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Blood Promise	By : Hikari86 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4556 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Bioware owns everything Dragon Age. I claim no ownership and make no money/profit.

Chapter List
- 31
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- 33
Deception

Jordan screamed, unable to do anything as the dragonling flung itself at her. Suddenly it was punched in midair, slamming its head against the wall and detaching from its body. An arrow bolt stuck out from its neck where it had severed the spine, keeping the head pinned to the wall. Jordan scooted herself backwards, away from the body and the other approaching dragonlings. Another bolt then landed in the side of one of the creatures. It cried then fell, its siblings walking over it to still try and get to Jordan.
“Hawke, hang on! I'm coming!” Varric rammed himself and Bianca into a second dragonling's side. The blade from the crossbow's front slicing in and spilling out the dragonling's guts. He smacked a second one in the face, quickly loading the crossbow and shooting it point blank in the jaw. The dragonling's head went flying back, exploding on impact. The last dragonling snarled and sent out a puff of smoke. It then leaped, jaws wide open. Varric thrusted Bianca forward, her blade sinking deep into the dragonling's chest. The creature shrieked, but not before digging its teeth into Varric's shoulder. Varric grunted, then shot a bolt from Bianca, dislodging the dragonling and splitting it in two.
“Varric?” Jordan squeaked as she stared at him.
“Hawke! Are you--” Varric grimaced when he saw the bone sticking out of her arm. “Maker, that's not good.”
“I've had worse,” Jordan said, attempting to lighten the situation.
Varric saw right through her statement as she shuttered from the pain. “Somehow I doubt that, but... Just try and keep your arm off the ground. I don't really have anything to wrap it with, if I even should.”
“Just... go and help them.” She gestured to Anders and Fenris who were still fighting the mother dragon. She roared and blasted a fireball at Anders. He dived out of the way, firing a frozen stone at the dragon when he regained his feet. The stone crashed into her wing, breaking it in several places. Fenris then ran forth, taking the opportunity as the dragon roared from the loss of her wing. He struck his sword across her chest, blocking her claw before jamming his sword through her scales, all the way down to the hilt. The dragon bellowed as she fell forward.
“I don't think they need my help,” said Varric as he replaced Bianca on his back. He then grimaced from the pain in his shoulder.
“Jordan!” As soon as the dragon was dead, Anders ran over to her and fell to his knees. His jaw dropped when he saw her arm. “Maker...”
“I'm sure you've seen worse,” Jordan forced, fighting through the pain.
“That doesn't mean I want to see it on you.” He gently put his hands over the protruding bone, scanning the damage. Jordan hissed even though he didn't touch her. The pain was so intense even the slightest movement sent burning streaks of fire throughout her body.
“How is she?” Fenris asked as he joined them.
“Not good, no thanks to you,” Anders said heated.
“You're blaming this on me?” Fenris became defensive.
Anders turned on him. “If you hadn't've tossed Jordan like a rag doll, then she wouldn't have ended up with an open fracture!”
“I did what I had to!” Fenris growled. “If I hadn't've thrown her, then she would be dead right now!”
“She might as well be dead, especially if her arm gets infected!”
“Isn't that your job to keep that from happening?”
Anders scowled at Fenris, looking as if he was about ready to jump on him.
“Stop it, you two!” Jordan yelled. She forced her back against the wall, shaking from the pain. “Please don't start fighting right now. Anders, Fenris is right. If he hadn't've done what he did, then I would be dead. I was careless and got distracted by the dragonlings, forgetting there was still a mother to deal with. So please... just take care of this and forget about who's fault it might have been.”
Anders's face softened, seeing Jordan in her discomfort. “Alright,” he nodded. “Now let me see what I can do.” He went back to examining her arm, careful not to touch it. He then started digging around in his satchel, pulling out a poultice and a few clean bandages. He laid them on the ground next to him, then went about numbing Jordan's arm. “I'm not going to be able to numb it all the way,” he said to her.
“You're low on mana, aren't you?” Jordan breathed.
“Fighting an emissary, then a dragon...” He frowned at her. “It took more out of me than I would have liked.”
“So... what needs to be done?” Jordan asked scared.
