It was well over a week's travel to the Circle Tower on foot, and that wasn't counting stopping to make camp or any unpleasant surprises they might run into along the way. Still, they were determined and ready as ever, so Aurora and Alistair led their ragtag group northwest. Thankfully, it was an uneventful trip since the darkspawn weren't this far north yet that consisted of walking, camping, eating, sleeping, then waking up to start the process over once again. They managed to stave of death from boredom by talking with one another, for the most part. Sten seemed determined not to utter much in the way of conversation, and Morrigan didn't seem inclined to be friendly with any of their companions other than Aurora, and even then Morrigan didn't seem to want the others to see those friendly encounters. So, the conversation mostly drifted between Leliana, Alistair, and Aurora.

Some of those conversations were rather interesting, like when Aurora struck up conversation with Leliana about life in the Chantry. She had been rather surprised by the scorn Leliana held for some of her Chantry fellows, having expected nothing but praise from the obviously devout but still mysterious Chantry Sister. At the same time, she was relieved to hear she wasn't the only one who found some religious folk...condescending at times. Even further, when Leliana spoke of her unorthodox views on the Maker, that he revealed himself in the beauty of His world and loved all his children equally, Aurora actually found herself uplifted at the thought, and did her best to encourage Leliana's point of view, letting her know that Aurora preferred her ideas to the bleak and condescending ideals of the Chantry. That simple conversation, ending with Leliana admitting she could be wrong but resolutely believing that it was the Maker's place to decide if she was wrong, not men and the Chantry, helped Aurora feel much more at ease around the Sister. Perhaps Leliana's ties to the Chantry had been what was so off-putting to Aurora at first, she wasn't sure, but that conversation did, in fact, ease her conscious, and conversation came much easier with Leliana after that.

Alistair was the first to try out Sandal's enchantments, and as a result, his sword now rippled with electrical energy. Aurora kept finding her eyes drawn to the weapon, watching the purplish energy shimmer across the sword's surface every now and then while they walked. Alistair caught her watching more than once, and whenever he did he'd give her that knowing smile that sent her blushing and throwing herself into conversation with one of the others or staring in embarrassment at her boots. She must have looked like a naïve, wide-eyed elf that would gasp in wonderment if someone tried to describe to her what a spoon was, Maker have mercy.

Though, in his mind, he found the open curiosity and excitement in her eyes when she watched the electrical energy dance across his sword endearing, especially since it was one of the few times she didn't seem weighed down with burdens both known and unknown to him.

The two shared more conversations after Aurora's apology, most of which she initiated as if to make up for how reclusive and abrasive she'd been at first. The conversations came...easier, between the two of them, and Aurora found herself gradually becoming much more comfortable around her human Warden companion. She didn't immediately jump away when he made any kind of physical contact, though she noticed he still did his best to refrain from having to touch her out of respect for her wishes. Still, if while walking their arms brushed together she didn't put an extra foot of space between them and hardly noticed—she also didn't mind whenever he had to touch her shoulder or arm to get her attention, or when some sort of brief physical contact was made as they handed one another something.

In her book, those were great strides, strides that she was sure didn't escape Alistair's notice, considering how he was careful of his actions around her to respect her unspoken wishes.

He asked a few times about the elves, though she noticed he avoided the controversial or more serious topics, and in return she asked him about Redcliffe a few times. Sometimes they spoke about their different fighting styles, explaining choices for fighting as a dual blade wielder or a sword and shield bearer. She mentioned her interest in becoming a ranger, something that seemed to pique his interest, and that conversation led to her bashfully sharing her secret admiration of nature and animals. He'd jokingly asked if it was an elf thing, which she corrected him on with great amusement—her father had never been one for nature as a whole, nor had several other elves she knew.

As the conversations continued, with time, Aurora started to notice small things about Alistair, as he seemed to with her. She could always catch his sly smile whenever he cracked a joke, even if to everyone else he appeared straight faced, she noticed how every morning when he emerged from the tent he was tousling his hair to rid it of its bedhead, and when something was bothering her but she was doing her best to hide it, Alistair's eyes told her that he knew something was wrong, even if he didn't know what, but he never brought it up, and managed to direct the other's attention from her discomfort for the most part.

She appreciated it—and she appreciated how he seemed to go out of his way to make her smile and laugh, and how his bronze honey eyes sparkled with triumphant joy whenever he succeeded. Now that she was over her initial suspicion and she felt comfortable around the man, she found herself appreciating his...finer features. She already knew she admired his eyes—she'd been entranced by them a few times before her apology. And that smile was charming, always causing a little squirm in her gut.

Sometimes, when her thoughts wandered in that direction, such as right now, walking through the trees with the sun filtering through the still, green leaves, she allowed herself a few moments to study him a little closer, to appreciate those finer features. The eyes and smile, of course, but also the way the light filtering down from above and highlighted the ginger in his hair, the firm, strong jawline—she'd always had a weakness for strong jaws, one of her odd quirks—with stubble that was coming dangerously close to a scratchy, slight beard. It seemed he lacked the supplies to shave and hadn't been thinking of that back in Lothering. Still, it was rugged, and it seemed rugged suited him whether the stubble was light or borderline unruly.

He was obviously strong, she had no doubts about that—she'd seen him knock darkspawn flat on their backs with his shield and he'd carried her to her tent without waking her up. Though the latter spoke not only of strength, but a gentleness she would not have expected among human men. He was skilled with the sword and shield, that wasn't up for debate either, but she didn't attribute that to attraction—there were plenty of skilled people in Thedas who were the scum of the earth when it came to what really mattered in Aurora's mind. But he...he wasn't. While he was strong, dutiful, attractive, and skilled, he was also caring, mindful, gentle, had a sense of humor that allowed him to understand Aurora's own strange sense of humor, and despite Morrigan's comments he was rather perceptive and smarter than he let others know. That was where Aurora was finding most of her attraction. Once she got a better sense of him as a person, she was able to appreciate his more physically appealing features.

Alistair looked up and caught her gazing at him—him, instead of his sword—and Aurora blushed, casting her gaze up to the sky to determine how late in the day it was. According to Alistair, they should be arriving at the Circle Tower docks sometime late in the day—she was eager to get there and break this constant monotone walking.

Alistair slowed his pace to come to walk side by side with her as Aurora finally got her blush under control, and she saw him giving her that crooked smile when he was amused but wasn't going to call attention to the source of her embarrassment. "Something on your mind?" he asked, one eyebrow arched in question.

Aurora glanced at him, eyes lingering for a moment along that jawline before she met his gaze.

"Has...anyone ever told you how handsome you are?" she found herself saying. Out loud.

Oh, sweet Maker, strike me down now and spare me of my embarrassment.

Alistair looked surprised at the unexpected compliment, though that quickly morphed into an expression caught between shy, flattered, and pleased. "Not unless they were asking me for a favor...Well, there was that one time in Denerim, but those women were," Alistair paused to laugh. "Not like you. Why? Is this your way of telling me you think I'm handsome?"

