This Fan Fiction is based on the Dragon Age video game series trademarked by BioWare. I do not claim ownership of the characters or the world of Dragon Age. I've tried not to mess with the "official" story, so names and dates should be correct for the time period this story takes place.
This story contains sexual relations between minors and adults, and if this offends you in any way, please do not read any further. This story also has some gore and violence! Any comments are welcome at rainingsparrows@yahoo.com
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WARNING! This part is unlike the other parts of this story, so be advised. This chapter has many graphic descriptions of violence, blood, gore and death. You are warned! If you have a soft heart, you can skip this one and wait for the summary in the next part.
Last time: As their seed dripped down onto the stone floor beneath them, the two boys tried to catch their breath again. This experience had left them panting as if they'd been running for fifteen minutes, instead of the actual five they had enjoyed with each other.
"That... was amazing." Daniel finally said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah. I don't think I'll have a problem sleeping anymore," Simon said back. The only thing still keeping him on his feet, was Daniel's strong arms around him, hugging them tightly together. Simon's head rested on Daniel's shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. It was almost a little intoxicating!
"Maybe... We should clean up a little?" Daniel suggested with a chuckle. Not a bad idea, Simon though. Their seed covered their bellies and deflating members. They cleaned themselves up with a little water, before heading back to bed. They wouldn't get much sleep before they had to get back up again, but it had been worth it. Simon and Daniel had been intimate, something Simon had dreamed of for months!
Part VII
Next morning, Simon and Daniel sat on their horses riding out from Montsimmard and into the vast wilderness. Their little group of nine was riding with Riordan in front and Senior Warden Sean in the back. They rode down the roads towards Val Firmin for almost a day before taking leaving the Imperial Highway, heading into the wilderness towards Gamordan Peaks.
After a couple of days of intense riding through thick woods and steep hills, they reached their destination; a secluded side of the mountain, almost cave like. By the looks of the walls, it was made by living beings, not nature. A small group of Wardens were waiting for them there. Three of them were dwarves and one was a tall man and by the looks of his long blue robe, a mage.
"Anything to report?" Riordan asked the mage as they came closer.
"Nothing yet. We have only scouted a little of the cave. It does indeed go into the Deep Roads, and there are traces of Darkspawn as well, but we haven't seen a live one yet."
"Good. Sean and I will head down tomorrow with the recruits," Riordan finally said as he dismounted from his horse. He turned to them with a stern look. "We will set up camp here. Get some rest and prepare yourself for tomorrow."
Simon looked over at Daniel, who looked a little pale, and nodded. They set up their small tents and started a fire. The Wardens that were already here hadn't had the time to set up a proper camp yet, as they had been down into the caves most of their time.
"Do you think... we will see Darkspawn tomorrow?" Darien asked as he and Simon collected more wood for the fire. Simon noticed that his usually calm and steady voice, was shaking a little as he spoke.
"I don't know, but it sounds like it's the case if there was traces of Darkspawn down there. Have you ever seen one?" Simon asked, looking over at Darien. He only shook his head, looking paler by the second.
"I have, back at Lake Calenhad. We were attacked by a small raiding party of Darkspawn. I was attacked by a Shriek, you know what that is?" Simon asked and Darien nodded. "Well, it snuck up on me, but I managed to stab it with my dagger. We killed them all, Darien. They can be killed," Simon said reassuringly. Darien still looked rather pale, but at least now, he had a smile on his face.
The following morning the two groups made the final preparations before heading down into the Deep Roads. Daniel got a little help from Simon to strap on his new heavy armor. It was a Grey Warden armor like the one Duncan and Saunders Ivo had, with plated steel and the Grey Warden emblem inscribed into the steel. Simon also had a new set of armor on. His armor was scaled steel with leather padding over it, making it flexible while also giving sufficient protection. The small group ventured into the large cave entrance. At first, it was like all caves Simon had ever been in. The walls rough and uneven, before they saw a light further ahead.
"Woah!" came the outburst of several of the recruits as they entered a huge hall splitting in two different directions, one to the left and one to the right. The long, straight hall was at least seven times as high as they were tall and twenty times as wide, held up by thick stone pillars. The light they had seen came from lava flowing down the walls and even lit torches further down the road.
"Welcome to the Deep Roads," Sean said with a smile. "We will split into two groups from here. We don't want to attract more attention than we need to. You, you and you come with me," he said pointing at Simon, Aiden and Darien. "The rest of you go with Riordan. We will meet back here in two hours." Simon gave Daniel a smile and they shook each other's hands.