Anders put his hands in his lap. “I need to reset the bone before I can start healing it.”
Jordan closed her eyes and placed her head against the wall. “Do it quick.”
“I will. Here, bite down on this.” He placed in her mouth a leather bit, which Jordan took greedily between her teeth. “Varric, I might need your help holding her down.”
“I'll do what I can.” Varric placed his hands on Jordan's shoulders, keeping her pinned to the wall.
“Jordan, this is going to hurt,” Anders said as he gently took her arm and pulled it away from her body. He straightened it the best he could. Jordan hissed and already began to move from Anders's touch, despite the slight numbing spell he had placed.
“You seriously can't numb her all the way?” Fenris asked.
“If I could, then I would,” Anders said, keeping his eyes fixed on Jordan's arm. “Don't think I'm doing this because I want to torture her. Now...” He focused on Jordan's face, seeing her eyes already squeezed tight with tears leaking out and her teeth digging into the bit. “Jordan, I'm going to set it on the count of three. Are you ready?”
She nodded, a scared moan coming from her throat.
“Alright. One...”
“Just do it!” she screamed past the bit.
“Three!” Anders pushed on the bone, forcing it back under the skin, then with a quick twist, made sure it was back in place. Jordan's scream was loud, even with the bit in her mouth. Varric kept her against the wall, while her feet kicked and her other hand punched the ground. “Okay, it's done,” Anders said as he immediately began smearing a poultice on the wound. He then hovered his hands over and the blue aura of his magic glowed from his palms as the healing spell began to take affect.
Jordan spit out the bit and took in huge gulps of air as the pain began to diminish. Varric let go of her shoulders and backed away to give Anders space. He absently rubbed his own injured one.
“Don't strain yourself, Anders,” Jordan said as she saw Varric. “You have another who may need attending to.”
“I'll be fine, Hawke,” Varric stated. “You're the one I'm worried about.”
“Hm?” Anders looked up from his work at the dwarf. “Varric, your shoulder is bleeding.”
“One of the dragonlings bit me. No big deal.”
“Except it is down here.” Anders sighed, already looking pale and exhausted. “It's not completely healed, but you should be able to at least use your arm,” he said to Jordan. Before standing to go and look at Varric, he wrapped her arm in a bandage. As he stood, Anders then noticed Fenris who had been right behind him the whole time. He saw something upon the elf he hadn't noticed until now. “Do you realize your own arm is bleeding profusely?” Anders pointed to Fenris's upper right arm where there was a gash. The red of his blood colored his skin, but it didn't seem to stain the markings. They shined clean even through the red.
Fenris looked at his arm. “I can take care of this. You look after Varric.”
“Hang on, let me at least close it for you--”
“Don't touch me, mage!” Fenris yelled, backing away from Anders who was reaching out for him. “Don't you dare touch me with your foul magic!”
“Don't be unreasonable.” Anders took a step toward him.
“If you touch me,” Fenris threatened. “Then I'll make sure you can never perform magic again.” The markings on his skin then began to glow, and Jordan knew she needed to do something and quick.
“No, no,” Jordan said as she pushed herself from the wall. “Stop! If he doesn't want to be healed, then don't heal him, Anders.”
Anders stopped his approached. “Fine. But don't say I didn't try,” he said, turning on Jordan. He then went past her and over to Varric.
Fenris relaxed his stance, his markings going back to their original shine. He turned away and began to walk toward the dragon corpse.
“Fenris?” Jordan said timid.
“I don't need anything,” he spoke.
“Except I think you do. Maybe I could... take a look?” She approached him slowly, going around to his front. When she looked into his eyes, Jordan noticed they weren't angry, but sad. “I do know a thing or two about healing, and you really should have your arm looked at.”
Fenris took his eyes from hers and stared at the blood running down his arm. “I guess... if you must.” He stretched it out to her.
“Thank you.” Jordan went about digging through her pack. “I believe Bethany gave me a few things. Ah, here we go.” She pulled out several stripes of red cloth. Taking one, she poured some water from her canteen and began using the wet cloth to clean the blood from Fenris's arm. The wound appeared to be less than Jordan had originally thought. It was merely a small gash, located between his spiky armor plates. “Does it hurt?” she asked.
