In the original game, the trip back from the Roads is supposed to have taken 5 days, but for the story purposes I cut the time greatly. Let's get these people out of the tunnels already, yes?
Special thanks to the readers and BioWare!
"Most unwise," the demon said in its low, baritone voice and the yellowish glow swirling its body made of rock intensified.
It was a clear sign for us to attack, although I was sure everyone had been ready the moment we had encountered the strange being. It had shared its knowledge of the creatures it called 'the profane' and just like I had sensed, they were being powered by the red lyrium in the tunnels. The demon that had possessed one of the rock wraith lookalikes had been feeding on their hunger for who knew how long and I was glad to put an end to that. Not even mindless monsters deserved to be locked in a forgotten dungeon with no other purpose than to be slowly drained for someone's personal gain.
The fight was over quite soon and while I wanted to believe it was only because of our combined strength, the ferocity behind every swing of my brothers' swords told me they were in a hurry. Roghart at least had witnessed me in battle many times already, so it was no wonder if he noticed how idle I had been during the fight, mostly focusing on casting barriers and firing simple bolts of fire at the enemies. Anything more powerful or complex frightened me at the moment when I had no idea what my enhanced magic was capable of. I would never have been able to forgive myself if any of my offensive spells backlashed at the people I cared about.
With the demon dead, the great hall was again filled with ghostly hollows of wind gusting through the cracks on the walls no-one could see with naked eye in the Deep Roads. Most of the time I thought all the sounds of nature or any other life than us or monsters were merely illusions as I could never locate the source, like something was deliberately confusing our senses. Dwarfs who had lived under the surface their entire lives might have been immune to such tricks because they didn't know any other natural sounds than what the underground had to offer, which in my opinion was disturbingly little.
While we pressed on, I brought my hands close to my chest and tried casting the spell Anders had showed me again. My trembling fingers calmed at once when a globe of warm, bluish light engulfed them. Although I couldn't yet figure out how Anders had made the spell affect the whole body, I was pleased enough at the results. I let the spell linger for a short moment, but when I prepared to cancel it, the gentle color began to turn into bright red and the aura surrounding my hands felt like a thousand miniature poking needles. With a discomforted yelp, I forcefully dispelled the effect and rubbed my palms together. Everyone of course whipped their heads at me and I hurried to sign about the presence of red lyrium I could sense ahead again. I cursed at the nauseous feeling of red lyrium corrupting the healing magic I was keen to learn, though I was thankful for the warning I managed to receive because of it so that we could ready ourselves.
Our path was literally being covered in rock wraith pieces as there suddenly seemed to be no end to them. Most of them were weak, like the lyrium that brought them alive had lost its power during the long years the creatures had slumbered in the Deep Roads undisturbed. I still hesitated to cast any potent spells, even when it meant more work for my brothers and Anders and presumably put them more at risk in battle. Fortunately, Anders noticed that I kept casting the magical barriers so he was able to spend his mana in freezing the enemies solid which made it much easier for Roghart and Carver to smash them into piles of rocks.
"Was that the last one?" Carver huffed after landing the finishing blow on the creature that seemed to be the only one left moving around.
"Let's hope so," my twin brother spat, gripping his sword like he was expecting another wave of monsters to enter the stage.
I don't sense anything, I gestured, nodding my head when Roghart glanced at me. Although my brothers weren't capable of translating the language Anders was still teaching me, I believed they both shared clear motivation to learn how to understand me better. My usual methods without Mages' Cant had become quite effective it seemed, as it was enough for Roghart to put his blade away and walk towards the next cavern in our sight.
However, there was no bolstering confidence in his steps and his example made the rest of us become wary as well. Usually a clear path should have been a welcome sign, but after tackling a horde of relentless monsters popping out of every dark corner of the Roads, eerie silence was the last thing I wished to hear.
