2 years ago
“So.” A familiar female voice rung out, extending the vowel for several seconds. “What have you got now?”
Meeting her intent gaze, Caius Valesse put the large book down with a heavy thump on the solid wooden table. “A free period, actually. I’ll find a quiet place to read and study some heavy Thaumaturgy. Or perhaps some summoning.”
The raven haired beauty before him waggled a finger back and forth, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “Better make sure the Templars don’t find you. Otherwise…”
Mood souring, Caius rose and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Chin up, Miri. You have more pressing matters to think about.” He gestured towards the door of the classroom. “Come on, i’ll walk you up.”
“Thank you.” As she reached the corridor, Miriam realised just how much worry was tangled up inside after being encouraged by her friend. Thinking dark thoughts definitely was not the way to go about completing the trial ahead, but the gall of the Templars pissed her off. Anger was an emotion that was useful, to boot. “I still think it’s pathetic that we need to hide our research from those walking soup bowls.”
The jibe drew a warm smile from Caius, as it conjured an amusing mental image. “Especially because the books themselves were provided by the First Enchanter, forbidden or no.” Becoming lost in thought, he stared off into space for several moments, mulling over memories. “I wonder if Knight-Commander Fielding knows about the Enchanter’s treasure room.”
Bursting out laughing, Miriam’s face lit up. “Maker’s Breath, could you imagine his reaction if he doesn’t? A thing of beauty, to be sure!”
It had been a long time since the two of them had bantered back and forth like this, and deep down, Miriam knew it was her fault. They had been part of a small group of five mages, who had formed a study group. Together, the mages had accelerated each other’s learning by bouncing ideas and study notes off one another. As a result, First Enchanter Lucillia had given them several ancient magical books to study as extra credit, to not let those old talents die.
The books, of course, contained forbidden magical practices. Blood-related thaumaturgy, demon summoning and binding, guides on true names and magic circle theories, shapeshifting. The list went on. Should the Templars find them practicing those arts, or even studying them, it would be an instant death penalty. Despite knowing that, the group took the risk.
Only three of them remained, now.
Finding her mind clouded with sorrow, Miriam instead ignored that part of the tragedy, focusing instead on her raw hatred for the Templars who had taken their friends. It was that emotion which would allow for the successful passing of her Harrowing. The pair stood in front of the large, heavy wooden doors leading into the highest point of the Circle tower. A Templar escort has followed them for the last several moments of the journey, a requirement for reaching the Harrowing Chamber.
Minutes dragging on, the pair stood in silence, not daring to discuss any form or research or even crack a joke, lest it be met with a blade. Templars could rarely be trusted at the best of times, but many rumours circulated about beatings and outright murder comminuted by Templars to mages when no witnesses could testify. It was part of the reason he had offered to walk her up. After an eternity, the doors creaked open.
An aged, but not quite old, man walked into the corridor. His salt-and-pepper hair messed and frayed, looking extremely stressed as always. The large armour looked clunky, as all Templar armour did, but this possessed all the adornments worth of a Knight-Commander.
“Miriam Blackwood. Need I remind you that this test is to be taken alone?” Fielding’s voice boomed down the corridor, echoing off the empty spaces, despite the two mages standing only a few feet away.
She shot him a dark look. “No,” came the curt reply. Sensing the air of tension, Caius stepped in to diffuse the situation.
“It is a pleasure to see you, too, Knight-Commander.” The Templar glared coldly at the man. “Fear not, I only came to offer moral support for the journey.”
“Perhaps that time would be better spent preparing for your own Harrowing.”
That was a very valid point. Caius’s Harrowing was scheduled for a mere hour after Miriam's ended, at the specific behest of the First Enchanter. He was more than confident, however. “Your concern is touching.” Turning to the woman, he playfully batted the braided length of hair reaching down from the left side of her head. “Don’t forget the essentials. Other than that, knock them dead.”
A determined look set into her face. “Naturally.”
Fielding led her away into the Chamber, as Caius decided it was high-time to get some breakfast.
Just over an hour later, the First Enchanter gently tapped Caius on the shoulder, startling him despite her best attempts to avoid doing so. Miriam’s Harrowing was over, and in a short while, it would be his turn. Lucillia didn’t say whether or not she had succeeded the trial or not, and the two were not allowed to meet again until after the completion of his own. Apparently they couldn’t be trusted to not tell the other everything about the secret test.