The way he asked it, the slight smile on his face and the twinkle in his eyes, almost made Aurora scowl. Damn bastard knew he was handsome...with his strong stubble-brushed jaw and bright honey bronze eyes and ginger highlighted brown hair...

Maker, no one should be allowed to look that good when I'm trying to be evasive to cover up an accidental admittance. "And if it is? What then?" Aurora asked casually, trying to be elusive and get a better grip on how he was reacting to her slip of the tongue. She didn't want him getting the wrong idea...even if the statement was true and she did think he was handsome, but at the same time...she wondered...

"Oh, nothing much. I just get to grin a bit and look foolish for a while," Alistair said, and sure enough as the words had passed her lips his smile had turned to a broad grin, the sparkle in his eyes brighter than usual. She relaxed slightly at his statement, noting he wasn't making any advances or anything. Good. That would have made her uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because he knew that it would make her uncomfortable that he didn't try anything? Maybe he knew her well enough to let the compliment be enough? She did think him handsome, and she'd come to enjoy his company, but Maker, she wasn't ready or looking for anything like that.

At least he seemed to realize as much. At least he didn't push her for more. At least he seemed content with what she'd given him.

At least, for once, she'd been the one to brighten his day.

***************************************

Just as Alistair had predicted, they reached Lake Calenhad as night was preparing to fall, mist starting to swirl along the surface of the lake. It gave the imposing tower in the distance a haunted, foreboding appearance, and Aurora grimaced as they approached.

"Well, that looks cheerful," she murmured as she stood beside Alistair.

"I know—I can already feel the warm hearth fire and taste the apple pie," Alistair replied wistfully, drawing a chuckle from Aurora. "Come on, I believe there's a boat down there to get across."

They made their way towards the dock as one, Aurora in the lead with Alistair right behind her. There was one lone Templar on the dock beside a single boat, the tower looming overhead up above.

"How fitting that they would build a prison for mages in the middle of the lake and make it look like a giant phallus," Morrigan scoffed under her breath, and Aurora nearly choked, Alistair blushing a deep red while a snort echoed from Leliana. Maker, now she had to talk to the Templar with a clear view of the tower while trying to keep that image out of her head. Damn it, Morrigan...

"You!" the Templar accused as they drew nearer. "You're not looking to get across to the tower, are you? Because I have strict orders not to let anyone pass!"

Aurora sighed. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy—especially after the leisurely, long walk from Lothering they'd just had. "I am a Grey Warden, and I seek the assistance of the mages," Aurora said calmly, looking up at the heavily armored man but still keeping her usual distance. It helped that Alistair was right behind her, a reassurance that if by some off chance the Templar did try something she'd have Alistair immediately there to help back her up.

"Oh, you're a Grey Warden, are you? Prove it," the Templar sneered, and Aurora was rather sure his eyes flickered to her ears. Aurora bristled.

"I don't have to prove anything to you," she bit out, eyes flashing.

"So, I'm not good enough for you? Fine. See if you get into the tower on your own," the Templar returned just as sourly, and Aurora had to take a moment to let a few deep breaths calm her temper before it made her do something stupid. That's it, Aurora, use that diplomacy you showed Duncan at the Alienage.

"I'm sure we can work something out," Aurora managed to say in an eerily calm voice.

The Templar pursed his lips, examining their group before his gaze landed on Morrigan. "That dark eyed temptress over there...surely the tower would be far too dull for her. Because it gets a little lonely out here sometimes...and you know, you could just leave her with me..."

Aurora bristled so noticeably that Alistair immediately put distance between the two of them, her hand twitching towards her weapon with a thousand curses bubbling up to her lips, eyes flashing with a malice that hadn't reared its head since Vaughn. However, Morrigan cut the Templar off before Aurora could skin him, curse him, kill him, whichever was about to happen first.

"Oh? Excellent. I have been hoping for new prey," Morrigan said smoothly with a sickly-sweet smile, eyes roaming over the Templar like she was examining a piece of meat.

"Prey?" the Templar asked in confusion—Aurora was rather surprised as well, her anger quickly doused in the wake of her befuddlement.

"'Twill take but a moment," Morrigan promised him sweetly before turning to Aurora with a wicked smile. "Perhaps you should go aboard the vessel to prepare while we are away. We must row ourselves across. I fear the lad will no longer have the use of his limbs...or his eyes, once I am done with him.

Aurora didn't care how malicious it made her look—she grinned as the Templar's eyes went wide and the fear practically began to ooze forth from him. Served him right.

"Uh...maybe I should..." he started to say, trying to discreetly put distance between himself and Morrigan.

"Wonderful! I can sense his terror! Oh, that will make the loving all the sweeter," Morrigan said happily.

The Templar seemed to go into a full-blown panic and turned back to Aurora. "So, you said you wanted to get across? Maybe we should go now. Right now. Now."

Aurora smiled at him, though the expression was strained. "Yes, let's go."

They all got into the boat at the Templar's urging, though Aurora made it a point to sit as far away from the Templar as she could manage. Alistair stayed close to her side, as did Morrigan, though she was still uneasy and tense sitting so close to the human man who had tried to get Aurora to barter Morrigan. She subconsciously started rubbing her wrists where the guards had grabbed her to keep her pinned against the wall, trying to stave off the dark memories.

"Are you all right," Alistair murmured softly from beside her, the wariness in his tone unmistakable. Aurora gave a brisk nod.

"I will be," was the only response he got, and he seemed to realize that was all she was willing to give, because he didn't press for more information. She did notice, however, that the air around him changed so that he seemed more...protective.

While she appreciated the thought—if she was reading his body language correctly—she was perfectly capable of defending herself.

Aurora was the first one to leave the boat once they docked at the tower, and she took dark pleasure in seeing the Templar cower away from Morrigan as she stepped off the boat. Maybe now he won't try bartering for women in the future.

Once everyone had gotten off the boat, Aurora led the way up to the tower's door, opening it up to the immediate sight of Templars moving about, some rushing to command posts, others tending to wounded comrades, there was all sorts of activity going on, but Aurora kept her gaze focused on the Templar who stood giving orders to the men all around him.

"...And I want two men stationed within sight of the doors at all times. Do not open the doors without my express consent, is that clear?"

"Yes, ser," the Templars standing around him said with a sharp salute before they rushed away, Alistair watched them with a sharp, knowing eye, and Aurora turned her head to hear what he had to say. He picked up on the silent cue without any trouble, his thoughts soft spoken so only she could hear.

"The doors are barred...are they keeping people out...or in?" he murmured ominously.

The Templar who'd been giving orders—the Knight-Commander, she presumed, Greagoir, according to Alistair—turned as they approached, seeming to be talking to himself more than anything. "Now we wait, and pray."

"What's going on here?" Aurora asked, her eyes skirting over the wounded in their isolated corner.

"We are dealing with a very delicate situation. You must leave, for your own safety," Greagoir said rather shortly, and Aurora frowned.

"But I seek the mages' help to defeat the darkspawn."