“Nothing really hurts,” he said softly. “Or at least not... physically.”
Jordan gazed at the wound, her eyes then tracing the white markings that ran by it. Her finger absently began to trace down the strange tattoo.
“Don't,” Fenris hissed, pulling his arm away from her.
“I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“No, it's... I just don't like being touched. The feeling is... unsettling.”
“Oh.” Jordan let down her hands. “That's usually not something someone says about being touched by another person. But I guess I can understand. Maybe.”
“It's not you.” Fenris looked away from her.
Jordan nodded. Maybe she didn't fully understand, but she knew enough. “Can I wrap this around you at least?” She held up the remaining red cloth.
He looked back at it. “What is that exactly?”
“This? I think it's one of my old shirts.” She smiled at him. “Bethany doesn't like to waste anything. A lot of times she'd take mine and Carver's old clothes that we either outgrew or wore out and tore them into stripes to make bandages. Hm. I think this might have actually been one of my shirts from Lothering.” Taking the stripe of cloth, she then wrapped it around Fenris's arm, careful to not touch any of his markings. She tied it over the wound, making sure it was completely covered. “Better?”
“Much.” Fenris half smiled at her.
“Good.” For a moment they stared at each other, a smile on both their faces.
“I'm... sorry for what I did,” he said as his gaze went to her own arm. “For... that.”
“It's all right,” Jordan spoke. “You did what needed to be done. I don't blame you for it.”
“Is everything all right over here?” Anders asked as he came behind Jordan. When Jordan turned to look at him, she saw him frown at the red cloth wrapped around Fenris's arm.
“Yeah, everything's good. Is Varric okay?”
“I'm good, Hawke,” Varric said as he shrugged back on his coat.
“Wait a sec... Were you bare-chested, Varric?”
“I took off my coat if that's what you mean.”
“Damn! And I missed it!” Jordan heaved. “To think I almost had the chance to see your chest in all its glory!”
Varric laughed at her. “Maybe next time I need Blondie to heal my hurt shoulder, I'll make sure you're there to see me with my shirt off.”
“Yes, and I know a certain pirate who's going to be jealous!”
“Then I'll make sure to wait until we're back in Kirkwall to get hurt again. Just so Rivaini doesn't feel left out.” They both had a laugh at this. “So, with the dragon dead and the darkspawn cleared, should we go and let Bartrand know now? I'm sure he's already carved a groove in the ground waiting for us.”
“Yes, let's get out of here before another dragon decides to fall upon us. Or something just as ominous.”
***
It was the next day, or sometime around the next twenty-four hours, Jordan couldn't be for sure. She was still having trouble telling time in the depths. And her lack of sleep wasn't helping much, either.
Bartrand had been relieved when they returned to tell him they had found a way around the blockage. Immediately afterwards, he ordered the workers to load everything up and to head out. When they passed the body of the dead dragon, many of the workers were impressed. Some even stopped to cut the dragon carcass in pieces, taking it along with them. Once they were past the blockage, and down further in the tunnels, Bartrand had them stop again for the “night.” The workers who had taken the dragon carcass then began striping the bones, knowing how valuable they would be once the expedition returned to the surface. It wasn't until the camp woke did they move out again, and finally arrive at the destination Bartrand had been leading them to.
It was a thaig, but none the likes any of the dwarves had ever seen. There were red structures growing out from the ground around the whole thaig. Jordan had thought when she first saw them they were some type of plant, but when she touched one, she found it was actually made out of some kind of crystal.
“This doesn't make any sense,” Bartrand mumbled beside her. They were examining the thaig, right after settling on the outskirts.
“Is this not what you were expecting?” Jordan asked him.
“In truth, no. I thought... an abandoned thaig, something old, but... what is this?”
“It looks like a dwarven thaig to me.”
“Well it's not! These dwarves, the ones that used to live here, they might have been different. There's no statues of Paragons, just this red crap. And I don't recognize any of the markings on the walls or anything in the rubble.”
“I'm sure there's still something valuable around here.”
“Hmm. Possibly,” Bartrand considered. “These dwarves might have been unique. If so, I hope they kept their valuables close at hand. Why don't you and Varric go ahead and search around. Tell me if you find anything.”