Whatever makes them say that? Caius thought to himself, giving a light chuckle.
So for the second time in as many hours, he was waiting outside of the Harrowing Chamber. The Knight-Commander called for him. Enormous couldn’t even begin to describe the sheer scale of the room. It was as big as three full classrooms, and even taller. There was nothing contained within, except a small pedestal in the center of the room, surrounded by various degrees of magic circles. 4 Templars stood, even spaced out around the center, accompanied by the First Enchanter. Fielding led Caius to the pedestal, before taking his place in the empty spot at the head of the ring of people.
In the emptiness, his booming voice echoed off of every single surface, seemingly all at once. “‘Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.’ Thus spoke the Prophet Andraste as she cast down the Magisters of the Tevinter Imperium.” He spoke, robotically, as though reading from a script. Which he was, at that stage. Caius had heard the Chant of Light more times than he could possibly count. More times than he had books, even.
“It is for this reason that a test such as the Harrowing exists. To root out those mages with dark and twisted intentions like those Imperium. The test you will face is a simple one. You will be sent into the Fade, and there awaits a demon. You are to slay this demon, and return here. Do this, and you pass your trial.”
Fielding’s voice grew hard, and something tinged it. Whether it was anger, or something altogether deeper, was impossible to tell. “Should you take too long in the Fade, my Templars will cut you down where you stand upon returning. Which is favourable. Should you fail to kill the demon, it will possess your body, turn you into a hideous abomination through a process which is extremely painful, and then I will cut you down where you stand.” Silence fell over the room, as Caius took in exact what the task entailed. The Knight-Commander met his incredulous gaze. “Good luck.”
Giving a small sigh, Lucilia spoke softly. “Must you constantly attempt to scare the apprentices, Fielding?” Her brilliant green eyes fell on the young man. “I am allowed to offer each participant a single piece of advice, so listen closely, as I cannot repeat it.”
“The Fade is the realm of dreams. While the spirits and demons may control it, your own will cannot be discounted.” A knowing smile danced across her lips. “I know you’ll be absolutely fine. When you are ready, touch the lyrium, and cast the spell.”
Caius looked at the translucent cyan liquid contained within a small bowl on the pedestal. Liquid lyrium. Volatile stuff, but when used to cast spells, it made the process a whole lot easier. A novice Evocationer could pull a meteor out the sky using this stuff as a focus. Dipping his hand in the liquid, the mage shut his eyes and called up every ounce of focus within him. Concentrating on merging his corporeal and incorporeal forms, throwing his soul out into the Fade and pulling the body along for the ride. Entering the Fade was easy, you simply went to sleep. Doing it while still conscious required a lot of magical power. Drawing magic circles in his mind to focus the power, in addition to the ones on the floor designed for this kind of spell. his eyes opened once more.
“Fracturam!”
The effect was instantaneous, but despite all his intense calculation, Caius had forgotten one small thing.
His positioning in the Fade.
So after falling several feet, he landed with a thud on the earth below him. Mumbling to himself like a typical brooding mage, Caius got up and dusted his robe off. Taking in the scenery, the sky was a swirling dark green cloud, circling a point in the distance. Rumour had it, underneath the eye of that eternal storm rested The Black City. Gathering energy, the muscles within his body began to twitch and twinge.
“Lupun.” Skin began to shift, and the mage hunched over, dropping to his hand and knees in pain. Hair began to sprout from every pour, coarse and rugged. Less than 10 seconds after speaking the word, a wolf was left in place of the mage. Giving a howl of delight, Caius took off as fast as his four legs could carry him.
Running for several moments, a white light appeared ahead. Slowing, the wolf took a couple of careful sniffs at the orb of light, which promptly exploded. White wings sprawled out from it’s center, as the rest began to slowly congeal into the form of a man. He started at the wolf with curiosity.
“A wol-. No. A human mage.” A warm smile took over the shining figure’s face. Shifting back into his natural form in a small flare of light, Caius stood and stared at the figure.
“Impressive. How did you know?”
The smile grew even larger. “It is my prerogative to know things, child.” Hairs standing up on the back of his neck, the mage dropped into a slightly defensive stance at that remark. Raising it’s hand, the figure spoke, softly. “Relax, I am no demon. Rather, a spirit. One of wisdom, to be precise.”
The mage watched, not moving, waiting for the spirit to strike, yet it did not come. It frowned. “Forgive me, I am aware human perceptions of us are almost certainly wrong. You are in no danger from me. However, ahead lies a demon, and they will not be as considerate towards you.”