Greagoir scowled. "I am weary of the Grey Wardens' ceaseless need for men to fight the darkspawn, but it is their right. You'll find no allies here. The Templars can spare no men, and the mages are...indisposed. I shall speak plainly: the tower is no longer under our control. Abominations and demons stalk the tower's halls. The Circle is lost. The tower has fallen."

Aurora studied him, casting her gaze towards the barred doors. She was pretty sure they were resulting to the, lock the door and throw away the key, tactic rather quickly, like Denerim if any kind of disease broke out in the Alienage. Even if there were survivors, they wouldn't know, and those that did manage to survive the onslaught of abominations and demons would most likely be massacred long before they Templars got over their stubbornness and opened the doors to check, if they ever did.

"What can I do to help?" she said, tone firm as she turned her gaze back to Greagoir.

"I have sent word to Denerim, calling for reinforcements and the Right of Annulment."

Aurora was shocked. She'd heard about the Right of Annulment, about wiping out every mage in the vicinity. She didn't care what self-righteous reasoning the Chantry tried to throw out for such a thing, it was a brutal, ugly, genocide. "What good will that do?"

Alistair spoke up again, though she found herself quickly disagreeing with what he had to say. Alistair, your Templar is showing. "The mages are probably already dead. Any abominations remaining in there must be dealt with no matter what."

Yes, the abominations need to be dealt with—not the mages.

"This situation is dire. There is no alternative—everything in the tower must be destroyed so it can be made safe again," Greagoir said firmly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing—it made her sick.

"The mages are not defenseless," Aurora said harshly, still thinking of how her own people were treated. "Some must still live."

"If any are still alive, the Maker himself has shielded them," Greagoir said, firm in his belief. "No one could have survived those monstrous creatures. It is too painful to hope for survivors and find...nothing."

"If you won't look for survivors, then I will," Aurora returned, gaze hard as the steel of her sword. Greagoir scoffed, eyeing her petite elven frame like it could be blown over by a passing breeze.

"I assure you, an abomination is a force to be reckoned with, and you will face more than one."

Aurora's gaze grew cold as she stared him down. "It's the right thing to do—If there's even a chance, then I have to try,"

Aurora and Greagoir held each other's gazes for several long moments, studying one another and waiting for one of them to back off before Greagoir finally relented. "A word of caution—once you cross that threshold, there is no turning back. The great doors must remain barred. I will open them for no one until I have proof that it is safe. I will only believe it is over if the First Enchanter stands before me and tells me it is so. If Irving has fallen...then the Circle is lost, and must be destroyed." Greagoir shook his head. "May Andraste lend her your courage, whatever you decide."

They had only taken a few steps when Alistair gently tugged her aside from everyone else, concern furrowing his brow. "Are you sure about this? We don't really know what's on the other side of that door, if anyone's even survived, and as I recall, shutting the door and throwing away the key was definitely the Templar plan B."

For once, his humor didn't lighten her spirits. She met his gaze evenly and seriously, feeling the weight of her words before they even rolled off her lips. "Alistair, I've been inside locked doors where someone's thrown away the key while something terrible ravaged those inside—there are survivors, and the longer they're left in there without any help, the less there will be to save. This isn't keeping evil out, this is waiting for both the good and bad to die without even trying to rescue what has managed to live. We're going in there, and we're going to help everyone we can get to safety."

Alistair seemed taken aback at the tidbit of her past she'd allowed to prove her point, even if it was missing a lot of context. Still, he searched her face for a few moments before he slowly nodded, taking a step back. "All right...I trust you, it's just..."

Aurora gave him a crooked smile, patting his shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry, I don't blame you—I'm sure all that Templar training is hard to ignore. But it will be all right—you'll see," she promised before she passed him, reconvening with their group and going over their supplies.

They made sure they had a healthy amount of health poultices and injury kits, that Morrigan was stocked up on lyrium potions, and that everyone had their best armor on before Aurora finally squared her shoulders and led the group of six to the large door, giving the Templar standing guard a terse nod. Alistair fidgeted nervously at her side, but he didn't argue or try to change her mind, which put her a little more at ease despite the seriousness of the situation.

True to their word, as soon as the group passed the threshold of the large double doors, there was a resounding boom as the doors swung shut, and another thud as they were barred inside. Aurora had the briefest flash of panic at being locked in, thinking of the time sickness had swept through the Alienage, or when Vaughn had locked them in the larder...

But no, this was different—this time she was here by choice to help those who had no one else other than those who were already resigned to killing them all, and she wouldn't be deterred.

The first thing her eyes fell upon was the three bodies right there by the doors—one Templar and two mages. The gruesome sight should have made her squeamish, or feel a pit of dread, but all she did was casually step over the bodies to head into one of the rooms to start her sweep for survivors or threats.

"Apprentice quarters—that's what the first few floors are," Alistair told her quietly as they picked through the wreckage of bunkbeds and trunks. There were a few more bodies, mages, of course, books and papers strung about, but nothing of any real value, and no survivors. Out in the hall they found more dead Templars, two this time with two mages as well. Again, Aurora paid them no heed, unfazed by the blood and corpses—what bothered her deep within was the thoughts that maybe these were dead that could have been avoided if Greagoir hadn't locked them in, ones who had already perished for the hasty call for righteous cleansing as she was sure many would try to justify it. If her outward indifference concerned her companions, they said nothing—or perhaps they could see the unease, the flame of injustice in her eyes and simply decided there was no need to call attention to it.

Another lodging—more dead and destroyed belongings. However, the silence was what was truly bothering her. It was far too quiet for a tower that was supposed to be crawling with demons and abominations.

At the end of their current, restricted end of the hall, a door was securely shut, and Aurora pushed it open with one hand on her blade, just to be safe. As the heavy wooden structure swung inwards, they came across an unusual sight she had not been expecting.

A healthy collection of mages, including quite a few children, were huddled together in the exceptionally large chamber, and across the doorway directly opposite where they stood a shimmering veil of bluish light pulsed, completely covering the door. As she watched, a fiery rage demon tried to push through the veil, but a familiar old woman cast a freezing spell powerful enough to vanquish the creature before it could even truly pass through. Aurora was stunned for a few moments, but managed to approach with the others, voicing her question out loud.

"Wynne? Is that you?"

The old woman whipped around, staff in hand as she managed to look incredibly intimidating despite the weary glisten in her eyes. "It's you! No...come no further. Grey Warden or no, I will strike you down where you stand!"

Aurora held her hands up in a gesture of peace, far away from her weapons. "I'm not here to fight, Wynne."

Wynne dropped her threatening pose some, studying Aurora closely. "I will accept that, for now. But what are you doing here, then?"

Aurora sighed. "I came seeking the aid of the mages."

"And you were told that the Circle was in no shape to help you, I suppose. So why did the Templars let you in? Do they plan to attack the tower now?"

Aurora shook her head. "Not...not yet. But don't worry, there's still time—the Right of Annulment hasn't arrived yet."

"They sent for it then. I feared they might have—what else can they do?" Wynne mourned. "So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond hope. He probably assumes we are all dead."

Wynne shook her head sadly. "They abandoned us to our fate, but even trapped as we are, we have survived. If they invoke the Right, however, we will not be able to stand against them."