"You better not be hurt, you hear me?" Simon whispered and Daniel leaned in and gave him a quick hug, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"I promise to do my very best. You be careful as well, and good luck," he whispered back, before spotting that both Aiden and Darien was staring at them, grinning from ear to ear. Daniel blushed a little, but gave them a smile. "You two as well. Be careful!"
"Thank you, and don't worry about Simon. We have his back," Aiden said, giving them a wink.
"Alright. Let's go!" Sean waved for his group to follow him and Simon and Daniel gave each other one last smile before walking in different directions.
This entrance to the Deep Roads seemed to be mostly intact, but the side roads that they came across had all fallen apart. They walked along the wide hall for around an hour and Simon was starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen, when they spotted movement ahead. Sean had also seen it, signaling them to draw their weapons.
Simon, Aiden and Darien all readied their weapons. Simon drew his dual blades, Aiden drew his bow, Darien drew his two-handed greatsword and Sean himself drew his longsword. Up ahead, a single Darkspawn came walking down, possibly scouting. Once it saw them, it screamed. The echo filled the entire hall, making it sound like it was ten of them, and not just the one. Aiden loosened a quick arrow at the monster, hitting it right in the chest. The scream faded as the Genlock fell to the ground. As soon as the scream died down, many more took its place. Darkspawn came out from the shadows itself, it seemed. Simon quickly counted and estimated them to be fifteen Darkspawn ranging in size. Most were smaller ones, Genlocks if he remembered correctly, but a few were Hurlocks like the ones he had seen before at Lake Calehad. Without pause, the Darkspawn charged straight at them. Simon didn't have time to think about his actions, he just lashed out at the monsters as they came. He almost cut the head of the first one clean off, but as soon as one was dead; another one took its place.
"Back to back!" Simon heard Sean shout, and Simon quickly located the other three. They formed a circle, making sure that they couldn't be flanked from behind.
Simon stood in between Aiden and Darien. Aiden fired arrow after arrow at the Darkspawn, and even used his bow as a melee weapon at the ones that came too close, before shooting an arrow at them as well. Darien lashed out at the creatures with his greatsword, cutting some of them clean in two. Simon did what he could, dodging the attacks he could, and parried the ones he couldn't. This was nothing like the training! Kahul had been right. The Darkspawn shows no mercy for anyone, and their sheer numbers made it difficult to take them all out.
Before long, the creatures were dead. Simon had taken out five, two with help from Darien and one with some assistance from Aiden. Sean had taken out eight, all on his own and the twins had taken out their fair share of Darkspawn as well. The bodies of the Darkspawn lay in piles around them, making for a gruesome scene.
"Take- your vials, and get some blood from them," Sean said, a little out of breath. "Are anyone of you hurt?" The three boys all shook their heads. They had all gotten a few scratches and bruises, but nothing major. The three recruits all got their vial from their belts and started the small task of collecting some Darkspawn blood. Simon filled his vial all the way up before sealing it up. He saw that both Aiden and Darien looked a little disgusted as they filled theirs.
"You all have it? Then let us head back. The others should be back in an hour or so. We will wait for them at the crossing. Let's move!" Sean said, and didn't even wait for the boys to seal their vials up before starting to move back the way they came. Simon placed his vial safely in a pouch on his belt, and ran after Sean.
Daniel didn't like the feeling of this whatsoever! They had gone for almost an entire hour without seeing anything, other than the one Deep Stalker that ran across the road fifteen minutes ago. It seemed like the other recruits and even Riordan himself shared his concern. Riordan's eyes scanned the walls as they went, and the longer they didn't find anything, the more nervous he seemed. The multiple side tunnels didn't help either. Even though they followed the main road, Daniel felt lost down here.
"I don't understand... We should have seen something by now. We should turn back and see if the others have had any luck. Come on. If we turn around now, we'll make it back before the others start looking for-" but Riordan never finished the sentence. They just rounded a corner, only to stop dead in their tracks. A gigantic metal door, held in place by thick metal bars, blocked off the road ahead. Daniel had seen a door like it before, back at Orzammar.
"A Thaig door..." Riordan almost whispered as he continued to walk, transfixed by the huge doors.
"How do you know?" Karen, the only female recruit asked as they approached the door.
"I've seen more like this. They were made to keep out Darkspawn during the first Blight. Most of them proved inefficient, as Darkspawn destroyed most of the Thaig's during the first Blight. I wonder where this door leads..." Riordan said as he put his hand on the cold, steel door.