I took a deep inhale as we entered a large, seemingly empty area with no significant landmarks or anything that could tell us what part of the Deep Roads we were supposed to have been in. A slight breeze like a breath from some giant creature raised the hair on my skin and the aura I detected was incomprehensible to me. There was a faint hum in my ears like the song of red lyrium was trying to pierce through the wall of my mind, but it sounded so jumbled that I couldn't say for certain what was the exact cause. All I knew was that the longer I listened to the noise, the more I endangered myself if it really was red lyrium calling out to me.
"What is this place?" Roghart asked Varric.
"I'd wager this is the vault," the dwarf said, his eyes scanning the place thoroughly. "See that turn ahead? If the dwarfs kept any valuables, then they are most likely-"
The ground shook, interrupting Varric and we quickly spotted the source of the sudden quake. Large boulders of stone and dirt began to form behind Roghart, emerging from the ground like they had melded with it and thus had been able to stay hidden from anyone who might have guessed that a monster had disguised itself as a heap of rocks. The transformation was over in seconds, but it had been enough time for my brother to arm himself once more and face the rock wraith that clearly was much stronger than what we had killed previously.
"Well, that can't be good," Varric stated bluntly and used the opportunity to distance himself from the enemy, loading his crossbow at the same time.
I swiftly signed Anders about my intentions to position myself behind my brothers and ran around the target while it was focused on the two swordsmen in front of it. The rock wraith moved clumsily, its heavy arms swinging in such wide arcs that dodging them was oddly easy even for Roghart who wore metal armor. Against everything I had learned about red lyrium, the lack of its presence worried me a great deal. All the other wraiths had been consumed by it, functioning only because of its potent energy that could probably have lasted for hundreds of years if we hadn't awoken them. But every hit that our group landed on the monster kept breaking the stones it was made of, making me entertain the thought that the fight would be over soon.
Of course I knew it was a mistake to assume such a pleasant outcome. When I began to prepare a simple ice spell, the rock wraith collapsed and it looked like the ground sucked its dispersed body in. The enemy had vanished in seconds, leaving us confused and glancing around.
"Is it supposed to do that?!" Carver yelled, shifting in a circle.
"How should I know!" Varric yelled back and never stopped aiming with his crossbow, clearly trusting his quick reflexes to shoot the moment the creature would emerge again.
When the sensation of red lyrium crept along my very core, I realized the answer to Carver's question. I poured more mana into the spell still active on my palm, but all of a sudden my fingers curled from stinging pain, like some other mage had caught my hand into a freezing spell of their own. At the same time, the enemy shot itself out of the ground in the middle of the vault and I attempted to parry the flying debris while in the process of assuming control over my magic. The rocks that touched my hand engulfed by the enhanced aura were frozen immediately and I was left unscathed. I managed to dispel the effect, alarmed of how strong I still felt despite having a large portion of my mana drained due to canceling the spell.
My brothers wasted no time and charged the enemy, but their swords didn't seem to have any effect this time. I noticed the wraith was now coated in a weak luster that slowly brightened before I could analyze it further. Suddenly, it became hard for me to stare directly at the creature and as I squinted my eyes, it raised both of its legs and curled into a ball, hovering in midair and emitting a low buzzing sound. I heard Varric's suggestion to seek cover while concentrating on a familiar feeling of forceful magic gathering around the rock wraith. A lump like a shard of steel got stuck in my throat when the aura turned malicious and the buzzing grew louder, making me quickly identify the same spell I had often used to crush enemies inside a cage of tearing energy, especially when I had taken red lyrium.
The second realization that washed over me was that Roghart and Carver would not have been able to evade in time.
Gasping for air that felt too thick for my lungs, I rushed to them and quickly made note of the pillars in the cavern. If the wraith's magic was similar to mine, then it shouldn't have been effective against non-living matter. Such speculation was my only hope, plus the mana of red lyrium my body had somehow kept sucking in from every available source.
