The Return
Faster and faster the Warden ran, eyes set straight ahead. Lungs burning from the cold nighttime air he rapidly breathed in, every quickened step shot jolts of pain through his overworked legs. With nothing but his bloodied clothes and the sword that was slung over his back. Even the precarious heights of the mountain were ignored by him as he ran across the steep slopes and perilous falls.
Nothing else mattered to him now, not even overwhelming facts that had swarmed him before. All he could think of was making it to the castle. He had to get there as soon as possible, speed never lessening as a haunting fear gripped his heart, propelling him forward.
Only once did he slow, halting for but a moment as a crippling agony struck him, his heart momentarily growing still. His hand rubbed against his chest, practically feeling the fresh scars dotting it. The healed wounds felt as though they were on fire, as though the sharp claws of the creature he fought were still piercing through his chest. A shiver wracked his body, his skin feeling as cold as stone.
Raising his hand to his mouth, a hacking cough erupted from the commander. Looking into his palm, shock fell over him as he saw a stain of blood reflecting back at him. Shaking his head, the Warden ignored it, gaze turning back to the castle as he broke into run once again.
Twilight's eyes were wide, a gasp her last breath, jaw dropped in sheer horror fueled shock. The lavender mare's body trembled from the grip of fear that ensnared her, her vision dominated by a single visage as she stared into the doorway of the room.
There, standing before the threshold, blackened eyes locked onto her, was the horrific monster from before. Its claws raked across the stone wall, the pointed tips sparking as the grating sound filled the room. As Twilight stared at it, her eyes fell onto its chest, where there was a slanted hole. It took only a moment for her to realize what it was, the wound left by the commander's blade.
Twilight was paralyzed once again, feeling the same crippling fear as before. As the creature neared her however, claws poised and ready to strike, every ounce of fear crackling inside of her fizzled out. The unicorn's eyes narrowed as her body trembled, not from fear, but a broiling anger. Standing up, the mare's horn sparked with a magical aura, emanating a bright light as her gaze upon the creature intensified.
The creature didn't even notice the sudden change in the pony, or it at least didn't care. It continued moving forward, slinking downward as it readied itself to leap at her. Then, it lunged at her. But just as its feet left the ground, it stopped completely. Body consumed by a magenta aura, the monstrous creature was thrown backward, smashing into the wall of the bedroom.
Deep cracks broke across the side of the wall, a large indention of the creature's body left on the wall. It didn't even have the chance to move as the flaring aura placed around it never ceased. Again, Twilight used her magic to drag the creature off of the wall, just enough so she could slam it back into it again with even more force than last time.
The entire room seemed to shake as more cracks split across the walls and ceiling. But the furious unicorn was not done there. Fueled by a furious anger over what had happened, what the monster had done to her, Twilight's magical grip on it only strengthened as continued to slam it back into the wall, the sheer force of it intensifying every time.
Much of the castle was unaware of the events that were befalling it. So much of it was oblivious to the events that had happened at that were happening. One such place was the castle dungeon, cut off from the rest of the royal home, it was only a den of noise as the maddened cries of the only occupant echoed through the otherwise forgotten prison.
Corvick's head reared back, screaming in a mixture of agony and madness as he pounded his fists against the wall. The only audience present was the single guard posted to watch him, face twisted in his own misery as he covered his ears with his hooves. Even that could now drown out the piercing wails of the templar though.
“Coming! He's coming!” Corvick screamed, eyes as wide with panic as sweat coated his grizzled face. “Whispers grow louder, need to come out! More and more, he's coming! To find the source of silence! Find what has been lost! Please! Make the whispers stop!”
Fed up with it, the guard turned toward the wooden cell door and peered through the small window made into the top of it. “Will you shut up?!” he snapped irritably. “By Celestia, are all of your kind this obnoxiously loud?!”
Then, Corvick fell silent. But the guard was given no time to enjoy the sudden peace of the still dungeon as a bright light flooded in from the cell. The door was suddenly blown off of the wall, taking much of the stone with it in a massive explosion.
Stepping out of the rubble, through the cloud of dust and debris, Corvick curious examined his surrounds. The templar no longer looked like the unstable human who had been thrown into the cell. He looked normal, much more sane than he had previously. But, the human's eyes had changed. No longer looking natural, they pulsed with a dull, lifeless gray.
Buried in the rubble and crushed under the weight of the door in the explosion, the guard thrashed and squirmed in an attempt to free himself. His armor was dented painfully around his body, blood running over his face and nearly covering all of his coat. Corvick took notice to the creature, eying it curiously for a moment before he grabbed the guard by the neck and pushed him against the wall.
A clear look of horror and fear was plastered on the stallion's face as he quivered in the human's grip. Corvick merely continued to look at the pony strangely, like one might when seeing something for the first time. Eyes locking onto the scarlet coating that covered the pony, the templar ran his hand through it, covering his fingers and palm.