“A demon? That’s what I’m here for then.” The spirit smiled again, giving a small nod.
“I suspected as much. Please allow me to accompany you, I wish to learn from you.”
Caius thought for a moment, but didn’t see the harm in it. The spirit was intriguing, and he wished to learn for it, as well. “Very well, let’s get going.”
True to the word of Wisdom, a short way up the winding path, a demon stood atop a pile of corpses. Various creatures made up the mound, from humans to cows. The demon itself was large and fat, with oily black-green skin, and it was devouring the bodies with extreme enthusiasm. From the books at the Tower, Caius identified it as a demon of Gluttony. Wisdom agreed. Stopping eating its meal, Gluttony sniffed the air whirling round to see the mage. It let rip a shrill roar, before beginning to barrel in his direction.
Willing his staff to appear, it vanished from his back and materialised before him. Grabbing the length of wood, Caius twirled it, calling up energy from within. He leveled the staff at the demon, giving a thunderous cry. “Vis!” An unseen wave of energy hit the charging monster, impacting with an audible bang. Gluttony was picked up and smashed into it’s dinner pile. The air was filled with the sound of squelching flesh and the smell of rotten meat.
Dark yellow eyes burned out from inside the pile, as a rumbling sound reverberated through the very earth itself. “Mage. I am going to savour you, food tastes best when the meal yet lives.” It began to charge again, in the exact same way before. Caius scoffed.
“It isn’t very smart, is it?”
The spirit smiled beside him. “It is a demon of Gluttony, human. Being smart is my job.”
Grin spreading from ear to ear, Caius collected energy again, connected a circle within his head. “You hungry, big guy?” Pouring power into that circle, he picked a spot on the floor just in front of his feet. The demon continued. More and more energy flowed into the circle, right up until the demon was a mere 10 feet away.
“Petra dens.”
The ground erupted from that point, the dirt collecting together into a single solid mass with a tiny point. A huge drill-like structure lunged forward, meeting Gluttony. It pierced through it’s body at around chest-level, before continuing until the top and bottom half were no longer connected. The head - and one arm - came to rest several feet behind them, as the body slumped down the large earthen spear.
Wisdom blinked several times. “Well, that was new.”
“You liked that?” The mage asked, respectfully containing laughter.
“It was very impressive.” A few thoughtful moments passed. “I have a proposition for you, mage. Let me accompany you back to the real world, beyond the Veil. I ask for no control over you, only that you let me view the world through your own eyes. In return, I offer my collected Wisdom.”
Caius stopped dead in his tracks. Well it certainly isn’t a demon, he thought. Demons tricked you to allow possession, they never asked bluntly. It was rumoured that they physically couldn’t. Drumming his fingers on the staff, he considered all the possible implications. Deep down, though, there was only one answer. Regardless of the potential risks, Caius was never one to turn down knowledge.
“Very well, spirit. I look forward to seeing your wisdom.”
It smiled, outstretching a hand, which Caius shook. In an instant, the spirit was gone. A small problem made itself known, however. His fierce auburn hair was now snow white. A sneaking suspicion that the Templars might notice suddenly flooded the young man’s system.
“Oh Maker.” Maybe he could explain it. Maybe they wouldn’t kill him. Maybe the darkspawn weren’t evil. Maybe the moon was made of silver.
Maybe.
Caius took a deep breath, before walking through the rift back into the Harrowing Chamber.
The mage instantly dropped into a defensive stance, a shimmering silver shield rippling into being. Eyes tightly shut, he waited for a sword that never came. A spell which was never cast. Magic canceling that wasn’t approaching. Opening his eyes, slowly, what he saw shocked him more than anything had in his entire life.
The room was empty.
Something had caused the most senior authority members in the Circle to abandon watching over the Harrowing, and they had taken the Templar guard with them. Caius could have walked out as an Abomination and no-one would be any the wiser. The fact that he actually had done something similar was proof of that. The air smelled faintly of sulphur, from elsewhere in the tower. After waiting a few moments without anyone returning, he began to move. Wisdom was silent within, despite the mage’s attempt to communicate. In order to reach the Harrowing Chamber, you need to pass through the Templar barracks. The same, then, is true for returning from it. A metallic twang filled the corridor leading to it. Upon opening the door, Caius lost his breakfast.