As soon as I grabbed Roghart's sleeve, the enemy unleashed the spell. I still managed to reach Carver's arm as well and before the massive surge of magic could touch us, I focused my mind on the area behind one of the pillars and teleported all of us there in a blink of an eye. My legs were working out of sync with my brain, causing me to lose my balance and dragging my brothers on the ground with me when we landed.
"What the...?" was the only comment I heard and I wasn't even sure who had said it. I shielded my eyes from the blinding light of the blast, praying silently that Anders and Varric had moved themselves behind the other pillars.
The booming sound from the rock wraith's spell had blocked my ears and I was certain my brothers were going to be disoriented for a while. Trusting red lyrium's capability to carry multiple people with a teleportation spell had been successful and against all my instincts, I decided to borrow its aid again. Before the creature could take another action, I purposely sought for the red lyrium's presence and channeled it into a new icy spell, recalling how effective the element had been against the flying rocks earlier. A miniature whirlwind of freezing temperature manifested on my hand, the same spell I had used while helping Fenris, but more powerful due to the amount of corrupting magic I let it consume from my surroundings.
I extended my arm and locked the wraith inside the magical storm, slightly shocked of how much havoc the spell did against it. The gusting winds were like blades of ice, slicing pieces off the rocky surface as if it were melted butter. Frost covered the enemy's glowing face and it seemed panicked even, swirling around inside the hellish prison in slowed motion due to its frozen legs and looking for an escape. It tried to create an opening by force, losing one of its arms entirely when it got stuck on the wall of the storm and was frozen solid. As the chilled limb fell on the floor and shattered, the winds dispersed and I couldn't sense any red lyrium from the wraith which told me the opponent was now in a weakened state.
I turned to Roghart and gestured at the creature with a questioning face when my brother's concerned eyes kept staring at me.
"You're bleeding," he said, touching his nose.
Mimicking his actions, my hand flew to my face, but I scoffed at his overreaction when all I could find was a small trickle of blood. I hastily wiped my nose on my sleeve and urged Roghart to use the opportunity to finish the enemy, pointing forward as clearly as possible. Then all of a sudden, my whole body felt like cement and my legs weren't strong enough to carry such weight. The arm I had extended became limp and I dropped on the ground, barely supporting myself to stay in a half-seated position until Roghart rushed to my aid. My mind wasn't feeling exhausted, but my lungs demanded a couple of deep inhales as if I had just completed a marathon or held my breath underwater for longer than humanely possible. For a short while, I felt like both had occurred.
With gritted teeth, Carver charged the wraith like a lighting bolt and easily sunk his blade in its chest. The core that pulsed with magic had lost its bright red color after my spell and Carver's attack broke it apart entirely, causing the monster to lose its form and crumble the same way the smaller versions had after being relieved of the only thing that had kept them alive for centuries perhaps.
He wasted no time in celebrating, barely remembering to retrieve his sword before running to me. Everyone was frolicking around me before I even realized it, making me embarrassed of being struck by red lyrium's aftereffects once again.
"Anders," my younger brother began, but Anders' hand surrounded in soft blue aura was already on my forehead before Carver could finish his request. When I couldn't sense any reaction from the healing, I took it as a good sign and carefully pushed his hand away.
Not sick, I signed him and while my fingers weren't trembling at the moment, moving them in precise motions was more demanding than it should have been. Very tired.
"How in Andraste's name were you able to use such magic without taking red lyrium?" Anders asked.
I don't know, was my honest answer. I can control the red lyrium that is here, everywhere. Maybe.
Frowning, Anders raised his hand over my head again and I felt slightly different energy from the another spell he cast, recognizing it soon as the same one he had used at the Rose to detect red lyrium inside me. His frown only turned into more confusion when I knew he wouldn't be able to find anything.
"I can sense the foreign magic lingering around you, but there's none in your system. Even regular lyrium should leave detectable traces of it after being depleted."
The lyrium came to me on it's own. I didn't...call it.
