Dragon Age: Awakening

Chapter 4: Kal'Hirol

Chapter 4: Kal'Hirol

"Is there some great ceremony when someone joins the Legion of the Dead?" Anders' voice echoed through the dark halls, interrupting our silence as we crept down into the earth towards Kal'Hirol.

Sigrun raised her eyebrows at him, "It's called a funeral," She sighed, "Right.. but is it boring and somber like a regular funeral? I mean, you aren't burying anyone.." Anders pressed, Sigrun shrugged. "This is true. Dwarven funerals involve a great deal of ale and singing. Then, the is an orgy." She smiled wickedly, I looked over my shoulder at her quickly. "What! You're kidding!" Anders laughed, "Of course I'm kidding." Sigrun puffed out air, I laughed at her trick and turned my attention back to the stone corridors.

 The corridors opened up revealing an enormous cavern with a carved stone building overlooking the streets, the stone streets were lined with fleshy sacs and something that looked like a pipe, I had never seen something of it's like in the deep roads before. I eyed the pipe before looking down at Sigrun who puffed out air.

"Let's go," She said quietly and walked ahead of us down the steep stairs into the worn and collapsing streets of Kal'Hirol. I followed silently, the city was silent. Anders looked around anxiously, gripping his staff tight in his hands.

A cough echoed around us, a dwarven man was sprawled out close to us in a pool of his own blood, struggling for breath. He turned his head slowly and looked at Sigrun, grimacing.

"We were overtaken SIgrun." The man gurgling, Sigrun ran to him and knelt at his side. "The men were slaughtered and the women were taken by the darkspawn." He said slowly, my face scrunched in disgust, I knew why the women were taken and so did Sigrun, she had the same look.

"We will avenge you and the others." She whispered to the dwarf who nodded weakly as his eyes rolled back in his head and a deep sigh escaped his lips. 

Sigrun shut her eyes and opened them as she stood up slowly, "Come, we must hurry." She motioned for us to follow. 

"What was the Legion doing here?" I asked as we rushed through the silent streets. "Broodmothers had been reported in this region and were giving birth at alarming rates which should only be occurring during blights." Sigrun explained quickly, I nodded.

"We wiped out the darkspawn up to this point and, in our stupidity, stormed the keep.. Only to be met with a surprise attack, these darkspawn are smarter than the ones we faced before." Sigrun pointed up a steep set of stairs to the keep of Kal'Hirol, "We will need to be careful, they have laid traps." She puffed out air as she walked up the stairs and we silently went into the keep.

 Even the inside of the keep was silent, Ogren growled and pulled his axe off his back, narrowing his eyes and he panned the room. "We must sneak around the traps," Sigrun whispered, "Follow me," She motioned as she tiptoed through the room, we quickly left the main hall and went into the narrow corridors of the keep that sloped down slowly ahead of us and delved deeper in the earth.

"Move!" Anders pushed me onto the fleshy floor, bile rose in my throat as I squished into the ground, an arrow planted itself in the wall directly behind where I was standing. Anders helped me up and quickly shot lightening at the hurlock growling at us in the doorway.

I threw my dagger through the air, impaling a genlock that rounded the corner. I smiled at the corner of my mouth and slid across the floor, ripping my dagger out of the genlock's skull and turning back to my companions, grinning wickedly. Anders' mouth almost hit the floor, I winked at him and charged into the next room with Sigrun, quickly dispatching the other darkspawn.

A sword swung through the air, slicing in my arm slightly, I hissed and rolled backwards, dodging another huge blow from the hurlock. It growled in annoyance and knocked Sigrun clear out of the way.