"We should turn back. We don't have much time left." Riordan finally said, giving the huge door one last glance, "We need to let Orzammar know about this. Maybe the Memories can tell us which Thaig this is. Come on."
Daniel had to agree with Riordan's decision. If they didn't make it back to the crossing before their time ran out, they would worry the others, and the others couldn't know where they were down here. The others could get lost trying to find them.
"Why haven't we seen anything? The Wardens on the surface said that they had seen signs of Darkspawn, but we haven't seen anything, not even a dead one," Daniel asked Riordan as they turned around, walking back the same stretch as they came.
"I don't know. I don't like the feeling of this. The Deep Roads should be packed with Darkspawn. There hasn't been a Blight for over 200 years, and they reproduce quickly. Something isn't right. Even if this door held back the Darkspawn, we have seen several other tunnels on the way here, so there has to be something down here. I suppose the Darkspawn could be at the Deep Roads surrounding Orzammar, trying to brea-" Riordan stopped mid-sentence and looked back. "Oh no..." Riordan said and Daniel noticed that his face got paler by the second.
Daniel followed his gaze, and felt his heart racing from what he saw. Behind them, stood around thirty Darkspawn. They filled the entire length of the road, and just stood there looking straight at them. In the front of the group, stood one taller than the rest. Unlike most Darkspawn, this one had full plated armor and a helmet with huge horns sticking out from the top. In addition to this, it had a deadly looking axe strapped onto its back.
"That's an Alpha... By Andraste, that's an Alpha," Riordan almost whispered as he slowly drew his blades. "Run!" this time he shouted it. It took a moment for the other recruits to understand what was going on, as none of them had seen the small horde of Darkspawn behind them, but once they saw, they ran without hesitation. Daniel ran as fast as he could away from the Darkspawn, but he could feel the ground tremble underneath him as he did. They came after them. Daniel could hear the terrifying screams from the monsters behind them, but he didn't look back. He couldn't afford to look back now. If he did, he would slow down and he would get himself killed!
Up ahead, Daniel heard a thundering crash, as if the mountain itself fell apart, but the closer they came to the source of the sound, it dawned on him that this wasn't the case. Up ahead, stood another group of Darkspawn. They weren't as many as the ones behind them, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in size! A gigantic monster loomed over the others, at least twice as tall as any man. The monster didn't wear much armor, other than around its waist and shoulders, but Daniel guessed that it didn't need much armor. A monster of that size would have thick and tough skin, eliminating any need for armored plating. And as if this wasn't enough, its gigantic horns was dressed with what looked like several skulls at its tips! It looked like some wild animal, just a gigantic one! Daniel spotted the giant boulder that filled their escape route, blocking them off. They were trapped! It seemed like Riordan realized the same thing.
"Back to back!" Riordan shouted and they formed a circle. "In war, victory." he shouted as they all drew their weapons. Daniel drew his dwarven longsword, the very same that Simon had bought for him in Orzammar.
"In peace, vigilance!" Karen said, nocking an arrow on her elven bow.
"In death, sacrifice." Daniel said, his voice shaking a little as he said it, giving the blade a kiss. This was going to be his hardest fight yet, and quite possibly, his very last.
The Darkspawn behind them finally caught up with them and the group ahead roared at the sight of their leader, the Alpha. The Alpha ordered his small horde to stop with a loud roar. Daniel could see its eyes through the slots in its horned helmet, staring straight at him. A shiver went down Daniel's spine as he looked into those cold eyes. Murderous eyes.
The Alpha grabbed the axe on its back, holding it with both hands, before letting out another loud roar. The Darkspawn from both sides started walking towards them, surrounding them completely.
Without warning, the Darkspawn charged from all sides. Each recruit suddenly got five or more Darkspawn to handle at once. The air was filled with screams from the Darkspawn and the unmistakable sound of metal against metal.
Daniel felt the blows from the Darkspawn hit him all over his body, but thanks to his plated armor, they didn't get through. This didn't mean that they didn't hurt! His whole body felt beaten up from the many times a sword or a mace had gone through his defense.
Cutting down another Darkspawn, his third so far, Daniel had a chance to look around. Still back to back, the other recruits fought with all their might against the charging Darkspawn. Thankfully, none of them had fallen. Most did very well with their respective roles, killing Darkspawn left and right. Riordan stood a little away from the rest, doing what could have been a dance, running in between Darkspawn, cutting them down as he went. Daniel was amazed how light Riordan was on his feet. It was almost as if he was flying, not running through their ranks, changing direction without trouble. The others didn't do as well as him however. Karen, the archer, didn't have time to knock her arrows as the Darkspawn charged her, so she has thrown her bow on the ground and slashed the Darkspawn with her dagger instead.