The fatigue that was overwhelming my body didn't make it easier for me to figure out the suitable signs for an explanation that was more about guessing than basing anything on facts. I let my hands rest on my lap for a moment, fighting against the urge to just close my eyes and fall into deep slumber. The scenery was becoming dangerously hazy, as if my mind had decided I hadn't slept for days and now was the right time to pay the price.
The idol, I lazily drew a shape in the air representing the malicious item we had found. I think it made me able to use red lyrium somehow.
"Earlier, you said her condition was similar to lyrium poisoning, is that still the case?" Roghart inquired, his arm wrapped around me and I was certain it was the only thing making me stay upright.
"Not precisely," Anders shook his head and I heard some relief in his voice. "Last time the red lyrium had been inside her body after being consumed and its potency compared to regular lyrium had resulted in a poisoning. The strange idol she depicted just now might have acted as some sort catalyst for her powers, making her a recipient that would attract red lyrium around her and then she would be able to use it as an outer source for her magic."
My half-opened eyes widened at Anders, which effectively conveyed to him how baffled I was because of his words.
"It's just a theory of course," Anders quickly added. "I don't think we can state anything for certain about red lyrium before studying it more closely and I'd wager we wouldn't get a line of volunteers to expose themselves to its corruption just for knowledge."
He made me chuckle for having been so right. The qunari certainly hadn't studied red lyrium before feeding it to their mages. They had only seen its advantages in a battle and never stayed to witness the consequences. Terms such as 'poisoning' had never been uttered amongst our ranks. If a Saarebas had fallen ill, the result would have been a strict punishment and repetition of taking the drug in order to rid the mage of their weakness.
"For some reason, I've come to hate the combination of the words 'red lyrium' and 'theory' together," Varric sighed.
You and me both, I signed with a smile, aware that the dwarf still couldn't comprehend the language.
"We should take a quick look around for any valuables and continue the search for an exit," Roghart said,
Varric sneered happily. "Now we're talking. If these rock wraiths were left here to guard something, then it has to be worth our time. Dwarfs don't typically store their garbage underground."
"Can you walk?" Carver asked me, sounding quite sure of my reply already.
With great effort, I managed to snap my consciousness back from the edges of the dream world and gazed at Carver. It had become a rare treat to see him wearing a concerned expression and now that I inquisitively looked at him, it didn't suit his otherwise grumpy features at all. I tried to resist, but could feel the corners of my mouth rising a bit.
"You certainly don't look like you can," my little brother deducted, then turned to Roghart and unbuckled the belt that kept his greatsword on his back. "I'll carry her first, so you'll have to hold on to this."
I grabbed Carver's hand and he hoisted me up so fast that I lurched against him, forcing my legs to muster the last bits of strength left in my body to keep myself from tumbling down. Carver didn't falter and he had no difficulty to lift me on his back.
"Maker, do you even eat anything?" he let out an uncharacteristic laugh. "I'm pretty sure I could throw you all the way back to the surface."
"That might be the best option for her," Varric agreed with a smirk.
"Don't give him any ideas," Roghart quickly interrupted. "He's not boasting about his throwing skills for nothing."
I rested my head on Carver's wide shoulders and thanked the gods for the cold metal of his armor against my flustered cheeks.
#
I woke up to mixed murmuring sounds, one of which sounded to be a lot closer that the rest. My eyelids refused to open right away and I wondered how long I had been asleep. While my body was slowly regaining its fatigued senses back, I first felt the swinging motions that caused me to remember being carried on Carver's back. As a mobility test, I clenched my fists and slightly squeezed my arms together, confirming my position hadn't changed.
The material touching my fingers wasn't metallic, though. It was comfortably soft, like lamb's leather with silky seams and not the bulging rivets I recalled. What brushed against the skin of my face was also soft and tufty, as if I was leaning against a bed made of crow's feathers. My nose didn't pick up any mixed iron odor of dried blood and steel. There was a nice scent of some herb I couldn't identify, something I would never have associated with Carver.
