of those long dead while trying to ignore how small some of the skeletons were. They fought through ghosts and demons with every new area they uncovered, until they reached the final room. A strong smell of sulphur hung heavy in the air, noxious and painful to the nose when breathed in. Ser Otto lifted his arms. "This is it. This is the centre of the evil."
A deep, dark growling voice answered him. "Leave mortal. You do not belong here."
The Templar bowed his head and began to pray. "Blessed be the Maker and his prophet Andraste…"
His words were cut off by the demon. "Your pathetic Maker is nothing compared to my glory."
Ser Otto's features hardened. "I compel you: show yourself, demon! Hide in the shadows no more!"
At any moment, Emma expected some kid to appear and spin its head all the way around while shooting pea-green vomit across the room. It wasn't just the terrifying atmosphere in the room, it was also the fact that the temperature had dropped to the point where each breath was visible to the naked eye. Abruptly, the room started to rapidly heat up, and everyone turned towards the source of the warmth in time to see a rage demon pulling itself out of the ground. "You dare to command me?! Let us see if your precious Maker can protect you now, worm!"
Both Emma and Wynne immediately responded with cold spells, allowing the melee fighters to get within striking range without sustaining any burns. As the spells wore off, Shale stayed in place and bombarded the demon with blow after blow. They repeated this manoeuvre a few times until it slunk back beneath the floorboards.
They had time to take a breath before shades and abominations suddenly appeared. At some point during the fight, the rage demon reappeared, and the two mages immediately turned their focus on it, with the others joining in once the abominations were cleared. The demon roared and slowly slid back into the ground, its hands clutching furiously at the air. Ser Otto turned towards the group. "We have done it! I can feel the darkness receding."
Emma moved quickly, knowing she only had seconds, at most, to save the Templar's life. Casting an Arcane Shield, she then used her telekinetic burst to push him out of the way just as the demon reappeared with a large trident. Ser Otto hit the wall with a dull thud and landed on one knee, winded, but still alive. The demon screamed its anger at being denied a kill and slid across the floor to attack, leaving a trail of burning embers in its wake.
Aedan and the team stuck to the same tactics, considering how well they'd worked before. Eventually, it slunk back beneath the wooden planks. Everyone waited, their eyes to the ground as they watched intently for any signs of its return. Then a scream rent the air, and Emma realised, too late, that she'd failed to keep Ser Otto in her sight. She turned to see the Templar skewered on the trident, his arms hanging limply by his side and blood dripping down the length of the weapon.
She fought back the tears that burned her eyes and turned her cold anger onto the demon. She swallowed down a lyrium potion as the vile creature laughed and carelessly tossed the remains of Ser Otto to the ground. She cast Cone of Cold, followed up with a Blizzard, and finally she gripped it in a Fist of the Maker – she thought the Templar would appreciate the name of the spell - and slammed it hard against the wall. The plaster on the thin wall cracked and particles littered the wooden floor, then more white dust appeared as she bashed it again before dropping it to the ground. The demon's burning skin was starting to appear when she cast Winter's Grasp and froze it once more, then, with a cry of anger, she swung her sword and the demon shattered. Her legs wobbled, and she leaned heavily on the sword, knowing she'd exhausted herself by casting so many spells in such a short period of time.
"I've got you, Angel," Aedan whispered, as his arm went around her waist, taking some of her weight onto himself. As she rested against him, her gaze went to Ser Otto. "Alistair, where do we take his body? He deserves a burial with honours for what he's done today."
"The Knight-Commander at the Chantry will arrange the funeral," he answered as he walked over and closed the Templar's eyes. Sten bent and hefted the body onto his shoulder. "Lead the way."
Emma remembered to collect the amulet for the deranged beggar, and then they walked outside. It seemed to Emma that the air in the Alienage didn't smell that bad any more, not after the cloying stench of evil they'd encountered in the orphanage. She spent a few minutes with the elven beggar and managed a small smile when she was thanked enthusiastically for the return of the amulet. she caught up to her friends and they left the alienage. There were a few stares as they walked across the busy marketplace with the body of a dead Templar.
One noblewoman screeched indignantly. "Oh really! Surely you could have taken it around the back streets."
Emma spun around. "How dare you! If one more disrespectful word comes out of your mouth, I'll…"
"Enough, Angel." She threw a nasty glare at the noble as Aedan pulled her away before she could do something stupid.
They reached the Chantry and spent ten minutes explaining the situation that had led to Ser Otto's death. "Will you be holding the funeral soon?" Emma asked.
"With the Blight on our doorstep, it would be best not to delay. We'll make arrangements for tonight."
"Would you let me know what time it's going to take place? I'd like to pay my last respects."
The Knight-Commander gave a short nod. "Of course, Grey Warden."
After confirming where she could be reached, the party made their way back to the estate for some much-needed rest.