Bringing his blood covered hand closer to his gaze, Corvick's nostrils twitched as he sniffed the crimson substance. Like an animal, his tongue lashed out, licking up a portion of it experimentally. “No...” Corvick murmured, his gruff voice sounding hollow. “You're not the source... Not even one of those Grey Knights...” The blood that remained on his hand shimmered brightly before it began to fade into his skin. As the very last drop vanished, the entire limb burst to life as it was engulfed in a crimson aura. “No matter, I shall reclaim what has been taken from me... Then... the song shall be heard once more!”
Placing his glowing hand on the stallion's neck, the guard's entire body convulsed violently. Pained cries erupted from his throat, stunted just as they escaped his lips. The templar's face twisted into a sadistic smile as the horrific sound of bone cracking filled the dungeon. Blood seeped out of the guard's mouth, his screams turning into a gurgled mess.
Alistair, Anders, Oghren and Shale all came running through the halls, ears filled with the mighty crashes of stone crumbling. Almost the entire castle seemed to shake, as though hit by a massive explosion. And though it was against the judgment of the two humans, the princesses Celestia and Luna also followed after them, barely recovered from their previous exploits. Even Fluttershy went with them, weakly galloping through the hallway, taking care not to injure herself further but still unable to hide away.
More and more, the sounds of shattering stone and crumbling walls grew louder as they went further down the halls. To their surprise, the source of it all seemed to be coming from the chamber that still housed the Eluvian. Making them all the more worried over what was going on. Rushing into the chamber, everyone was stopped as they stared off in shock at the scene before them.
A large portion of the eastern wall had been demolished, but the destruction didn't end there. The hole left here continued for several feet, opening up to more and more rooms as similar openings were gaping wide. Gasps escaped everyone as they saw a dark figure emerging from the rubble, the viscous monster they had encountered before.
“Im-impossible,” Alistair breathed, wide-eyed at what he saw. “Th-that thing can't be here!”
The monster only looked at the newcomers, a shrieking hiss directed at them as it stood up and was ready to charge. But the creature didn't have the chance to attack, body once again consumed by magic as it was hurled backward, smashing into one of the pillars that stretched up to the ceiling.
Emerging from the rubble herself, Twilight's burning glare never left the creature. The pillar cracked and completely crumbled as the creature fell away from it, becoming buried in the chunks of rock that fell across the chamber. Everyone had to move out of the way as pieces of stone nearly fell on top of them. No movement came from the pile, staying still as the others wordlessly approached it.
Before any of them could react, pieces of stone were tossed everywhere as the creature shot out of the debris. Immediately, it lunged toward Alistair, claws raised upward to strike. With no shield to defend himself, the Warden-King had to rely on only his sword as he gripped it tightly, ready to defend himself.
Alistair jumped back just in time to dodge the creature's fire swipe, its second hand already swinging out toward him. With quick reflexes however, the king blocked the blow with his sword. But the creature's power was too much. Unable to keep sure footing, Alistair was knocked into the air, only to come crashing down shortly after, his sword skidding across the ground away from him.
Not giving the others a chance to react, the creature lunged at the vulnerable king once again. Alistair was helpless, only able to stare at the monstrosity as it neared him. He was completely unaware of the mighty cry of strength behind or, it barely registering to him as a blade came swinging between him and the creature, cutting into its chest with ease.
The creature staggered backward, partly out of the forceful push against it as well as the surprise that was unexpected even to it before it collapsed back into the rubble surrounding it. Alistair still remained wide-eyed, his shock showing clearly as he gazed on the creature's chest, seeing a large and familiar sword sticking out of it, right alongside the open wound made by it previously. Shaking, the Warden-King turned his head, seeing what should have been a ghost standing beside him.
“You... you can't...” Alistair muttered unintelligibly, gaping at the site. Mutual expressions were had be everyone else as they too stared at the sight.
His fierce, battle-ready gaze softening, the commander grinned as he held out his hand to the downed king. “You didn't think something as simple as death would stop me?” he said breathlessly, sweat dripping from his brow as he breathed heavily.
A joyous smile widening across his face, Alistair grabbed the Warden's hand tightly and allowed himself to be hoisted back onto his feet. “I guess it wouldn't be the first time,” the king returned.
The Warden-Commander was then under attack once again, the air being smashed from his lungs as a lavender colored mass charged into him. The human barely had time to breathe as Twilight wrapped her forelegs around him, squeezing him with a bone crushing force as she buried her tear-stained face into his chest.
As it felt like the human would be broken in half, Twilight lessened her hold on him, only to look up into his eyes. “I... I thought you were dead...” the scholar whimpered out.
Getting choked up a little himself, the Warden gave a gladdened smile as he stroked her cheek lightly, murmuring, “Yeah... I thought so too.” But the wondrous moment came to a screeching halt, brought on by the very shrieking roar that they all knew far too well.