“Sure. I'll just go collect my friends and we'll go look around the creepy dwarven thaig.” Jordan went in the direction of the camp, flexing her arm which had been slightly stiff since being broken. When they had camped last, Anders had went ahead and completely healed it, but she still felt it acting up from time to time. She was grateful, however, that it was her left arm, which wasn't her dominant one. Her blade, Ripper, though, was a different story.
Before completely going back to Bartrand, Jordan had forced everyone to stop and look for her daggers. Edge was her main concern, but when Varric presented Ripper to her in two pieces, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Jordan was more used to fighting with two daggers, and even though she could fight with one, she preferred the set. Having just Edge on her back—which they found still intact—made her feel unbalanced. She had asked Bodahn if he had any daggers she might be able to use, but none of the ones he presented to her were worth anything. Jordan would just have to do without until she could find a blade suitable enough.
Bodahn had also thanked her profusely for finding Sandal and bringing him back unharmed. He vowed to her he would do whatever he could to pay her back, no matter what. Jordan told him that was unnecessary, that seeing Sandal was okay was good enough. Even after he bowed and thanked her once more, she knew he was probably still thinking of something. Jordan just hoped it wouldn't be something over the top.
When Jordan finally found Varric, Anders, and Fenris, she explained to them what Bartrand had said to her and decided that exploring the thaig would be better than sitting around. They all seemed to agree.
“This is a strange place,” said Anders as he looked around. “It's almost as if there's... magic in those red crystals.”
“That doesn't make any sense,” said Fenris. “How can there be magic down here that isn't lyrium? Dwarves can't use magic.”
“I know that,” Anders said, narrowing his eyes at the elf. “I'm just pointing out what I feel.”
“Yes, so let's take a look around and see what we can find, shall we?” Jordan said, defusing the tension before it could escalate. She then began walking down one of the smaller tunnels, going down a steep flight of steps that were broken from age.
“I think I have a perfect name for you, Hawke,” said Varric as he walked beside her.
“You mean 'Jordan' isn't good enough anymore?”
“It's decent and all, but when I tell this story back at the Hanged Man, my listeners are gonna want something with some kick. And after watching you fight not only down here, but also on the surface, I think I finally came up with the perfect one.”
“Don't leave us in suspense now.”
Varric raised both his hands. “'Hawke, the lightning strike!'” He smiled over at her. “The fastest rogue you'll never see coming. She strikes hard, fast, and accurate. Just like lightning.”
“Lightning really isn't that accurate,” said Anders.
“That's beside the point,” Varric waved off. “It's more to explain how fast and deadly Hawke is, and why messing with her is suicide.”
“Oh, Varric, you flatter me,” Jordan teased. “Unfortunately, now, I only have half a strike. Considering Ripper was snapped in two.”
“And we will find you a new one to replace it,” Fenris put in. He had looked hurt when Varric had shown Jordan her dagger. The blade part having been broken cleanly through, and with no blacksmiths down in the Deep Roads, there was no way of getting it fixed. Jordan could tell he felt bad about what happened. Not only did he break her arm, but he also broke her blade. But it wasn't something she would have wanted him to take back. He did what he needed to save her life.
As they came into a new area of the thaig, they stopped to look around, seeing more of the strange red structures and bizarre carvings. Nothing appeared to be valuable as they rummaged through the rubble lining the walls.
“Your brother better be right about this place,” Jordan said as she kicked aside a stone. “Because so far we've found squat.”
“Trust me,” said Varric. “Bartrand knows what he's doing. He wouldn't have dragged us all down here for nothing. Apparently he got some good leads from scavengers. Said they found this place and that it was packed full of treasures.”
Jordan kicked another stone. “It seems they've already picked it clean.”
“I doubt that. Like I said, Bartrand doesn't usually go for something this strongly unless he's got a reason to.”
“You know, Varric, I've noticed Bartrand seems to be more enthralled about being down here than you do.”
“Of course,” Varric said as he stared up at a particularly large red crystal that stretched all the way to the ceiling. “Unlike him, I wasn't born in Orzammar. I wouldn't even be down here if there wasn't profit in it. This entire place gives me the chills.”