A deep rumble caught Daniel's attention and he looked around to find the source. The ogre had just ripped out a huge chunk of the wall next to it, holding it above its head. Daniel's stomach felt as if it got filled with ice.
"Watch out! It's throwing at us!" Daniel shouted as loud as he could. The other recruits looked up just in time to see the ogre throw the boulder right at them! Daniel didn't think, he just ran straight forwards, holding his shield ahead of him to clear the way through the Darkspawn.
It was as if the ground itself was shattered right under him, and he was blown several feet away. He felt his young body crash into several other ones, Darkspawn presumably. Not wasting any time, he quickly got up and started to slash the creatures that were still down.
"Daniel, look out!" he heard someone shout behind him. He turned around just in time to see the ogre coming straight for him, tossing everyone in its way aside. Several Darkspawn, both living and dead, flew through the air and crashed into the walls. Daniel felt the panic build up inside of him. How was he going to take that on?!
The ogre lifted its arms, thick as tree trunks, taking aim at Daniel. Daniel's armor wouldn't give him any protection from getting smashed by those gigantic hands! He looked up just in time to see the two giant hands pounce at him. By pure reflex, he managed to roll through the creature's large legs. He heard the recognizable sound of rock being shattered and soon felt the wave of dust and rubble hit him, as the creature's large hands crushed the ground he had been standing on. Daniel now found himself on the Ogre's unarmored backside, and he realized that this was his chance. With the sword, that he somehow still held in his hand, he struck a deep laceration in the creature's back. The ogre screamed with pain and fell to his knees. For a second Daniel thought that the battle with the ogre was over and won and lowered his guard for a second. This would prove to be one second too much.
The ogre swiped backward with a powerful hand that blew Daniel several feet across the stone floor. As he crashed into a wall, he felt a sharp pain to his left shoulder. He was absolutely right. Armor did not help much against something as big as this ogre. Miraculously, he was still conscious and could see everything that was going on around the battlefield. Several of his fellow Wardens seemed to be doing well. Riordan swept in and out between the ranks of Darkspawn and they dropped like flies around him. The other recruits did well too, cutting down their fair share as well, but Daniel noticed that the Alpha still stood on the edge of the battle and watched the fight rather than participating in it. It had about ten more Darkspawn around it, all of them armed to the teeth.
Something in the corner of his eye caught Daniels attention. The ogre which had smashed Daniel into the wall, stood back on its feet. It looked around for a few seconds before it spotted Daniel lying through beaten on the ground. Daniel felt panic begin to build up inside him, and he looked around for his sword and spotted it halfway between himself and ogre. Daniel tried in vain to get back on his feet. His shoulder felt like it was crushed to bits and he felt a stinging pain in his back as well. Daniel could only watch the ogre came closer and closer with death in its eyes.
An arrow came flying out of nowhere and hit the ogre in its shoulder. It wasn't a fatal shot, but annoyed it enough that it forgot Daniel few seconds, and instead turned to see who was challenging it. Daniel followed creature's gaze and his jaw dropped from what he saw. Over boulder that blocked their escape, came Simon, Sean, Darien and Aiden. Aiden stood at the top of the boulder with his bow drawn for another shot. Simon and Darien both ran towards Daniel, looking to take down the ogre. The ogre let out a terrifying roar when it spotted the three new challengers. Sean had ignored the ogre completely and went to help out the rest of the group.
"Simon, see if you can flank while I get its attention, " Darien said while they ran. "HEY YOU!" He shouted, this time directed at the ogre. With another roar, the ogre ran straight for Darien who managed to roll away from its powerful swipes. Meanwhile, Simon circled the ogre and finally stood at its backside. As Daniel had done before him, he put some well-placed stabs in the ogre's back. It roared once again, and swept back toward Simon, but Simon was quick enough on his feet to jump back when the giant hand swept behind to its back. While the ogre was busy with Simon behind it and Darien in front, Aiden loosened several arrows, this time aimed directly at the ogre's neck. These arrows sank deep into the flesh and dark blood oozed out of the wounds. The pain from this new wound, made the ogre lose all sense and thrashed around, blind from the pain in its its back and neck.
Darien used the ogre's lapse in awareness to gather his strength and deliver a mighty blow with his greatsword to the creature's head. The sword sank deep into the creatures thick skull, almost cleaving it in two. With a deep rumble that made the ground shake, the ogre fell to the ground dead. Daniel could not believe his eyes when a flood of dark blood filling the stone floor around them. They had actually managed to kill the monster!