13 Templars lay strewn about the room. Some lay peacefully, simply dead on the floor. Others weren’t so lucky. Their armour had been rended completely. It was bent outward, covered with blood and other organic matter, the Templars having been burst from the inside out. More had deep incisions, something had cut straight through the steel armour with large claw-like weapons. A thin layer of blood covered the entire floor. Closing his eyes, the young mage ran through the room, blindly and almost slipping. Slamming the door closed behind him, it took several seconds to get his breathing back under control.
Forcing the sight out of his mind, he walked off once more. It wasn’t an isolated incident, however. Templars and mages both lay dead everywhere. The bodies of the Templars were mangled almost beyond recognition, the wounds on the mages much less so. It actually looked as though the mages had been killed by Templars. Caius began to run through the corridors, heading for his room to collect the books. At the same time, he looked for any survivors, to no avail. Entering his room, on the floor in the center was Zafira. That left only two remaining members of their study group, he hoped beyond hope that Miriam was alive.
Grabbing the bag containing the forbidden books, he headed for the one place that escape from the tower was possible, without blowing a hole in the wall. The old magical mirror in the basement. Lucilla had called it an Eluvian. On the way down, however, he found the body of the First Enchanter. A Templar sword lodged in her back. Blood boiling, the Templars better pray they were all dead.
Skidding round the corner of the basement, an almighty demon stood between him and the Eluvian. It was around 15 foot tall, it’s scales shimmered blue, purple and green in equal measures. Impressively-sized horns rested on it’s head. A mighty blade made of scales jutted out from each elbow. Many, many eyes fell on Caius, as the demon of Pride laughed. The guttural sound seemed to pollute the very air.
“Come little mage. Let us play before my master returns.” Slowly, the hairs on Caius’s arm began to stand on end as the air became charged with static energy. It condensed in the demon’s hand into a large ball made of pure purple lightning. As it began to hurtle towards the mage, a loud bang accompanied it. Grabbing his staff with both hands, one at the top, one at the bottom, Caius slanted it and lowered his profile, left foot sticking out.
“Clypeus.” The words spoke, shreds of energy condensed into a shield exactly the same as had been used in the Harrowing Chamber. Without time, given the speed of the attack, or focus, having been taken off-guard by a Pride demon in the bloody Circle tower, the shield was weak. Lightning ball slamming into it, the energy instantly began to buckle against the purple sparks flying off the intruding mass of energy.
A soft voice, barely a whisper spoke. “Allow me, mage.” Silver shimmering energy turned opaque alabaster white, doubling in size. Wisdom utilised the small shield in the most efficient way possible, increasing the potency greatly. The lightning ball exploded, bathing the room in a brilliant light.
A great smile spread across Pride’s face. “I see y-”
“Ardens.” A great spiralling double-helix of fire scorched through the space between the mage and demon. It crashed into the chin of Pride, sending the hulking beast stumbling backwards. “Oluem.” Midnight-black, a glob of liquid landed on the floor underneath the demon’s feet. A puddle of oil very quickly expanded over the corridor, causing Pride to slip. An lick of flame hit the oil, setting it completely ablaze.
The monster yelled in pain, and the doors to the basement proper flew open in a blast of wind strong enough to extinguish every ounce of fire in a single blow by dragging it physically off of the oil. An impressive feat. Not surprising, given who cast it. The sound of high-heel clicked out from the basement. Her eyes lit up.
“Caius! You passed your Harrowing!” Miriam’s smile was large, extending across her entire face.
The young man scowled. “You didn’t.”
That brilliant smile faded slowly, replaced by a darker expression. “C-. I-. How could you? That hurts. You seriously think I’m possessed?”
“If the shoe fits. Here you are in the basement of a tower filled with dead and dying mages, accompanying a Pride demon.” His voice dripped with venom. “What else am I supposed to think, Miri?!”
She looked over the demon, who was now standing again. Several of the scales were damaged and burnished by the intensity of the flames. “It dances to my tune, I’m the one holding the flute.” Pride gave a small smirk. “I found it during my Harrowing. It promised to give me the tools I wanted to change the face of this pathetic world, asking only in return that I use them.”
Voice gradually growing in both resolve and confidence, she monologues. “Can’t you see how we have been living? Like animals locked up and forgotten about. With this power, I can finally show the people just how entitled those fools really are. The elves are kept in sealed-off sections of the city like vermin. Mages are even worse, in cages outside the cities. The poor live in run-down warrens, abandoned by the gentry. Guess who is left? Rich humans. They lord their power over everyone, oppress everything. By the Fade, the dwarves realised this and fucked off underground! Preferring to deal with everlasting darkspawn than blighted humans!”