“I'm with you on that.”
“Hey, I think I found something!” Anders waved to them, bringing everyone to where he was.
“What did you find, Blondie?” Varric asked.
“Something.” Anders lead them to a large stone door.
“You found a door?” Fenris said, cocking an eyebrow.
“Not the door itself,” Anders heaved, sensing Fenris's sarcasm. “But what might be behind it.”
“Well, let's open it and took a look.” Jordan pushed on the stone door, finding it hard to open. When the others pushed with her, the stone began to move slowly, scrapping the ground with a loud moan. They opened it just enough to allow them to squeeze through. Jordan went first, and once she entered the room, what she saw amazed her.
It was some type of temple, a place where a deity might have been worshiped. In the middle was a stairway that lead up to a dais. Pillars stood in the four corners, colorful and decorative carvings lined along them as well as all over the walls. They appeared to be pictures indicating some type of ritual, one that appeared to involve the red crystals. Jordan stared around fascinated at the room, the others just as much. Her eyes scanned the room before they focused on the altar on the dais where she saw something glowing. Slowly she made her way up the steps, her eyes only fixed on the altar. When she was high enough, the glowing object atop it came into focus. It was an idol, blue in color with a hint of red in the center. It appeared to be carved in the shape of a woman, her face in agony, body shriveled as it was wrapped in a strange vine that grew like roots from the idol's base. Jordan was astounded by it, feeling a strange yet familiar pulse radiating from its glow.
“Do you see that?” Varric spoke softly, coming up behind her.
“Yeah... Is that... lyrium?”
“If it is, I've never seen lyrium like that before. Maybe it's pure?”
“It's some type of magic,” said Anders. “And one I'm not really sure you could call 'pure.'”
“It sure is something, though,” said Jordan as she continued to get closer to it. There was something about the idol that was drawing her in. She could hear something softly whispering, beckoning her. She reached out her hand, feeling the magic from the idol as it flowed, wrapping around her hand.
“Be careful, Jordan,” Anders warned.
“I am.” When her fingers touched the smooth surface, a pulse went through her body, making her shiver. It was an odd feeling, magic powerful and corrupt, yet gentle and soothing. When Jordan's hand fully gripped the idol, she held it up, seeing the red core begin to pulse with a new intensity. The soft whisperings became more forceful, drawing her closer as she stared into the woman's tortured eyes.
“Hey! Did you find anything up there?”
Bartrand's voice pulled Jordan out of the trace. She shook her head to clear it, then noticed the idol was no longer glowing, and the whisperings had stopped.
“Yeah, I think we did,” said Varric, who blinked a few times. Jordan tossed him the idol, not really wanting to hold it anymore. “Take a look at this, Bartrand.” Varric went half-way down the steps before throwing it to his brother. “An idol made out of pure lyrium, I think. Might be worth a fortune.”
Catching the idol, Bartrand stared at it for a moment before whistling low. “You could be right,” he said. “Excellent find.”
“Not bad, so far,” Varric said as he rubbed his hands together. “Maybe we can find something else in here.”
“You do that,” Bartrand said as he began walking to the doorway. Jordan noticed he was acting suspicious. She watched him as he exited the temple as the others searched around. Once he disappeared, the door then began to close behind him.
“Hey, the door!” she shouted. She ran down the steps, the others soon noticing and following her. By the time they reached the bottom, the door was already completely closed.
“Bartrand!” Varric yelled. “The door shut behind you! Think you can open it?”
There was a soft laugh that came from the other side. “You always did notice everything, Varric. Well... almost everything.”
“What is he talking about?” said Jordan.
“I don't know,” Varric shrugged. “Bartrand, this isn't funny,” he said to the door. “Let us out!”
“Afraid not, Varric,” came Bartrand's voice. “This idol is too valuable.”
Varric stared at the door not believing what he was hearing. “Are you seriously going to screw over your own brother for a lousy idol?”
“Not just the idol! The location of this thaig alone is worth a fortune, and I'm not splitting that three ways. Sorry, Brother.” Bartrand began laughing again, the sound of it becoming distant.
Varric slammed his fists against the stone door. “Bartrand! Bartrand!” he yelled. There was no response on the other side.