"You're awake?" Anders' voice alerted me by being so close to my ear and I felt my heart skipping a beat once I realized he was carrying me and not my brother.
His eyes were turned at me and I struggled to find a way to twist my head so that he couldn't witness my flaming red face and it wouldn't seem like I was coldly ignoring him.
"Good morning," Varric greeted when our gazes met. "Or afternoon, day, evening, whatever the time is."
"I thought dwarfs were supposed to have an accurate sense of time even while being underground?" Anders mocked and I could hear the taunt in his voice.
"If the dwarf was unlucky enough to have been born and raised in this sunless place, then yes, you would be correct," Varric grimaced at the thought. "No need for us luckier ones to have such an useless ability when we can tell the time by simply looking up. The fact that we surface dwellers haven't been brainwashed with 'the sky will fall on us' bullshit is a nice bonus, too."
Varric's humor was always a welcome distraction for me, though I wasn't sure if anything could steer my focus elsewhere while being so close to Anders that I could hear him breathing. The Deep Roads, however, offered no valid substitutes to target my attention at. I had become quite bored of the repetitive scenery now that we weren't in the mysterious thaig anymore and the only sound that separated from everything else was the silent song of red lyrium I fought to shield my mind from.
Anders halted when I tugged his sleeve and gestured my wish to walk by pointing at the ground. He felt hesitant, but I gave him no choice by forcing my legs down, causing him to release his grip. I welcomed his aid at finding my balance while my head took a couple of extra seconds to recover from the dizziness.
How long? I asked at first, then clarified, Sleep?
"Couple of hours," Anders replied, his face turning severe. "Can you still sense red lyrium here? We passed the room with the idol some time ago. I ask as a healer, because you still look exhausted."
Yes, I saw no point in lying to him. But it's there, not here.
My signs clearly hadn't been accurate enough, because Anders flashed an amused smirk at me. As much as I adored his smiling face even if it had resulted from my own fumbling, I sighed and lifted his hand to touch my forehead.
No fever right? I smirked back and let go of him.
"Um, no," his voice was clumsy, his fingers brushing my front hair as he withdrew his hand. "Well in that case, as a friend I suggest that you make sure the lyrium keeps it distance. I don't think it would make a good souvenir either."
Of course, I signed with a warmer expression and wished to join my brothers for a while. My steps halted for a moment to turn back at Anders, his curious look making it oddly hard to come up with the correct signs I still wanted to say. Thank you, my friend, I added after a thorough thinking process.
The way his eyes seemed to smile at me made my ears feel hot and I quickly made my way to Roghart. Carver's pace had slowed down a little bit and I assumed we weren't far from the exit anymore. The Deep Roads infested with the substance I loathed hadn't offered the most relaxing break from Kirkwall's problems, yet I still thought a trip anywhere that wasn't in a close proximity to my qunari tribe was worth it. Mulling about the idea of feeling the sun on my skin once again and letting the chirping of birds drown the unnatural hum in my ears forced me to also realize how soon I would have to breathe the air of the same city with the Arishok.
I glanced at the heavy backpacks both of my brothers were carrying, hearing some faint chinking sounds coming from inside them. The thaig must have been filled with ancient dwarven treasure which I hadn't had the chance to glimpse at yet, but it was undoubtedly more than enough to help mother get her estate back like she had planned. The Saarebas weren't taught about the value of money because they didn't possess anything, so most of my understanding of riches and what one could buy with them was from my childhood before the kidnapping. Jethann and some of his underground friends had ensured that I had all the necessities while I stayed with them, so handling money and simply buying things was an unfamiliar concept for me. I had overheard the refugees sharing their knowledge of how to save gold by sewing clothes and growing vegetables, teaching me about poverty and how to manage despite of it, but I had absolutely no clue of what I would have done about the amount of money we had acquired.