Aurora felt that fierce protectiveness stir up once more—these people would not die needlessly like with her people so often if she had anything to say about it. But first...first she needed to know what exactly was going on. "What happened here?" Aurora asked patiently, resisting the urge to glance behind her to the body-littered hall they'd just come through.

Wynne scowled. "Let is suffice to say that we had something of a revolt on our hands, led by a mage named Uldred. When he returned from the battle at Ostagar, he tried to take over the Circle. As you can see, it didn't work out as he had planned. I don't know what became of Uldred, but I am certain all this is his doing. I will not lose the Circle to one man's pride and stupidity."

Aurora saw the fire in the old woman's eyes, and she suddenly liked where this conversation was going. "So...what do you intend to do?"

Wynne turned back to look at the bluish veil. "I erected a barrier over the door leading to the rest of the tower so nothing from inside could attack the children. You will not be able to enter the tower as long as the barrier holds, but I will dispel it if you join with me to save this Circle."

Aurora nodded, speaking softly. "It was never my intention to harm it, Wynne—I've always been against needless slaughter, and I'll do everything I can to avoid it."

"Yes, even if we cannot eliminate all the demons and abominations, together we can lead the survivors out. Once Greagoir sees that we have made the tower safe, I trust he will tell his men to back down. He is not unreasonable," Wynne said hopefully. Aurora shifted uncomfortably.

"Greagoir will only accept it if the first enchanter says so."

"Then our path is laid out before us. We must save Irving," Wynne said, only more determined now. Aurora smiled slightly.

"Then we should set off immediately."

Morrigan spoke up then, surprising Aurora with the amount of disgust and anger she carried in her voice. "You want us to assist this preachy schoolmistress? To rescue these pathetic excuses for mages? They allow themselves to be corralled like cattle, mindless. Now their masters have chosen death for them, and I say let them have it!"

Morrigan's remarks made Aurora bristle, and Alistair took a subconscious step away from her, which she paid no mind to. She swallowed several scathing remarks, making sure she still had a level head before she replied. "I've made my decision, Morrigan—we're helping Wynne."

Morrigan scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Have it your way..."

"Petra, Kinnon, look after the others—I will be back soon," Wynne told two of the mages that flanked her in calm tones. The redhead standing on her right looked concerned.

"Wynne, are you sure you're all right? You were so badly hurt earlier...maybe I should come along."

Wynne let her down gently, shaking her head. "The others need your protection more. I will be all right. Stay here with them...keep them safe and calm."

Aurora watched the conversation with a furrowed brow, hoping that Wynne wasn't hiding any injuries that would hinder her—they needed everyone in peak condition while they cleaned up the tower. "We should get going—we've talked long enough as it is," Aurora said calmly.

"Here we are...I am somewhat amazed at myself for having kept it in place this long," Wynne mused as they approached the veil.

"You did what you had to do, Wynne," Aurora said patiently, coming to stand beside the woman. Wynne sighed.

"It made me very weary at times, but I had to stay strong to keep us safe. Be prepared for anything—I do not know what manner of beasts lie beyond this barrier...are you ready?"

"I am."

"All right, be on your guard," Wynne warned before stretching out a hand. The veil rippled like water, and then just like that, it disappeared, and the way before them was cleared.

******************************************

Aurora would have liked to think that they cleared the first few floors of apprentice quarters with relative ease, but she knew she'd be lying. Once they'd made it past the library, it had seemed like a never-ending onslaught of demons and abominations. Still, their group of seven held their own, turning to Alistair for guidance in this situation considering he had all the Templar training, much to his discomfort. He relaxed more once it became clear Aurora was still leading, but he was giving tips for how to fight the demons and abominations that helped them quite a bit.

They even found quite a few mages hiding or fighting back—as best they could—and sent each of them back to where the others were, those who were still in one piece assisting the wounded.

The first abomination Aurora fought...well, it truly had been horrendous, possibly more so than the darkspawn, looking like a bloody, fleshy, twisted mass with dark eyes and a gaping, warped mouth. Aurora retched when she saw it, which was saying something considering she had only felt a twist in her gut when she looked at the bodies strewn across the floor and the blood splattered everywhere. She only retched the one time, though, and managed to eventually get to where the sight of the twisted creatures was tolerable.

Now, as they reached the third senior mage tower floor—the fact that this was a tower was already killing her, even with how in shape she was in her legs were burning, there were far too many stairs—they came across someone just...standing in the middle of the room, so casually, turning an empty stare on them that made Aurora shiver. They came close enough to see a symbol of the Chantry on his forehead and Alistair sucked in a breath, stepping closer to Aurora.

"Tranquil," he murmured, and Aurora shifted uncomfortably at the thought. A mage cut off from the Fade, their abilities, cares, dreams, and emotions all ripped away, leaving them an unfeeling husk...Maker, the thought made her glad she wasn't a mage.

"Please, refrain from going into the stockroom. It is a mess and I have not been able to get it into a state fit to be seen," the man said in a monotone voice.

"What are you doing here?" Aurora asked in exasperation, looking around at the blood and bodies and wondering how this one Tranquil had escaped harm.

"I was trying to tidy up, but there was little I could do."

"Why are you cleaning at a time like this?"

"The stockroom is my responsibility. I must keep it clean. I tried to leave, when things got quiet. That was when I encountered the barrier. Finding no other way out, I returned to work," he said in that creepily casual voice. Wynne sighed in frustration.

"Owain, you should have said something! I would have opened the door for you.

Owain shook his head. "The stockroom is familiar. I prefer to be here."

Again, Aurora glanced at the blood and bodies around them. "Haven't you come across abominations?"

"No. I suppose I should count myself lucky. I would prefer not to die. I would prefer it if the tower returned to the way it was. Perhaps Niall will succeed and save us all."

Aurora was starting to be unnerved by his blank-eyed stare. "Succeed at what?"

"I do not know, but he came here with several others, and took the Litany of Adralla."

Wynne took in a sharp breath. "But that protects from mind domination. Is blood magic at work here?"

"I do not know."

"Niall was in the meeting. He would know. Blood magic...I was afraid of this."

Beside Aurora, Alistair groaned as it was brought to light they would probably be dealing with blood mages. Leliana shifted nervously, and even Morrigan had a spark of concern in her eyes. Aurora did not like how this was progressing.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked, glancing around. Blood mages did change the equation quite a bit, but going back wasn't an option. Even if she wanted to, the doors were locked now.

"We should find Niall. The Litany will give us a fighting chance against any blood mages we encounter," Wynne said firmly.

"I wish you luck. Perhaps this will be over soon and things will return to the way they were. Goodbye," the mage said in his monotone voice, nodding at them before he disappeared inside the storeroom to resume trying to clean up. Aurora shook her head but didn't pressure the tranquil, moving with the others into the hall to start clearing the chambers.

They worked their way through one by one, ran into blood mages—which confirmed Wynne's suspicion—and even let one go after it became clear she realized her mistake and wanted to make up for it, though Aurora offered her no help in escaping, leaving the girl's fate to the Maker.