“Fuck,” Jordan breathed as she stared at the door.
Varric fumed as he turned to the others. “I swear I will find that son of a bitch—sorry mother—and I will kill him!”
“We'll both kill him. I can't believe he thinks he can get away with this!”
“He was probably planning this from the start. Damn it! Why didn't I see this coming?”
“Because I'm sure if anyone could hide something from you, it would be your own brother,” said Fenris.
Varric grumbled under his breath.
Going closer to the door, Jordan began to analyze it, seeing if there was anyway to open it from their side. “Crap, doesn't look like we can open the bloody door from this side,” she said. “But maybe...” She looked over at Fenris. “Think you can phase right through and open it yourself?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?” he said, cocking an eyebrow at her.
“Yes I am. If you can phase your hand through people's chests, then I don't see why you can't phase your whole self through this door and open it.”
Fenris frowned at her. “For one, that's all I've ever done: phased my hand through flesh. I have no idea if I even can phase through stone, or for that matter, my entire body. And I would prefer not to test it now.”
“Then what are we suppose to do?” Jordan asked. “How are we going to get out of here?”
“We try the back entrance,” said Anders.
Jordan stared at him, just now realizing that he had left after Varric was done yelling at Bartrand. “There's another way out?”
“I noticed it when we were examining the idol. I've already taken a look and it appears to lead somewhere. Not sure if it's a way out, but it wouldn't hurt to investigate.”
“Alright, we'll do that,” Jordan nodded. “And if it doesn't lead us back out, then we'll come back here and see if you can use any spells to either open or break that door down.”
“I'm not so sure I'll be able to,” Anders said as he stared at the door. “It's dwarven made, so you know what that means.”
“Yeah, unfortunately,” Jordan frowned. “Alright, come on. Let's find our way out, one way or another. Because no matter what, we will get out of these Deep Roads, and Bartrand will pay for deceiving us.”
***
They found themselves to be in a large temple, one that appeared to go on for miles. It felt like a maze, each hallway they decided to go down would lead them to more, cross sections they would have to guess on which was the right one. Jordan wasn't even sure how they would get back if they did decide they wouldn't be able to find another exit.
Going through the temple also revealed more and more strange things about the dwarves who used to live there. They came across more statues and carvings, many depicting different dwarves—some even humans and elves—expressing states of agony as they were entangled in the strange red crystals. Jordan found them disturbing in a way as she tried to figure out what the temple was for and what exactly everything within meant.
After some time, they finally entered a room that told Jordan they hadn't been going around in circles. It was similar to the one where they found the idol, only there was no altar at the top of the dais. They had entered from the dais, and the stairs lead down from the sides. As Jordan stared at the hallway on the other side of the room, it looked to be more natural than dwarven-made, leading her to believe they were getting close to a way out.
As they went down the steps, something caught Jordan's eye. It was a flash, like that of light hitting a jewel. When she reached the bottom, she looked toward the wall of the dais, seeing a large ruby within, surrounded by pictures and symbols. Below the ruby was a chest, decorated with gold trimming and other precious stones. Jordan couldn't help herself but to go to it and investigate. “Wow, would you look at this?” she said to the others.
“Maybe this trip won't be for nothing,” said Varric. “Nice find. Think you can open it, Hawke?”
“It's locked, but I think I can pick it.” Jordan went to her knees and began trying to open it with her lock pick.
“I'm going to go ahead and see what's down this hallway,” said Anders.
“We'll be here,” Jordan waved.
Varric and Fenris settled themselves behind Jordan, waiting for her to open the chest as Anders went down the hallway to search for anything else.
The lock proved harder to pick than Jordan anticipated, but eventually she was able to open the chest. When she was finally able to peer inside, she was disappointed when all she found was emptiness. “Who locks an empty chest?” she heaved, sitting back.
“Someone who probably wanted to throw thieves off,” said Fenris. “Now are you done so we can move on?”
“Hmm.” Jordan stared up at the ruby in the wall. “That ruby is pretty big. Probably worth a lot. Wonder if I can dig it out without harming it.”
Fenris sighed. “I'm going to see if there's anything down that hallway as well. You have fun with that.”