Spark, the female Saarebas I still considered a close friend, had once told me a story about a Tevinter slave who bought his freedom with a ridiculous sum and still lost his life against a group of assassins his slaver had hired with the very same pile of gold. I remembered telling her that at least the slave had been free during his final moments, but began to question my words. She must have believed that even if we could buy our freedom, it wouldn't have been worth it. Instead of protecting the slave, the money had been the beginning and the end of his short unchained life.
If there was going to be gold left after buying mother's status back, I hoped it would be sufficient to watch over her.
"Can we stop for a moment?" Carver asked in a low, hoarse voice that gained my attention.
Roghart slowed down and turned his head. "Is it your old, aching bones?" he quipped.
"No, I...feel dizzy," Carver slurred before suddenly collapsing on his knees.
I reacted with a startled gasp and crouched beside him, feeling how his whole body trembled when I laid my hand on his shoulder. Roghart gripped Carver's other hand just before our little brother seemed to lose the rest of his strength and slumped against me. I whipped my head at Anders, pleading for his professional aid.
With a swift wave of a hand, Anders summoned an aura of magic around his palm. I monitored his examination carefully and when his gaze fixed on Carver's neck, I ogled at the same spot even though I had no idea why.
"Open the clasp of his shoulder guard," Anders told me while his spell was still active and I quickly obeyed. "Good, now pull that part of the leather so that you can lower the collar of his shirt."
It was clear that it wasn't the first time Anders had treated a fully armored person, as he knew exactly how not to waste time and effort to reach the injured areas. I expected we would find a hidden infected wound, but instead I frowned in confusion when I saw the blackened veins creeping along Carver's neck, like his blood was turning into the color of the night. I looked at Anders and felt a cold shiver run along my spine when his face had went pale.
"Darkspawn taint," he breathed in disbelief, canceling the spell like it mattered no more. "Why didn't I detect it sooner?"
"Are you certain?" Varric questioned. "I mean, it is the one unique thing you Wardens can sense in order to fight the bastards."
"That's why it seems impossible, yet I'm sure it is the taint now that I'm close to it," Anders put his fingers on Carver's neck, caught unaware when my brother reacted to the touch with a painful grimace. "Not only were the symptoms delayed, the taint is now spreading a lot faster than it should, like it's even more corrupt than the original."
If someone had still spoken, I couldn't hear it over the pounding in my ears and the air blowing through my nose in rapid intervals. Panic was gradually taking over my body and my fingers squeezed so tight that my nails were digging into my hands, but the strangling pain in my chest ached more. My subconscious begged me to calm my heart with the skills I had learned, but I was too afraid to act on it. If I moved even a muscle, it would have snapped me back to the horrors of reality I didn't want to accept.
He's done for, my Arvaarad had stated coldly when the new Saarebas had been bitten by a darkspawn.
End him quickly before he infects the rest, my Arvaarad had ordered when the new Saarebas had looked at me with sorrow and pride.
Don't cry for it, my Arvaarad had struck me down with the control rod when he had seen my tears.
Always remember to dispose of the danger before it becomes a threat, my Arvaarad had forced me to lie there beside the Saarebas he had made me kill, like his masked face twisted in permanent agony could have taught me a lesson.
If there was some lesson to be learned, I certainly didn't catch it, at least not in the way the qunari had intended.
I met Carver's eyes, suppressing my gasp upon realizing how fast life was being drained from him. Color was disappearing from his face and the gray clouds in his pupils made me think of a blind dog nearing its end. The tainted veins were already near his cheeks and I could barely hear the irregular inhales he desperately kept taking.
"Why didn't you say anything, you moron?" Roghart scolded with a sneer, though all I heard in his voice was grief.
Carver may have attempted to laugh, but it was spoiled by heavy coughing. "Not my fault," he wheezed after gathering himself. "I just thought I was exhausted. I'm not really an expert on these things, you know that."