When they stepped into the chamber just down the hall from Irving's office with a giant barred iron door, she knew instantly it was going to be a tough fight. There were not only a couple of rage demons and a daunting amount of abominations, but also what felt like an army of walking corpses. Aurora instinctively took a step back towards Alistair, who had been covering her little rogue self during these brutal fights. She was skilled, yes, but she was more about speed, agile strikes that sank deep, she didn't linger in one place longer than she had to. She wasn't built like a warrior, she wasn't made to take too much of a beating—even her armor was light so it didn't hinder her movements. Alistair was the one with the heavy armor and the shield. She was simply quick blades and wit.

They all charged in, Morrigan, Wynne, and Leliana hanging back to rain magic and arrows down upon the cursed creatures while Alistair, Aurora, Sten, and Alaron charged the creatures head on. Alaron took down one of the corpses easily while Aurora and Alistair teamed up on an abomination, wearing it down until Alistair managed to land a fatal blow. Aurora broke away to help her poor war hound with the corpses, not wanting him to get overwhelmed, and Alistair cleared her way to Alaron by dropping into a charge with shield protecting him to bash one of the abominations. Aurora slipped by him, glancing back to see Morrigan freeze a rage demon and Wynne smash it into a thousand pieces, Sten swinging mightily into two abominations at once with a battle cry, and Leliana dancing around the room's edge, wedging arrows into weak spots.

Aurora barreled into one of the corpses coming down on her mabari, noting that the poor beast was favoring his hind leg as she jabbed her dagger into the neck of the corpse she'd barreled into and ran her sword through another one. She kept Alaron's back covered, not wanting the creatures to take advantage of his wounded leg. Quickly it became a monotone hack and slash for her, though eventually it came down to the one Alaron was currently putting down with his teeth and the two that stood before her. Aurora bashed one with her pommel, stabbing the other in the arm with her dagger when it tried to grab her and bringing her sword around to block a swing from its sword. She yanked out her dagger, embedding it deep into the chest of the stunned corpse before sinking her sword into the side of the second corpse.

Alaron let out a loud sound of pain, and Aurora turned to see her poor hound on the ground with his injured leg at an odd angle. She didn't get to register much else because in the next moment she'd been knocked to the ground, and something large, heavy, putrid, and hot was crushing her to the ground. Her instinct went into overdrive and she pushed against the creature as it strained towards her, its gaping slack maw clopping sloppily for her neck or face as she pressed herself against the ground and tried to stay as far from the thing as possible.

"Aurora!" she heard Alistair shout, voice colored with fear, but she didn't hear any moves to help her—they were all bogged down by their own targets, steel clashing against steel, she heard a bow whistling through the air instead of arrows so Leliana must have been out.

The creature grasped her throat, pinning her to the ground with its twisted hand and drawing blood as its claws cut deeply into her neck. It reared back, other clawed hand raising and preparing to deal a killing blow, either slash her across the chest or face, or to rip her heart out, either way she was dead.

The creature made a strange sound, and Aurora blinked to see the wooden end of—a pole? Perhaps a mage staff?—sticking out of the creature's chest. Blood sprayed across her entire body from the hole, and a male grunted out of view, tugging the creature back with effort so that it didn't fall on top of her. She looked up, still lying on the ground out of shock and expecting to see Alistair offering her a hand up.

Instead, she saw a shock of dirty blonde hair pulled back in a very small pony tail, a strong jaw much like Alistair but perhaps with more stubble, and this was ragged and uneven stubble, like he hadn't had a proper shave in a while. A few rogue strands of his hair fell into his face, acting as a stark contrast to his pale, drawn, unhealthy looking skin. She'd seen hungry and mistreated people before—that unhealthy pallor was not natural, but a mark of suffering. Still, despite that, the tall human man looked at her with reddish brown ocher eyes that still had the shadows of pain in them, but managed to be bright despite that pain. A small, golden hoop earing rested in his right ear, and he was dressed in mage robes with feathered pauldrons.

The man gave her a strained smile with full lips, clutching at his side as he staggered and leaned heavily against the pillar behind him. "Your welcome," he rasped as the clang of the fighting finally came to a stop.

"Anders?" Wynne asked in surprise as Alistair hurried to Aurora's side, quickly checking her for injuries and breathing a sigh of relief when the worst she had was the scratches on her neck. She was soaked in blood, but it wasn't hers. As much as she appreciated her fellow Warden's concern, she was more interested in her unexpected rescuer, getting to her feet as Wynne continued her question. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the basement still!"

The man—Anders—scowled. "Well, as much as I love rotting away in a cell, I didn't appreciate my solitary confinement being interrupted by a few demons and abominations and decided a change of scenery was due. There were too many heading for the tower exit, so I went up...and got stuck in here. Before you ask, I was hiding under the broken cabinets over there."

Alistair's eyes narrowed at Anders, but Aurora spoke before accusations could arise. "If you're a mage, why didn't you use magic to stop the abomination?"

Anders grimaced. "Ah, well you see, I'm not exactly in a state of being to fight, and the magebane is still pumping strong through my system. I don't even have enough juice to heal myself, let alone join in on the tussle with abominations."

Aurora's eyes were finally drawn to where Anders was holding himself, noticing the large crimson stain in his robes and the dried red trails on his hands, some still a little fresh here and there. "Maker, you're bleeding!"

"Yes, mages do that too when an abomination puts a hole in them," Anders said with a wry smile, though the pain in his eyes was clear. Aurora took a step towards him, but Alistair stopped her with a firm but careful grip. Wynne still rushed forward to help Anders, who grimaced as she pulled his hand off the wound.

"Magebane to suppress your magic, a cell, solitary confinement—what did you do, and how long were you down there?" Alistair asked, watching the mage with clear distrust in his eyes.

Anders hissed and tensed as Wynne started to weave her healing magic along his wound, then relaxed as the relief started to slowly dribble in. "Oh, nothing serious, just a few trips to the outside world..."

"You ran away from the tower?" Alistair asked skeptically. Clearly the Templars weren't bad enough to imprison someone and take away their magic for a run or two from the tower. At least in Alistair's mind they weren't, Aurora wasn't so sure. She'd seen how harsh the Chantry could be, and she knew the mages were oppressed just like the elves. While Alistair gave Anders distrust, Aurora's gaze was only sympathetic.

"Well, of course. I need to get away from all the eyes every now and then. Some people like being caged; me, not so much."

"I doubt they threw you into the cells just for one or two runs from the tower."

"Don't be so sure about that," Anders snickered wryly.

"He's stringing you along, dear, waiting for you to give up on the questions," Wynne interrupted dryly as she stepped away from Anders, arms folded over her chest. "He ran six times, and they've kept an eye on him down in the basement for over a year."

Anders' smile was suddenly tight, the twinkle in his eyes gone. "Seven, actually—they've even started calling me apostate for it. Strangest thing, though, I'd just stepped out of the cell on the way to freedom when the Templar who'd darted away to grab someone while I was sleeping suddenly came back for no reason. Heard her tell Greagoir that she'd simply had the feeling to come check on me." Anders' expression darkened a little further. "And they didn't so much as keep an eye on me down there than throw me in the cell and leave me to rot—I was sure they'd forgotten about me a few times."