Simon had spotted Daniel and quickly ran over to him. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? "Simon Asked as he crouched down to get a better look at him.
"I'm fine. You go help the others. I'll be fine. "Daniel said, noticing how hoarse his voice was. He felt the taste of blood in his mouth, but Decided to ignore it.
"OK. Can you stand?" Simon Asked and Daniel shook his head. "Damn ... Hey Aiden!" He shouted over that Aiden, Who was still standing at the top of the boulder, loosening arrow after arrow at the fighting Darkspawn.
"What?!" Aiden shouted back.
"Come down and help me get Daniel to safety!" Simon shouted back as he helped Daniel stand up. With the combined effort of both Simon and Aiden helping him, they managed to get Daniel over to the huge bolder that was blocking the path.
"Help me get him over this and out of here." Said Simon, but Daniel cut him off.
"No. I have to help!"
"You're just going to get yourself killed in this condition! Leave the rest to us, OK?" Simon gave Daniel a confident smile. "Keep him safe, will you?" Simon said, this time to Aiden who gave him a quick nod, before loosening an arrow at a Darkspawn that came running towards them. With one last look at Daniel, Simon ran back to the battlefield.
Daniel cursed for himself. Getting hurt like this, while his friends were fighting for their lives was almost as torture for him, especially now that Simon was in danger as well. All he could do was to watch with Aiden standing guard, firing arrows left and right.
Something caught Daniel's eye though. The Darkspawn Alpha reached over its shoulder and lifted the huge greataxe off its back. With one hand, he lifted the axe, as if it was pointing, and roared. Its minions screamed with blood thirst and joined the fight. However, Daniel noticed something else with the Darkspawn Alpha. Unlike its minions, who ran into battle, the Alpha walked calmly into the battlefield, finding its first opponent shortly thereafter.
Karen still used her daggers, slashing away in a ring of them. She didn't see the Alpha slowly approaching, but the Darkspawn around her did. They took a step back, letting the Alpha through. Daniel shouted all he could for Karen, but his shouts drowned in the sound of metal and screams. Karen looked confused as the Darkspawn stopped attacking her. She turned around to see what was going on, and saw the Alpha heading straight for her. Daniel could see Karen's face go pale from the sight. Before she could even lift her daggers to defend herself, the Alpha had lifted the axe with both hands and cleaved straight down. The axe landed straight in her chest, the blade sinking deep into her flesh. She managed to remain standing for a second, perhaps out of shock, before her legs gave out, forcing her to her knees. The Alpha put one of its legs on the side of the axe, and pulled the axe out, kicking Karen to the ground. The Alpha didn't even give her another look before looking for another target. It looked around for a few seconds, sizing the other Wardens up.
Both Daniel and Aiden had seen the scene unfold from the other side of the battlefield, and stood there speechless. One of the recruits that they has spent the last six months with was dead!
The Alpha started walking again. It took a second for Daniel's brain to understand what that meant. It had found a new Warden to kill! Daniel a vague sense of panic start to build up inside him, but he unsure what it meant. It took him another two seconds to realize what it was.
"Aiden..." Daniel said, his voice shaking. "It is coming this way."
"I know," Aiden said, nocking an arrow on his longbow. Aiden closed one of his eyes, taking careful aim at the huge Darkspawn heading their way. It was carrying its bloody axe over its shoulder, as it walked calmly straight for the two of them. Aiden loosened the arrow, which flew straight for the Alpha. Quicker than Daniel would think a creature of its size was capable of, the Alpha lifted the axe from its shoulders and blocked the arrow with the flat side of the blade, before casually lifting it up on its shoulder again, not slowing down.
"What the..." Aiden mumbled, before nocking another arrow. This time, he didn't take as much time to aim, and loosened arrow after arrow. Again, with speed that Daniel had never seen before, it dodged and blocked every single arrow that Aiden shot at it.
"Daniel," Aiden said as he nocked another arrow on his longbow, "Get up, and climb to the top of the boulder and run. Now."
Daniel didn't get time to protest, as the Alpha closed in on them. It was close enough for Daniel to see the foul mist of its breath come out from under the horned helm. With some pain, Daniel managed to get up on his feet and start to climb the boulder. A loud `thug' from behind caught Daniel's attention, and he looked back.