"Alright, so what do we do?" Roghart turned to Anders. "The last time I saw this happen to another man I was told that only Grey Wardens knew of a cure for the taint. So out with it, what should we do?"
Cure? I repeated in my mind, then erased the thought by shaking my head, biting my lower lip hard to prevent the lump in my throat from rising any higher.
Carver was worsening, and fast.
"The only way to survive the taint that I'm aware of is to become a Grey Warden," Anders explained, his face regretful. "It involves a specific ritual and tools, plus a senior Warden. But the corruption has spread too deep into his body. Something has hastened the process and shortened the time he has left."
"This part of the Roads has been filled with red lyrium, maybe that's the reason?" Varric pointed out. "We don't know anything about the stuff, who says it can't affect unnatural conditions like the darkspawn taint?"
It's always the red lyrium, I cursed to myself. As if one death sentence isn't enough, the shitty poison has to make it a torment for everyone else as well.
"So I'll end up like Aveline's husband huh," Carver said lightly, but his eyes became severe when he looked directly at us, his siblings. "I'm not going to wait for that fate, brother. You'll have to do the same for me as Aveline did for her man."
I couldn't prevent my eyes from watering any longer. What do you mean? I asked with no voice nor signs, not even a written message. I was left alone to wonder about his words in an oppressive silence.
"No, there has to be some other way," Roghart retorted. "We need to find a Warden who can perform this ritual. You can't give up until we have exhausted all of our options."
A groan came from my little brother and his hand flew to his chest, the main source of pain obviously becoming intolerable. A tear rolled down my cheek as I leaned closer to him, having no idea how to ease his suffering.
"The maps that I gave you show a Warden patrol in these tunnels, but it would take days for us to find them, assuming we wouldn't get lost," Anders said and I dared not to take even glimpse at the expression he must have had. "I'm really sorry, but there isn't enough time. I'm sorry there isn't anything more I can do."
That's it? I found it difficult to breathe.
Carver sounded like he was going to cough his lungs out and he caught me off guard by grabbing my hand that had loomed above his own. His penetrative stare targeted at me displayed his inevitable and cruel fate, causing me lose control of every tear I had tried to hold back.
"Reneka I'm sorry," Carver rasped, his grip tightening. "I'm sorry to put you in this situation. You have to do this for me. Please."
Do what? Kill you?
You're asking me to kill you?
"Please, my dear sister."
Thank you Red, the Saarebas had whispered to me before I had waved my fingers and pierced his heart with a sharp stalactite formed of rock.
No.
Not this time. Not ever again. Not you. I refuse. You will live.
You must live!
There was no plan, no facts to base my actions on, no guarantee that whatever I did would work. I didn't care. All I knew for certain was that Carver was going to die in front of me if I didn't try something. I was prepared to face the consequences to alter that outcome.
In one nimble motion, my hand slipped into my pocket and produced a single shard of red lyrium. It shone in unnatural bloody light and I thought I could hear a pulse from within, as if it had also been touched by the idol's power. The lyrium I had sensed from everywhere around us became palpable, its energy attempting to gather towards the beacon I held between my fingers. Such a small piece and it radiated corrupt magic that I knew for a fact would never be able to heal or mend anything. Destruction was red lyrium's only purpose. I had erased so much from the world with its aid and had added nothing to replace the emptiness.
You will now help me destroy the thing that is killing my brother.
"Reneka don't-!" I heard both Roghart and Anders yell in some differing phrases when I tossed the shard inside my mouth and quickly swallowed it.
The idol had enhanced the red lyrium in a way that was alien even to me. The instant surge of magic distributed into every cell of my body, like it melded with the whole system I as a human being was made of. I took advantage of the realization that the usual initial shock seemed to be missing and removed a small dagger I had noticed on Carver's belt. While the others remained still waiting for some other reaction from me, I had decided to act on my instincts as always, even if it would have made Roghart resent me. Any chance to save Carver's life was worth it.