Alistair seemed to be reeling from the number Anders presented, mouthing seven times to himself while Aurora's gaze turned just as dark as Anders' as she realized he'd been put in solitary confinement in a basement and treated badly enough to look this sickly because he'd left the tower. Maker, where did the cruelty of man end?

"Thank you. For, well..." Aurora told him, shifting the conversation away from Anders' plight. His smile returned, and he gave a slight but still grandiose bow.

"The pleasure was mine, my dear lady," Anders told her with a grin. "I would have lent a hand earlier, but the magebane doesn't want to share."

Wynne shook her head. "A shame—I'm sure we could use your talents in the fights to come."

"What talents, if I may ask?" Aurora asked, pulling out her pack, and wiping her hands clean before she pulled out an apple and some bread.

"Healing and elemental magic, mostly ice and electric magic—I've dabbled a little in spirit and entropy magic as well," Anders informed her, eyeing the food and lighting up when she did indeed offer it to him. Thank you, he mouthed while Wynne spoke up. Aurora gave him a gentle smile before turning her attention to Wynne.

"He's a better healer than I am, even—he has a natural gift for it," Wynne admitted, watching Anders shamelessly devour the bread Aurora had given him before he moved onto the apple.

"Nice to hear a compliment again," Anders mused.

Aurora shook her head, gesturing back the way they'd come. "If you want, the way back is clear, for the most part—most of the survivors are congregating back on the first floor."

Anders grimaced. "As tempting as a safe spot with a bunch of my fellow mages is, all those stairs, again, without adrenaline this time, isn't such a wonderful thought in my state. With my luck, I'll fall down the stairs and break my neck—magebane is technically poison, you know."

Aurora frowned, glancing around the room. "This isn't exactly the ideal spot to hide out in, either..." Again, she reached into her pack, pulling out one of her many spare daggers that Alistair kept teasing her about and handing it to Anders. "Here, just in case. And Leliana, do you mind staying with him to make sure he stays in one piece?"

"Not at all," Leliana said graciously, and Anders looked taken aback by the gesture.

"You don't have to do that..." he started to say, but Aurora shook her head.

"At least for the sake of my conscious, I must insist. Leliana can keep you safe if you do run into more abominations or demons. Still, I suggest finding somewhere to lay low until we clear the tower."

Anders nodded, straightening away from the pillar and weaving slightly before he managed to steady himself. "I heard some of the blood mages say...well...they rounded up the Templars and a few of the other mages that weren't so lucky and dragged them away. They were talking about the Harrowing Chamber. I doubt any of the Templars are alive by now, but I'd like to think some of them are. Cullen, Remmer, and Genevieve aren't that bad."

"At least now we have somewhere to look for Uldred," Wynne said softly. She was kneeling by Alaron by now, healing the poor mabari's leg. Aurora stopped Leliana for a moment, handing over a few fire and ice bombs she'd made while on the road.

"Just in case," Aurora said with a wink, and Leliana smiled.

"Indeed."

"Take care you two—keep your heads low," Aurora warned.

"Don't worry, I've grown rather attached to my head, I don't feel like losing it any time soon," Anders quipped before Aurora and her group gathered their things and continued up the tower.

***************************************

By now the demon fighting and mage rescuing was rather routine, all falling away in a blur. They picked through the rooms each time, finding discarded health poultices and lyrium potions and other such useful objects that disappeared into Aurora's bag. Eventually, they managed to find the Grand Enchanter's office, and Wynne expressed her disappointment that he wasn't in there. Aurora didn't know why Wynne had even hoped to find him in his office—with everything going on, it wasn't like it was going to remain untouched by the chaos and he could use it as a safe spot.

Still, there was a lot intact, and Aurora idly ruffled through some papers before she came across what looked like confiscated items. Making sure the others weren't looking, Aurora ruffled through the less interesting pieces like a random rod that was hot to the touch and pulled out the two items that caught her attention—a small, painted, locked box with the name Red Jenny carved onto the bottom of it and a thick black leather bound grimoire. Aurora tucked the painted box away for another time—she knew of Red Jenny, what elf in Denerim wasn't aware of the noble-harassing group with the hideout right next to the warehouse. Maybe returning the box could fetch a decent price.

The grimoire, on the other hand...

"Morrigan?" Aurora called, immediately catching the witch's attention. "Could you look at this for me?"

Morrigan frowned, likely already trying to think of something snippy to say, but she paused when she saw the black book in her hands, taking it with reverence.

"What? You found Flemeth's grimoire?" she practically gasped, weighing the book carefully in her hands. "Ever since we discovered the condition of this tower, I had wondered if it might be recoverable, but I had yet to speak of it to you. How fortunate that you found it on your own! You have my thanks! I will begin study of the tome immediately."

As much as she had found she actually liked Morrigan, the thought of Morrigan studying Flemeth's magic made her...wary. "What do you hope to find in it?" she asked, carefully watching the woman. Morrigan gave her a mysterious smile.

"Secrets. My mother has many of them, and this tome represents the one time that they were able to get away from her. I do not intend to squander this opportunity to learn more than Flemeth wished me to know! This should be...interesting."

Aurora inclined her head. "Well...in that case, I'm glad I found it."

Morrigan nodded, tucking the book away in her own pack. "Indeed. Now, I believe we were in the process of rescuing the cattle on your orders?"

Aurora scowled and rolled her eyes. Morrigan definitely knew how to get under someone's skin. Still, she let it slide. "Right...the Harrowing Chamber would be near the top of the tower. We're almost there."

***************************************

They went up a few more floors with the usual, demons and abominations with the occasional walking corpse like in the room with Anders, but when they reached one of the floors...she could feel how wrong things suddenly were in the very air around them. The others seemed to sense it as well, and Alistair took a step closer to her as they cautiously ventured into the large room with books strewn everywhere and plenty of space to practice spells. She assumed it must have been a place for mages to practice their spells, though now it was a graveyard, with corpses littering the floor. The survivors had become fewer and fewer the higher up their group traveled, and the scenes before them also grew much more...grotesque. Silently, Aurora made her way through the room, looking up at the high vaulted ceiling and picking through some of the rubble to find a small chantry amulet lying on the ground. Leliana would appreciate that.

Idly tucking her find away, Aurora cast her gaze to the corpses all over the floor. The thought made her skin crawl that something could come and animate them, and—

A charge went through the air, Morrigan, Wynne, and Alistair all stiffening before something blasted right into Alistair's chest and he went flying into a pillar with a gasp, breath knocked out of him as he slumped to the ground.

"Alistair!" Aurora shouted.

"It's an arcane horror," Wynne announced as everyone drew weapons and spotted the threat coming through the doorway from the room next door.

Aurora hardly took in the gaudily dressed, grey skinned creature, too busy rushing to Alistair's side. The man was in clear pain, and she pressed a health poultice into his hand, sword at the ready, just in case.