Aiden had dropped his bow, which lay broken in two. It seemed like Aiden had tried to get in one last shot at the Alpha, but that his bow was cut clean in two by the greataxe. Now Aiden stood face to face with the Alpha, armed only with two daggers. The Alpha swung the greataxe through the air, but thankfully none if the hits connected. Aiden managed to dodge them, one after the other. Daniel could sense the Alpha's annoyance with Aiden.
Daniel started to notice change in the Alpha. It was as if the air around it started to blurr, like from heat. Daniel, who had stopped climbing to watch, felt his body go limp. What was happening? It seemed like Aiden went through the same thing, but even worse. Aiden dropped his two daggers to the ground, and held his hands over his ears.
"No... NO! Stop it!" Aiden screamed at the Alpha as he fell to his knees. There was no doubt about it, Daniel thought. This was magic of some kind! Daniel watched in horror as the Alpha simply walked over to Aiden, who was still covering his ears while screaming, and lifted its axe.
One second later, the Alpha lay on the ground, snarling at the newcomer. Out of nowhere, Darien had tackled the Alpha, knocking it to the ground, making it drop its axe. Simon came running towards them as well, giving Aiden a hasty look.
"See if he is OK. I'll hold it off," Simon said and ran towards the downed Alpha. Darien kneeled down to check his brother.
"Aiden? Aiden! Snap out of it!" he shouted at Aiden. Aiden finally looked up, his eyes filled with tears.
"Darien? Is that you?"
"Yes it is." Darien smiled at his brother, before grabbing his greatsword again. The Alpha was still alive and angrier than ever, but it was unarmed, so Darien and Simon had an advantage, for now. "You stay here. We will finish this." He said, giving his twin brother one last smile before he looked over at the Alpha. The Alpha had gotten to its feet now, busy with Simon who was trying his best to cut the creature down.
Darien didn't waste any time, and swung his greatsword in a wide arch. The Alpha simply took a few steps back and dodged the sword. It seemed like it knew exactly what Darien was thinking, as it dodged attack after attack, seemingly with ease, even with Simon trying to hit it as well. Darien lifted the sword over his head and swung it down at the Alpha. Again the Alpha dodged it, but it also did something more. As soon as Darien's sword hit the ground, it stepped on the blade. This new weight on the blade, forced Darien's hands to lower as more and more weight was put on the sword, forcing him to drop it to not get his fingers crushed. Then the Alpha took two quick steps forward, and elbowed Darien in the face, knocking him to the ground
"Darien!" Simon shouted when he saw his friend go down. It didn't look like Darien was hurt bad, just a broken nose by the looks of it. Simon tried to get in a quick stab from behind, but again it seemed like the Alpha knew what he was going to do, even before he did it. It spun around and grabbed both of Simon's wrists with its strong hands. This caught Simon so much by surprise that his jaw dropped open.
"What the-" was all he managed to say, before an armored knee hit him right in the stomach, knocking the air right out of him, forcing him to his knees. The last thing Simon saw, was an armored fist heading straight for his face.
Darien's nose was broken and he was more or less blinded by pain and blood. By the time he managed to see anything again, the first thing he saw was the Alpha standing over him, holding his own sword in its hands.
"No... No!" Darien said terrified and tried to crawl away, but a powerful foot was planted on his back and he was forced down on the ground again. From the top of the boulder, Daniel had seen everything happen, and the turn of events gave him chills down his spine. The Alpha turned the sword up-side-down, aiming the sharp tip for Darien's back. It looked over at Aiden, and stared him in the eyes as it pushed the blade down so hard, that Daniel could hear the stone break underneath Darien's body, even with the sound from the battle around.
Aiden's heartbreaking scream filled the air as he saw the blade pierce his brothers back. The Alpha simply walked over Darien and grabbed its axe a few feet away, and walked over towards Aiden again. It didn't even seem like Aiden took notice of the Alpha approaching, as he was staring at Darien's blood filling the stone floor as he mumbled for himself.
"Aiden!" Daniel shouted, but it was of no use. Aiden didn't move. He just sat there, tears running down his cheeks as he saw his twin brother bleed out before his eyes.
Daniel couldn't watch another of his friends get cut down. He had to do something! In a split-second decision, he ran down the boulder as fast as he could. He grabbed a sword from a fallen Darkspawn while he ran. In the meantime, the Alpha had caught up with Aiden, standing right in front of him. As it lifted its axe, Daniel shouted out to the Alpha.