Climbing up from the rubble once again, the creature's face was almost rippling with its white-hot fury. With one swing of its gangly limb, the sword that the commander pierced through its chest was struck away, landing close to the human and allowing for him to retrieve it. As he picked it up, he could feel the monster's blackened gaze on him, feeling it burning with recognition, he knew it remembered him,
The Grey Wardens each grabbed their weapons and brandished them carefully, ready for the oncoming fight. Twilight stood strong herself, determined to not allow any trace of fear to cross her. And the creature itself, dark gaze looking between them all, clacked its claws together, sights setting on the commander directly. The creature then charged at them.
Weapons and magic at the ready, the owners prepared to strike, they stood their ground as the horrific creature cleared the space between them. Its jagged maw open wide in an angered snarl, claws as sharp as ever, it saw no threat in what it was attacking. Just as it was nearing the group, it looked ready to lunge at them. But then, it stopped abruptly.
Everyone was surprised as the creature suddenly stopped moving, its raged demeanor having dissipated. There wasn't a chance for them to think on the action, or even take advantage of the sudden change, the entrance to the chamber exploding outward. Rubble and pieces of stone rained down across the chamber, putting even more of the room in ruins. They all were shocked as they saw a figure striding into the chamber, a malicious smirk on Corvick's face.
The templar's hands were covered in a scarlet color, a small glow surrounding them. Dragging the bloodied bodies of two guards, he carelessly tossed the lifeless corpses aside as he entered the chamber. He never looked at the others, his gaze only set forward and onto the creature that they were fighting. The creature itself even looked surprised by the templar's appearance.
The commander's grip on his sword slowly tightened, ready to swing it if he needed to as Corvick approached them. But, to the templar, it was as though they weren't even there. It wasn't until he was passing them did his gaze drift toward them for but a moment, quickly swinging his arm out in their direction.
Instantly, everyone was struck across the chamber, as though hit by a powerful and unseen force. It cleared the way easily for Corvick as he strode toward the creature, who remained completely still. “At last...” he whispered, his voice heavy with anticipation. “What is mine shall be returned...”
All anyone could do was look on in horror as the creature's arm shot forward, grabbing Corvick by the neck. The human didn't even resist, showing no reaction whatsoever save for a sadistic smirk. There was no reaction at all, not even as the monstrous creature's claws sank into his chest. While his blood flowed down his body, the templar's hands grabbed onto the creature's arms and both figures were enveloped in a dark-red glow, engulfing the entire room in a powerful blast of magical energy.
It blinded them all, forcing everyone to cover their eyes as they tried to stand. But as the light began to fade, the commander collapsed onto his knees, his eyes bulging out of his skull as he clutched at the sides of his head and began to scream in agony.
Twilight was at his side in moments, trying to see what was wrong but unable to stop it. Alistair, Anders and Oghren all felt it as well, their faces cringing as they raised their hands to their head, suddenly being struck with a powerful headache. It continued for several moments, only lessening as the bright red glow that surrounded Corvick and the monster was gone. As everyone looked on the very spot where the two had disappeared, they quickly saw that the templar had completely vanish, and the creature had changed.
Standing fully upright, the creature's eyes slowly opened. Its dark, empty eyes were gone, replaced by a dull, lifeless gray. The shadowy shroud that covered its legs had changed. Now, it wore the remains of tattered robes of dark-red and black cloth, the ancient fabric appearing as if it was melded with its very flesh. Its jagged shoulders were now covered, swallowed by ornamentation of darkened bone that wrapped around its collar and chest and the plumage of what must have been a large, black-feathered bird. Where it once had jagged spikes for a mouth, only cracked lips remained, the flesh twitching into a malevolent smirk.
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Forty chapters!!!
Ugh...
Just... Somepony, put me out of my misery...
Okay! Okay! I can do this! We're on the homestretch! I can do this! Just gotta show my GRRR face!!!
Ya know, this chapter was originally going to be a part of the next chapter, they'd be one piece. But, I figured that it would end up being far too long and it was better off seperated at this point...
So yeah, stuffs happened. And words, there are a lot of words... Um... That is all...
2370003
Only forty? My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! has over 200.
And now we play the waiting game for the next chapter...
So the blood Mage guy did come through with them like I thought.
god so good!!!
I know that feel all too well buddy.
The creature has been...augmented.
2370275 That isn't even his final form.
And now we wait for Goku to reach SSJ and save the day now that Corvik has revealed his final form?
Either Avernus looking for more power or Flemeth trying to claim the Commander Cousland and Morrigans child.
Plumage? Twisted skin? Sounds like an abomination. No, far too powerful. Could it be a first darkspawn? Hard to say... Anyhow, loving it so far, keep the faith brother, finish strong.
A magister?
HNNNNG
2370039 And has a sequel!
2372240
Yup!
Grey eyes... nah, not Flemeth. Avernus wanted to become like first darkspawn?
2370003 Your a bad-ass keep going! KICK ASS AND CHEW ALL THEIR BUBBLE GUM!
2375259 just as planed