"Maker, that hurts," he gasped before he downed the drink. Before Aurora could reply, a spindly hand grabbed her arm and she reacted without thinking, plunging her dagger into the head of the corpse beside them before she could even register that it was an animated corpse grabbing for her. Aurora sucked in a breath as she yanked her dagger free, scrambling to her feet and whipping around just in time to catch the blade of another animated corpse, kicking at its distorted leg to send it sprawling to the ground as she stood protectively in front of Alistair, sword and dagger at the ready as more came at the downed soldier and little elven rogue. She easily cut off the head of the corpse on the ground, swinging around to block the sword of another and ducking out of reach of a second sword. She slashed with her dagger and blocked with her sword, adrenaline pumping through her blood as the dead all around rose to attack—she didn't even know what was going on with the others.

There was a sudden explosion, and chunks of corpse went everywhere from within their own ranks. That must be Morrigan, Aurora immediately thought, kicking another of her opponents. There was a dry, gargled war cry and Aurora's head whipped around to see the charging corpse, bracing for the impact that would surely break a bone or two at the least, but instead a surge of brown streaked between them and a resounding metal clang reverberated in her eardrums as Alistair appeared at her side, shield taking the worst of the impact and protecting her from the painful blow. Aurora let out a breath she hadn't even known she was holding and shifted her footing so that she was back to back with him, swinging her blades to cut through two of her enemies at once.

Aurora and Alistair had hardly started their back-to-back battle when one by one their rotting enemies started to freeze or drop to the ground as charred remains. Aurora heard Morrigan's schoolgirl laugh not that far away and immediately knew who their helper was, grinning despite herself while Morrigan clearly enjoyed her carnage.

She didn't know who finished off the horror—she hadn't even come close enough to really see it before it was reduced to a pile of ash—but she was extremely grateful when the battle was suddenly over, and she was left panting with exertion, back pressed against Alistair's as she waited for the battle senses to fade until she was thinking normally again.

"Thanks...for the save..." she managed to get out, turning her head slightly towards Alistair. He chuckled weakly, and the two pushed apart so they could face one another.

"I should be thanking you—you kept them off me long enough for me to recover," Alistair told her with a slight blush. Aurora gently punched his arm.

"Don't start blushing, it was a hard hit, magical, too. It's not like you were felled by a feather," she teased, only making Alistair blush deeper.

"Hey, careful, I bruise easily, you know!" Alistair whined, though there was a noticeable smirk twisting his lips upwards.

Aurora snorted. "Then that's going to hurt in the morning." Her expression softened, and she gave Alistair a meaningful look. "You don't need to thank me—I was glad to help," she said softly before Morrigan reached them.

"My, my, this tower just gets more and more interesting the higher up we go, doesn't it?" she mused, idly twisting the staff in her hand.

Aurora laughed. "I think you and I have different ideas of interesting, Morrigan. Let's just keep moving, shall we?"

Unfortunately, they hardly needed to go much further down the hall when a demon in the shape of a woman that was basically naked appeared, grinning ferally at their group before she suddenly shouted, "Attack, my pets!"

She half expected abominations, maybe mages, but to her shock they were suddenly assaulted by Templars. She was so surprised that Alistair had to step in front of her to block a blow from a Templar's shield, though before he could shout at her to get her attention she was already moving again, using the Templar's new focus on Alistair to slip behind the Templar and shove her dagger into the first chink of armor she could find before retreating again, letting Alistair finish him off. With these heavily armored warriors swarming them almost like the corpses had, she chose to stay close to Alistair, and they both acted as a barrier beside Sten that protected their fellow mages from the expert mage-hunters.

While the four of them fought the Templars, Morrigan and Wynne fought the demonic woman—a desire demon, as Alistair shouted over the clang of steel on steel—over their heads, occasionally firing a spell into the fighting throng that felled a Templar or slowed them down enough for one of the four to take care of them.

It was a tough fight, and Aurora could feel herself bleeding here and there from wounds she was almost able to ignore, but eventually they thinned down the Templars enough that Alistair and Aurora got the chance to charge the desire demon. Alistair broke through the Templars—Sten cutting down the stunned ones in his wake—and barreled into the demon with his shield, knocking the demon to the ground and resolutely plunging his sword right where her heart would be. Aurora remained at his back, fighting off a Templar that had charged them once he realized what was happening. Once it was over she looked around at all the Templars, feeling a little queasy.

"Well...I think we found some of the Templars," she said uneasily. Alistair seemed just as upset, if not more.

"Not all of them, though, just a few. And Anders said that the others were captured by the blood mages, not demons," Wynne interjected.

"I'm not sure if that's something to look forward to," Aurora muttered under her breath, but she didn't argue further, sheathing her blades and starting her usual scavenging rounds. She did manage to get a few health poultices, which was always a welcome find, then sat down to start treating some of her wounds. Alistair kneeled beside her, and she noticed his lip was split, blood dripping freely—when had he gotten that injury?

"Need help?" he asked, pulling off his gloves and taking out a few health poultices.

"Mm, if you help me you've got to let me help you," Aurora said pointedly, nodding to his split lip.

"What, this? It doesn't hurt, it's just annoying, frankly—" Alistair said dismissively while Wynne moved over to them. While he was busy babbling, Aurora had already popped open one of her smaller vials, put some of the red substance on her finger, and gently spread it down his lip in a single motion. She was shocked by the jolt that shot from finger to shoulder at the contact, allowing her hand to quickly drop away.

"Let me see," Wynne interjected, drawing Aurora's eyes away from Alistair while he was still processing what had happened. Morrigan was discreetly treating her own injuries off to the side and Sten had already treated a gash on his arm, ignoring the smaller cuts and waiting with arms folded over his chest for them to finish.

Aurora hissed as Wynne touched a crimson spot on her arm, prompting the woman to roll the armor back to reveal a nasty wound running all the way to her shoulder. Wynne gave her a brief, scolding look that made her look rather grandmotherly, then started to carefully stitch the wound back together with her healing magic. It was her first experience, and she gasped at the odd sensation, hissing as Anders had with the first tug that felt a little painful before watching her wound heal with amazed eyes.

Wynne chuckled at her expression. "You act like it's your first time being healed by magic."

"It is."

She received odd stares from Wynne and Alistair, but kept her gaze on Wynne. "Alienage."

"Ah," Wynne said with a nod, seeming to catch her meaning. She grew up in an Alienage—Alienage elves weren't good enough to waste healing magic on. At least in the Alienage she grew up in.

While Wynne worked, Alistair helped her treat the smaller injuries, refraining from commenting on the brief conversation with Wynne. He smiled apologetically whenever he disturbed a wound enough for her to hiss or clench her teeth, but he was surprisingly gentle, hands steady and warm as they carefully dabbed the healing poultice across her wounds. Her eyes studied him while he worked, checking him over for any other injuries he might be trying to hide. She got distracted once or twice with how...focused he seemed on such a simple, mundane task as healing her, surprised she was even worth that much concentration in the eyes of a hum—

She paused in that thought. Then again...Alistair had yet to be like any other human she'd met. She'd already made plenty of wrong assumptions already—it was unfair to keep thinking of him in such a way.