“Alright, just please don't you and Anders kill each other. I'm going to need the both of you to get out of here.”
“I will not strike unless he does so first.”
Jordan turned her head to see Fenris go down the hall before looking back at the ruby. She produced her knife from her belt and went closer to the ruby, looking for the best place to pry it off. She reached for it, touching the ruby's surface with her fingertips. A spark shot through her, making her take her hand away. Jordan stared at her fingers as they tingled. She wasn't sure what that might have been. It hadn't felt like magic. She then heard a strange rustling sound behind her, like stones hitting stones. When she turned, Varric was still behind her, waiting, while behind him was a creature Jordan had never seen before. Her eyes widened in fear.
“What's wrong, Hawke?” Varric asked. “Can you get the ruby?”
“I-I... Varric,” Jordan swallowed. “What do golems look like?”
“Golems?” Varric eyed her. “Uh... well, from what I know, they look like statues that can walk. Some can even talk, from what others have told me. Why?”
“So they don't look like pieces of stone that have come and are held together by what look like an exposed nervous system?”
“No. What are you talking about?”
Jordan slowly pointed behind him.
Still unsure what she was completely talking about, Varric began to put the pieces together as he turned to look behind him. There he saw a creature, made from stones put together in the shape of a body, and in the middle, a glowing nervous system that held them all together. “Uh... no, that's not a golem.”
The creature then moved, swinging its arm and bringing it toward Varric. The dwarf jumped to the side, narrowly escaping the stone-hand from pummeling him into the ground. The creature made a grinding noise. Yellow eyes flashed as they fixed themselves on Jordan. Its other stone-hand then shot forward like a spring. Jordan tumbled out of the way as the fist slammed into the wall, breaking pieces off and showering her with dust. Jordan sprang to her feet, pulling out Edge but not exactly sure what she was going to do with it. This creature—whatever it was—was made of stone and something else. Its nervous system, what was holding it together, didn't feel like magic. To Jordan, it felt like whatever had shocked her when she touched the ruby.
Seeing its target had escaped, the creature turned on Jordan and made a sound as if it was growling. Pulling its stone-hand from the wall, it then went about to swing it at Jordan again, this time using both.
“Anders! Fenris!” Jordan screamed at the top of her lungs as she dodged the creature's blows.
A bolt clipped the creature's shoulder, distracting it for a moment to allow Jordan to get further away from it. It then turned on Varric, and making the same noise it had before, started advancing on him.
Jordan took the opportunity to look down the hallway, hoping to see Anders and Fenris running down to help her and Varric, but what she saw only made her heart stop. More of the stone creatures were making their way down the hall, running right for her. Seeing her, one raised its stone-hand where a red glow formed. The glow then projected out, barely missing Jordan as she deftly moved to avoid the projectile. It hit the wall, completely destroying the entire face, including the ruby.
“Hawke!” Varric yelled. Jordan moved away from the hall entrance and saw that Varric was making his way back up the steps, the stone creature chasing him. She couldn't really help him as she had to move fast when the other creatures entered the room and advanced on her. Some shot out more projectiles, while others swung their stone-hands around, springing them at her. Jordan flipped out of the way, narrowly avoiding each attempt. She tried to run up the other side of the dais, to join Varric at the top, but the creatures wouldn't let her move in that direction. Even though she was avoiding everything they threw at her, Jordan could tell they were cornering her, as she was getting very close to the side of the room. She tried to escape, but one of the creature's stone-hand blocked her way. Trapped, a second one raised its own hand and fired a projectile at her. With no where else to go, instinctively she lifted Edge in front of her. The projectile hit the blade and was absorbed into the steel. Jordan's hand went numb as she held tight to the hilt, feeling the same spark of energy as from the ruby. Edge glowed a bright red, the feeling in her hand intensifying before her blade finally settled, going back to its slight bluish hue.
Jordan breathed out, surprised she was still alive. Her hand began to get feeling back, just in time for her to use it to have Edge deflected a swinging stone-hand. She was backed into the wall, feeling the cold rock hit her back. She was surrounded now, but Jordan prepared herself, ready to fight as hard as she needed in order to get free.
