Legend (Dragon Age Origins)

Chapter 19: The Fade

Dru bounced on her toes, daggers gripped tightly in each hand. The demon stalked her in a wide circle, its ember body illuminating the darkness of the library. Zevran stood at her back, sweat dripping down his angular face. 

The demon lunged at them and Zevran intercepted, slicing through its molten body with his sword. Dru dodged to the side, struck out at the demon's flank. But the demon turned at the last moment and lashed out at her, its jagged teeth sinking into her arms only fleetingly before its attention was drawn away by Zevran once more.

She pulled away, her arms shaking. The fabric of her tunic had burnt away just above her gloves, revealing charred skin beneath. She gaped at the burns, the pain not yet registering.

Having defeated another demon nearby, Morrigan ran to their aid. She swept her staff against the ground, summoning a cold frost that pressed into the demon's body. The ice crept through its skin, dimming the flame. Zevran jumped, bringing his sword and dagger down simultaneously. Now frozen, the demon's body shattered upon impact.

Zevran took Dru's weapons from her while Wynne inspected the burns. Her fingers prodded at the scorched skin and Dru tried to push her away, but Wynne only tightened her grip. The mage ran a hand over her skin and a cooling magic drifted down. When she removed her hand, the burns were gone.

"How did you do that?" Dru exclaimed.

"There are many schools of magic," Wynne informed her. "Each offers their own benefits. The one I found most useful was healing magic. In comparison, Morrigan here prefers elemental and spirit spells, though some are a form of black magic that has been forbidden by the Circle." Wynne smiled at Morrigan, who returned the look with an unimpressed scowl.

"Can you heal old wounds, too?" 

Dru lifted up her cloak to reveal the cut that travelled down her back. It wasn't worrisome when she first received it, but it had slowly become increasingly more painful.

Wynne studied the wound. "It has become infected. Fortunately, it is only at an ealy stage," she revealed. "I can sooth the infection and heal the laceration, but there may be a scar." She shook her head as her fingers traced the side of the wound.

Dru glared at Zevran. More scars to add to her collection.

"Consider it a token of affection from times long and gone," he suggested.

"It happened yesterday."

"And yet I am rather quick at leaving things in the past, am I not?"

Wynne frowned at him. "You caused this?"

"Indeed. He came to Ferelden to assassinate any surviving Grey Wardens. Clearly, he failed and we have allowed him to serve us instead," Morrigan explained. She was resting an arm on top of her staff, appearing bored of this whole ordeal.

"He begged for his life," Dru mocked. "I'm still not convinced that he'll actually be useful."

"That is quite commendable of you," said Wynne. "And foolish. There. The wound is healed."

Dru straightened up and rubbed her back. She was pleased to feel no scar, though there was nothing Wynne could do about her ruined tunic. Perhaps Zevran was right when he said she needed a new set of armour. The Grey Warden uniform was far too conspicuous in a land where Loghain actively hunted her.

With no more demons in sight, they continued through the tower. The fifth floor was occupied mostly by a large library. The bookshelves stretched all the way to the ceiling and were crammed with thick tomes, some in languages Dru did not even know existed. She was saddened to see that most of the books had been thrown onto the ground and either burned by the demon's touch or stained with blood. It was felt like years of knowledge had been destroyed.