Anders had been forgiving and kind, but it was wrong of me to assume his compassion would have lasted despite my actions. The mere possibility that he wouldn't be able to understand made me hesitate for a second before cutting my palm.
Jolted gasps were drowned under a low booming sound resonating in my ears and the fact that I could hear the blood flowing out of my extended arm. It mixed with the magic I concentrated in my hand and the tingling on my skin similar to numbness told me the spell was ready. Although it was improvised and taught to me by another Saarebas of my tribe, I had once used it successfully to remove poison from an injury.
At that time, I hadn't been drugged with enhanced red lyrium, so I was purely hoping that change alone would give the spell enough kick to dig into Carver's veins.
I put my hand on Carver's chest just above the ribcage where his skin was exposed and pressed my fingertips down, sending thin streams of magic glowing in bright red into his system. Roghart's hand had shifted towards mine, but he hadn't stopped me. Maybe he figured we had to ignore some moral rules or else we would lose our brother, or maybe he was still in the middle of deciding how to punish me for the horrid spectacle.
My forehead started to sweat from the resistance the taint seemed to be putting on. It had appropriated Carver for itself, like a toddler who wasn't willing to share their toys or a predator who wasn't going to release the prey from its teeth. I had suspected the taint couldn't be sucked out like regular poison and the amount of pain showing on Carver's face seemed to concur with me.
Your turn, I spoke to the dissolving shard inside me. Do what you were meant for. Destroy. Erase.
No logic bended around the concept of asking red lyrium to save someone's life, but I wasn't going to let my family be shattered again.
I allowed most of my mana to pour out in order to attract the red lyrium hiding all around us. Once I had intentionally gathered a fair amount of its energy, I reopened the wound on my palm and recast the earlier spell with malice towards the taint, having no other purpose than to completely destroy it. My control of red lyrium was at its height when I utilized it for fatal objectives. A faint victorious smile appeared on my lips when I detected how the lyrium was eating the taint away from Carver's veins, using my blood as its guide through the complex system. Carver's heavy armor limited any direct contact with his body, so I focused to reach his heart guarded under the metal breastplate to find and kill the nest that was spreading the infection.
I had to use some force, causing Carver discomfort that made him arch his back and his now taint-free heart thumped as fast as a rabbit's that had just outrun its hunter. Sensing how I was almost all out of magic, I made a quick round checking Carver's blood. I had detected the foreign presence of the taint only because of the red lyrium's influence, so when the extra power was burning away its last embers and I still discovered nothing, I had to assume the spell had worked and let my arms fall on my lap from exhaustion.
It became eerily quiet. I had been in some kind of frenzied state to begin with, a swirl of emotions caused by panic, but now I truly realized how depressingly silent the Deep Roads were. I could hear Carver's healthy breathing and made it the center of my attention. It was too soon to lift my gaze to meet Roghart's eyes, not to mention Anders'. I thought I caught Varric saying 'Holy shit' in a soft, yet terrified voice, but I wasn't quite sure of anything at that moment. The harsh consequences of the crimson drug waning off hadn't kicked in and my mind was actually calm against everything I knew from the past experiences with red lyrium.
He's alive, that's all that matters, I kept telling myself while glancing at my shivering hands. Why was I insecure about whether to feel relieved joy or utter dread?
"Did you just cure him of darkspawn taint?" Anders said, testing how insane each of his words in the same sentence sounded like.
It's been too long.
I started this fic 10 years ago and had so much on my plate in my life (still have tbh) that it really took this long to finish the first act. But now it's done, the game events of the first act anyway. The next chapters will focus on Reneka's relationships and what the characters are going to do during the one year time skip in the game. I refuse to just leave it blank.
I never abandoned writing this despite the hiatus and I truly hope to get a better control of my daily life in order to continue this more regularly. I still haven't decided whether to just get rid of the Act I part of the title and put the other acts in the same fic or follow my original plan of making all the acts be their own separate fics. We'll see.
Cheers!