Alistair was Alistair, not a generic copy of every other abusive human man she'd met.

Once Alistair and Wynne were done treating her—and Aurora had managed to treat a wound on Alistair's side he'd almost been able to get away with hiding—they put all their supplies away and made their way to the center room, whose door was at the way end of the hallway. Alistair insisted on being the first one through, Aurora at his back as the door swung open and she was met with the most pungent smell she'd been faced with yet—and that was saying a lot, considering she was from an Alienage.

She didn't get much time to register more, as Alistair suddenly lunged forward and knocked something to the ground before backing away, trying to get them all out of the doorway and back into the hall. Aurora collided with Sten, who growled—probably likely to see over Alistair's head and see why he was trying to get them out of the doorway—and picked her up, swinging her around and depositing her back down on the ground in the hallway. Morrigan and Wynne quickly got the idea, and Alaron paced anxiously at Aurora's side a few times as Alistair practically flew back into the hall...

And Aurora's stomach dropped away to see several walking corpses, an abnormally large abomination, and two spirit things that seemed more smoke than matter following after him.

Alaron snarled and jumped on one of the walking corpses that was headed towards Alistair, knocking it to the ground and ripping its throat out while Alistair caught the abomination's descending, clawed hand on his shield, swiping at the creature with his sword. Sten literally picked up on of the corpses charging Alistair and swung it into the others, knocking them over and allowing Morrigan to quickly engulf the entire group in flames without much effort. Morrigan and Wynne were handling the spirit creatures, and Aurora left them to that since she didn't think her sword would be much use against something that wasn't solid. She and Sten joined Alistair in fighting the large abomination, Aurora dancing around the two warriors and dealing damage here and there while they bashed and hacked away at the fleshy creature. Morrigan let out a triumphant cry, which told Aurora they were down to one spirit creature, which should be disposed of soon with both Morrigan and Wynne's combined efforts. The thought had barely crossed her mind when Sten got his opening and ran the abomination through with a bellow, the fleshy thing slumping to the ground as Sten pulled his sword out of it.

"Well that was pleasant, though I don't think I like the smell of that room," Aurora quipped.

"You won't like the look of it either," Alistair commented, seeming a little sick to the stomach at the thought of the center room. Aurora grimaced, jumping over the body of the abomination to lead the way into the central room. At first, she didn't see anything, but at the center of the room started a pink...fleshy...bloody...rotten meat mass that bubbled across the floors and wall like an infection, oozing and sucking noises as it seemed to breathe with sickly, unnatural life. It looked like it was made from...from people.

Aurora leaned against one of the short pillars that was her height in reality. "Oh...I'm going to be sick."

She'd hardly got the statement out before she leaned over behind the pillar into the statues so that they couldn't see her stomach empty itself all over the stone floor.

"That is disgusting," Morrigan said in equal distaste, which made Aurora feel better about her reaction. It sounded like Leliana was retching too.

Aurora straightened at last after wiping her mouth, barely keeping control of her stomach when she turned eyes on the mass again. Alistair looked green himself, and even Sten looked disturbed by the sight. She looked at the table beside her, noting that it was a mess hall table, long and still scattered with eating utensils, food...

Oh...well...that looks interesting...

Aurora picked up a small, flat, perfectly smooth stone with a softly glowing golden rune carved into its surface. She was admiring how beautiful it looked, a brief distraction from the horror around her, when a few other thoughts crossed her mind.

The occult statuette that had caught Alistair's eye, and the small runic token he carried around and would start rubbing his thumb over whenever he was lost in thought.

She glanced back at him to see that he still looked rather uneasy and resolved to give it to him another time, when he didn't look like he was liable to vomit with the rest of them. She tucked it in a safe place, on a pouch on her belt, resolving to give it to him once they were out of this Maker forsaken room.

"Let's just get out of here. Now?" she pled, hoping that the next floor wouldn't have this...substance. The others didn't complain, almost racing her to the stairs themselves.

Unfortunately, it seemed the substance was an encroaching infection, as it smattered the walls along the next floor as well. Aurora forced herself to try and ignore it, and started breathing through her mouth to help with the smell.

"Anders was right, it just seems to get worse the higher up we go," Alistair commented.

"That it does," she muttered bitterly. They were standing side by side, and while Alistair still looked distastefully at their surroundings, he didn't look like he had downstairs, ready to retch. Drawing a step closer—an action that immediately caught his attention, considering her thing with space and touching—Aurora fished the runestone out of its cozy pouch, offering it to him with a slight blush. "I, ah...found this and thought...well, it looked like something you might be interested in, 'cause I know you've got that runic token and you were eyeing that occult statuette in Lothering, and I just thought...well, I already said what I thought," she finished with a blush. Maker, she'd butchered that. She wanted to disappear into the floor.

"That's for me? Really?" Aurora looked up at the tone of his voice to see Alistair practically beaming at her, eyes twinkling as he gently took the proffered runestone from her, thumb running along its smooth surface. "I could get used to this, you know," he said with a wink, only making her blush worse. She should have just kept her gaze on her feet.

"You're welcome," she murmured, scratching nervously at her ear. Damn, her tick! She only hoped he hadn't figured it out yet...

Alistair pocketed the runestone, still smiling as the group peeked their head into the two rooms that were immediately accessible. One blood mage, one desire demon, and a handful of controlled Templars later, they were warily pushing open the door to the central chamber, all of them agreeing that now they had gotten rid of the threat in the two rooms...it was far, far too quiet.

Aurora nearly froze in the door at the sight of the fleshy, large creature before her, unable to shake the fact that it looked so much like an abomination, but it felt wrong, and very clearly wasn't.

The thing turned and looked at them as they entered cautiously and started drawing their weapons. "Oh look, visitors. I'd entertain you, but...too much effort involved," the creature said in an indifferent, deep voice that echoed around the room. He was standing over the body of some poor mage, who Aurora was pretty sure was dead.

"Good—that will make you that much easier to kill," she said in a hard tone of voice.

"But why? Aren't you tired of all the violence in this world? I know I am...wouldn't you like to just lay down and forget about all this? Leave it all behind..."

In her mind, his words were pointless—she didn't care if there was a part of her that wanted to escape, to disappear into a life where she didn't have to worry about the state of the mages, Redcliffe, Dalish, dwarves, Wardens, the country in general, a life where she could live peaceably, with no fear or worry ever again.

Wait...she'd never entertained that thought that far before...and why did her body suddenly feel so heavy, lagging...

Alistair's voice pierced towards her from a fog she hadn't realized was washing over her. "Can't keep...eyes open...someone...pinch...me..."

She heard something fall to the ground with a thud, and she would almost bet it was Alistair.

"Resist!" Wynne said desperately, but her voice was distant, fading. "You must resist, else we are all lost..."

"Why do you fight?" the creature purred. "You deserve more...you deserve a rest. The world will go on without you..."

She was gone long before the creature finished, disappearing into a blanket of dark nothingness before she lost all sense of self.