Chapter Text
"Hold." Alistair raised his hand to stop the group. "Darkspawns in front of us."
The wolf began to scold.
“And a whole pack”. Added the dalish.
“Would you already be a Grey Warden dear lady, to feel the darkspawns before you can see it?" asked Daveth.
“No, but I know how to follow a trail, and these monsters don’t take great care to cover their tracks. They must have spotted us and I bet a welcoming committee is waiting for us a little further. I advise to act cautiously.” This being said, she started to scrutinize the surroundings.
“We have already collected our blood vials, we should go back.” Ser Jory said.
“No way” replied Alistair. “We need to get back the treaties that Duncan talked about.”
“Would you be afraid Ser Knight”, mocked Daveth. “If you intend to become a Grey Warden, killing darkspawns will be your daily lot.
“Stop saying I’m afraid.” Replied the knight in a bad mood. “I’d rather just keep my strength for the battle ahead than fall into a pointless skirmish.” And to prove his claims, he advanced, sword in hand, before Alistair hold his arm.
“Wait……. Step back!”
In one gesture, he tipped the knight backward and placed his shield in front of them at the very moment a ball of fire was springing from the ruins ahead. Gathering his energy in his shield, he gave it additional protection against magic. A horde of darkspawns rushed upon them. At the rear of the group, there arose from the ruins a darkspawn devoid of armor, wearing a sort of headdress decorated with feathers and whose hands let out flames.
"An emissary!" cried Alistair.
“What do you mean! What is this? Are darkspawns doing magic now?” Daveth exclaimed.
“Some yes. Deal with the genlocks, I’ll deal with the emissary.” Said Alistair while rolling on the side to bypass the pack.
“The genlocks?” asked Jory.
“The ones that come to us, I guess!” Daveth answered.” Anyway, we have no other choice. Where the hell is the elf?”
Standing back to back, the two fighters were ready to hold the darkspawns’ attack. When an arrow hissed and hit one of them right in the head. Then another. Raising his head, Daveth saw the elf perched on a ruin, who was showering the darkspawns with projectiles. "Clever girl” he thought with a smile before stabbing the darkspawn within his reach.
Alistair was heading straight for the emissary, shield forward. All the darkspawns who had not taken his companions as their target stood in his way, but he only repelled them with a blow of shield or sword or avoided them with a roll. He had to get rid of the mage before he did too much damage. The latter was already preparing a new attack. Alistair concentrated his energy in his blade…
Praying to get there in time. An arrow hit the darkspawn on the shoulder and disturbed its concentration, but it quickly recovered. Conjuring the magical energy again, it was about to launch a new fireball when a blast cut off all connection with the veil. Its spell exploded in its face and soon the blade of the Grey Warden came to his chest.
"Pfew, that was close." Freeing his weapon, Alistair turned to face the darkspawns he had left behind. He realized that most of them were already lying on the ground, arrows in their backs. In the distance, he saw that the elf had again undertaken to support the effort of the fighters left behind. When the last darkspawns were decimated, Ymlaïs went down from her perch and approached Alistair.
“So, this is what you do, you Grey Wardens? You have the power to make the magic of the darkspawns disappear when you are no mage yourself?”
“No…” Alistair replied with a smile. “Only me. Welcome to the club.”
Against her will, Ymlaïs could not repress a smile.
“Recruits, come on! The tower where the treaties are should not be far away.”