“Jordan!”
Anders appeared behind the creatures. He lifted his staff and sent out a huge plume of icy wind. Many of the stone creatures around her froze in place once the wind hit them. The one closest to her was untouched. It growled then burst through its own kind, breaking a few of them to pieces as it went after Anders. Seeing it coming, Anders kept his staff raised. More ice was produced, hitting the creature and stopping it dead in its tracks. Fenris then appeared from the side, striking the creature with his greatsword and having it crumble to its individual stones.
Jordan pushed herself away from the wall, getting away from the remaining ones that were starting to free themselves from the ice. She ran to Anders and Fenris, then looked around for Varric, seeing he was coming to join them from the dais.
“What in the sodding Fade are those things?” Anders asked.
“I have no idea,” said Jordan. “They just suddenly appeared!”
“I think they're rock wraiths,” Varric said, panting. “But... they're only suppose to be legend!”
“Rock wraiths?” Jordan shook her head. “I've never heard of them.”
“They're dwarven legends,” Varric explained. “Dwarves so corrupt that even the Stone rejects them. They're doomed to walk the Deep Roads in an undying, half-life state. I've seen concept pictures of them in books, but I never thought they would be real.”
“What did you do, Hawke?” Fenris asked as he raised his sword in front of him as the wraiths before them began to move better.
“I didn't do anything!” Jordan heaved. “Don't start blaming this on me now! I only touched that damned ruby!”
“That's usually all it takes.” One of the wraiths broke completely free from its icy shackles and burst toward him. Fenris drove his blade toward the creature, striking stone and sending sparks in the air. Growling, the creature turned on him, swinging its arms out as it attacked.
“In the legends, is there any way to kill them?” Anders asked Varric.
“They didn't mention anything. But ice seems to do some good.”
“It doesn't kill them, it just slows them down. And once broken part, I highly doubt they'll be down for good.” A pile of stones that had been one of the rock wraiths Anders had previously taken out began to tremble. The stones moving and climbing one another as the glowing nerves started to form above them. The other wraiths finally broke free themselves and began to advance. Another wraith, the one that had been pursuing Varric, then jumped down from the dais beside them. Anders grabbed Jordan and flung her behind him as he released more ice, then hurtled a stone fist at the wraith. With the collision, the wraith collapsed. He then began going backwards, pushing Jordan with him. “We need to get out of here,” he said. “There's too many of them.”
“I agree,” Varric said as he backed up with him. “I don't think there's anything we can do.”
A wraith shrieked, like stones rubbing together, and ran forward. It shot a red projectile. Anders placed up a shield, but it passed right through, hitting him in the shoulder before he could move. He went down, grunting from the pain as his shoulder smoked.
“Anders!” Jordan screamed. The wraith was still running toward them, screeching as it went. Varric released a bolt from Bianca, but it did nothing. Jordan then gripped Edge, and before the wraith could reach her, she flung her blade. Edge flew for a short time before hitting the wraith in the middle, right where its glowing nerves were. There was a bright flash, the nerves and Edge turning red. The wraith froze and screamed, its stones falling off one by one before there were none left. The nerves then exploded outward, leaving nothing but a pile of stones on the ground. Edge fell amongst them. The other wraiths stopped their pursuit, including the one that was fighting Fenris. Jordan and the others then looked on as something then began to form in front of them. Another set of glowing nerves with different stones from around the area attaching to it. Once the rock wraith was fully formed in front of them, its eyes glowed darkly.
“Enough,” it spoke, voice low and gravelly. “You have proven your mettle. I would not see these creatures harmed without need.”
“What?” Jordan breathed, not sure how to react to the talking rock wraith. “Without need? I'd say being attacked by them is need enough!”
The creature's dark eyes fixed on her. “They will not assault you further, not without my permission. They only... hunger. That is their need. The profane have lingered in this place for ages beyond memory, feeding on the magic stones until the need is all they know.”
“The magic stones? Do you mean lyrium? Or those red crystals?”
“There is more to this world than what you know.”
Jordan swallowed. “What exactly are you?”
“They are the profane. I am not as they are. I am... a visitor.”

Paraphrasing from Dragon Age 2
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Blood Promise