Caius shouted, a rarity for him. “Are you quite finished? I cannot believe what I am hearing. You plan to, what, wipe out the human race from Thedas?” His hand trembled on the staff, shaking with anger at what his friend had become.
“Not all of them. Just enough to make them realise. Starting with the Templars.” Miriam stared hard at the floor. “I’ll make them all pay for taking our friends from us.” Gaze falling on the young man once again, her voice broke slightly. “Come with me. Help me change this land.”
“No. I will have no part in your twisted plan. The Templars call us monsters, and you are going to play right into their hands.” Raising the staff towards Miriam, the Pride demon stepped between the two. “I-. Don’t make me stop you.”
Her face said more than words ever could, just as well, because she couldn’t find any words. It hurt beyond compare. “I refuse to strike down someone whom I call friend. If you can, go ahead.” Miriam turned, heading into the basement. Caius’s hand trembled. “One way or the other. This is goodbye.”
Staff aimed towards the door, he watched her walk off, willing himself to fire. The demon couldn’t stop a wealth of attacks. Landing a blow was entirely possible. Despite that, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it. Pride walked off, and a growing resonating chime drifted out from the room beyond. It flared, and fell silent.
The length of wood clattered to the floor, as Caius lost feeling in his legs. Propping himself against a wall, the young man sat, limply. Hundreds of things whizzed through his mind. Spells, calculations studies. Anything to prevent recent events from being there. A soft voice whispered in his mind. “That was not the ideal solution to that situation.” Wisdom was right, definitely, but that was the problem with humans. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
Several minutes later, clunks could be heard from the stairs round the corner, despite Caius being too zoned-out to notice. A man, armour buckled and shredded, blood dripping from various places, rounded the corner. Seeing the young mage, the man clattered into the wall and slid down it to sit beside him, and Caius finally noticed someone was there.
“Spellbind bastards, the lot of you.” Knight-Commander Fielding coughed up blood, and winced. It was clear the man was dying, and healing those wounds would be far outside of Caius’s skill level. Especially since healing was an area that never interested him. “You have to find her. Lucillia told me about the books. My Templars couldn’t stop her. Nor could the mages. Please. Do something.”
Caius could only nod.
“Thank you. I need one last favour. Destroy the basement before you leave. It contains too many artifacts. Do that for me, and I won’t even ask why your hair turned white.” Fielding laughed, which turned into a cough and groan.
The young mage stood. “Alright.” He walked into the basement, and began to close the doors. As they banged shut, Caius placed his head on it. “I’m sorry.”
Approaching the big glass cabinet holding the mage phylacteries, he scanned through them all until one caught his eye.
The label read ‘Miriam Blackwood’.
Taking the vial, he angled the staff towards the cabinet. “Vis!” A glass foot flew off from the whole, as the entire thing buckled and fell. Vials broke and shattered, flooding the floor with blood. Looking over the artifacts, Caius took a parting gift. A staff crafted from white wood, with a large green gem on the top, held in place by the twisted wood. Placing a hand on the Eluvian, he pushed a small amount of energy into it, allowing it to activate. Stepping through would send him into a part of the Fade when all Eluvians overlapped. From there, the possibilities could be limitless. A shimmer of multi-coloured light washed over the mirror.
Watching the blood cover the floor, slowly, Caius recalled a lesson one of the summoning books had taught him. “Demons are spirits whose purpose has been perverted. Purpose can be twisted to Desire. Wisdom is only a bad attitude away from Pride.” A smile crept over his lips.
“Hey. What is your Name?”
Whispering inside his head, the spirit replied. “Call me Syviis.”
Caius raised the staff, slamming the base on the floor. “Sanguinem Satani.” The young mage stepped through the portal, as the Eluvian deactivated. Blood began to congeal into orbs, rising up and floating to waist height. Several seconds later, every orb exploded sending microscopic razor-sharp blood needles into the surface of everything within the room, destroying all glass, including the mirror. It warped and blasted the artifacts up into the air, causing a few more volatile items to explode in turn. When the dust had settled, a silence fell over the Circle tower. Silence that marked the ending of a chapter.
But the beginning of a story.
PlatinumSkink