"Hey you filthy beast! Try fighting someone who can still stand!" Daniel shouted as high as his lungs let him. The Alpha slowly turned its head and saw Daniel standing fifteen feet away, cluthing the crude Darkspawn sword. It was as if the Alpha chuckled as it lowered its axe and faced Daniel instead. It could always come back to the traumatized kid when he finished this one.
Daniel held the blade ready with his right hand. He wished he had a shield though. Not that it would help, with his left arm hanging loose down his side. He gritted his teeth from the pain and quickly lashed out at the Alpha. With little effort, it blocked the blade with the hilt of its sword and pushed the blade back so hard, that Daniel stumbled a couple of steps back. The Alpha swung the axe around in shoulder height for Daniel, forcing him to roll under the blade. Seeing an opening, he slashed the blade to the Alpha's side as he stood up again.
The Alpha looked down on its thigh, where dark blood ran down its shiny armor. Not giving Daniel another chance to attack again, the Alpha struck his axe after Daniel, who had to block and dodge for dear life! Feeling his exhaustion, Daniel wasn't sure how much longer he could last against the superior Alpha. With a final swing, the Alpha knocked Daniel's blade right out of his hands, sending it flying through the air and before he knew it, the Alpha knocked the hilt of its axe right in Daniel's face. This sent Daniel falling to the ground, and to make matters worse, he landed on his already wounded shoulder. Trying his very best not to scream, he could only close his eyes and breathe. He heard the heavy steps from the Alpha step right in front of his face. All Daniel could do now, was to wait for the Alpha to end his life.
The sound of metal piercing metal, made Daniel open his eyes again. When he looked up at the Alpha, it had a long blade sticking out from its chest! It still held the axe, having raised it above its head to strike Daniel down, but now it dropped it with a clang as it hit the ground. It grabbed the blade with both its hands, as if it couldn't quite figure out what it was, before falling to its knees and slowly falling over to the side. Behind where it had once stood, was Aiden. His eyes was red and puffed as tears still flowed free.
"Aiden..." Daniel said in a mild shock. Aiden simply stepped over the Alpha, and helped Daniel back on his feet. "Thank you, Aiden." Daniel said, his legs shaking a bit as he stood back up.
"I didn't do that for you. It was for Darien," Aiden said, not even looking at Daniel. As soon as Daniel was on his feet, Aiden walked over to his brothers corpse, pulled out the blade from his back and tossed it aside, kneeling as he continued to silently cry for his brother.
Then Daniel remembered that Simon had fallen as well, and ran over to where Simon lay on the ground, unmoving.
"Simon! Simon wake up!" Daniel said in panic, shaking Simon in the shoulder. After a lot of shaking, Simon slowly opened his eyes.
"Daniel... it's you," Simon said, giving Daniel a faint smile.
"Yes, it's me," Daniel said, feeling a tear flowing down his cheek.
"What's wrong? I'm alive, Daniel." Simon asked as he got up on his elbows.
"Darien..." Daniel couldn't make himself say anything more. A lump in the throat made it impossible to speak, so all Daniel could do was to point to the spot where Aiden was kneeling. It took Simon a second to realize what he was seeing.
"What- No... No that can't be!"
Daniel didn't even try to stop him as Simon stumbled himself to his feet and ran over to his fallen friend. He couldn't move from the spot. Like Darien's twin brother, Daniel was silently crying for his fallen friend.
Steps from behind made Daniel turn around. Riordan and Sean had caught up with them, their armors filled with cuts and blood, but they looked alright. Daniel couldn't see any of the two other recruits with them.
"Did we... win?" Daniel pushed himself to ask.
"If you mean, survive, then yes. I would not call this a victory." Riordan said and pointed to a spot 50 feet away.
Like Aiden, Harol, the Dwarf recruit, kneeled beside a corpse of a human; Karen. Daniel knew that the two of them had been romantically involved.
"What of Omar?" Daniel asked Riordan, who just shook his head.
"Three recruits dead..." Sean said and looked over the battlefield. "Can you stand?" Sean asked, extending his hand to Daniel, who grabbed it with his good arm, and pulled himself up, before joining Simon and Aiden.
Two hours later, the group reached the surface again. They had carried the bodies of their dead up to the surface. As soon as they had all exited the cave, they sealed it with the help of the mage and three dwarf wardens. Riordan said that even with a Thaig down there, it wasn't worth having an entrance to the Deep Roads so close to the Imperial Highway.
During the next couple of hours, the Wardens prepared a great pyre for the fallen recruits; Darien Omar and Karen. Their bodies were placed on improvised tables as the living said their last goodbyes.
Daniel held around Simon with his healthy arm, watching as Aiden placed his brother's sword on his chest, folding Darien's hands around the hilt. Aiden placed his hand on his twin's cheek one last time, before stepping down from the pyre and grabbed a torch. Daniel, Simon and Harol all grabbed one as well, and stood in a circle around the pyre. Without a word, they all tossed the torches on the dry wood, setting it on fire.
As they watched the fire consume the three bodies, Daniel hugged harder around Simon. Aiden stood by himself, stone faces, the flames flickering in his blue eyes. Not a single tear could be seen though, but maybe his sorrow was too great for tears.
They watched for a good two hours, watching the bodies turn to ash, and the wood into embers. Two hours with nothing but the sound of the flames. Footsteps behind them made Daniel turn around. Sean and Riordan had stepped up to the crumbling pyre.
"It is time." Sean said and waved for the four remaining recruits come over to him. As Daniel walked towards the two Wardens, he noticed the chalice in Riordan's hands. "It is time for the four of you to join our ranks, as Grey Wardens. The Wardens were created during the first Blight, when humanity stood at the brink of annihilation. It was with the help of a ritual, involving the drinking of Darkspawn blood, that we mastered their taint, forever connecting us to them. Like the first Wardens, like all of the Grey Wardens before you, this is the source of our power, and how we will win against the Blight." "Drinking from this chalice, will give you immunity from the taint that the Darkspawn and the Blight brings. It connects us to the Blight, like the Darkspawn, letting us sense them. We use this to know when there is an Archdemon leading a Blight and where to find it. It is only by slaying the Archdemon that we can end a Blight."
None of the four recruits said a word while Sean talked, all knowing the seriousness of this moment. They had all come here to join the Grey Wardens, to help them stop the Blight. All had seen the horror that the Darkspawn could bring with their own eyes. If they had any doubts about the cause now, they would never understand it either.
"We speak only a few words before the ritual," Sean continued and looked at each of the recruits in turn, before giving Riordan a nod. Riordan stepped forward and said,
"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you."
"Aiden, step forward." Sean said.
Aiden took the few steps up to Riordan and took the chalice that was handed to him. He looked at the contents of the chalice for a second before taking a big sip. Riordan took the chalice back again, and just in time as well. As soon as the last gulp went down his throat, Aiden's body started to shake and he grabbed his head, screaming. Daniel watched in horror as Aiden's eyes rolled backwards, until only the white remained. As quick as it had begun, it ended as Aiden fell to his knees, unconscious. Sean stepped forward to check him.
"Alive. Good. Now, Harol."
Harol stepped forward and grabbed the chalice, taking a large sip of it as well. Like Aiden, Harol's body started shaking, but something seemed different. Like he was suffocating, Harol took hold around his throat gasping for air. A moment later, he fell to the ground, seemingly dead. Sean sighed and shook his head.
"I am sorry Harol."
"What- what happened to him?" Daniel asked in shock.
"Taking in the taint is deadly. If you survive the ritual, it will eventually kill you. Once the taint is in you, you have around thirty years until it will claim you. Now... Step forward," Sean said firmly, but before Daniel could do just that, Simon stepped forward instead, taking the chalice that was handed to him. Simon looked at Daniel and gave him a smile.
"I will see you on the other side, Daniel." And then he took a large sip from the silver chalice. Daniel felt his body go cold as Simon's scream filled the air and his body fell to the ground.
"He made it." Sean said, smiling faintly. "Lastly, you Daniel." Sean said as Daniel stepped forward to grab the silver chalice. He looked at the dark red liquid for a second, wondering if this was what he truly wanted.
"There is no turning back." Riordan said calmly. Daniel looked at Riordan, who in return gave him a nod. Taking a deep breath, Daniel swallowed three sips of the liquid.
As soon as the first sip of blood went down his throat, Daniel felt a chill go through his body. His head started to spin, before an agenizing pain filled his entire body. Darkness crept up on his vision, finally going all black.
Daniel could see a light ahead... A glowing purple light. It seemed like it was pulsating, like breathing. He moved closer as a white eye, as big as his own head, opened in front of him, staring straight at him. A gigantic roar filled his ears, even shaking the ground underneath him! The shaking continued as he felt himself falling...
"Daniel!"
Daniel opened his eyes. In front of him, Simon sat crouched giving him one of his glimmering smiles. Behind him stood Sean, who also smiled at him. Sean and Simon helped Daniel up on his feet, as he was laying on the ground. Sean put a strong hand on Daniel's shoulder and squeezed firmly.
"Welcome to the Grey Wardens, Daniel."