Chapitre 1325: 5
A Gaming Afterlife - Chapter 5 - Hebisama
Chapter 5: DA Conquest
Notes:
AN: For those that are not overly familiar with Dragon Age a bit of a cheat-sheet to avoid confusion: Fen'harel and Mythal are two really sneaky elven gods, the only ones up and about from their ancient pantheon. Fen'harel is roaming about as Solas, a pretentious elven hermit. Mythal is a bit more complicated as she only has her soul free and has to possess somebody. She made a deal with Flemeth, long story, but their two souls are basically one now and they in turn possess new bodies once their current one is not suitable enough. SO. The names Fen'harel and Solas are interchangeable, as are Mythal and Flemeth.
Naturally both are incognito so shhhh, don't tell the natives.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
"You seen unusually happy, my lady," Margit remarked beside me, "Any specific reason for it?"
"You mean beside the fact we are finally moving down to Ferelden?" I hum chipperly.
"Yes"
"And beside the fact that I am once again at the head of my army instead of playing politician?"
"Yes"
"And beside the fact that I'll be getting a shitload of Stats from my new Class?" I hum again, even more cheerfully. No joke, Sky-Chosen was the special Class I unlocked and boy, was it special. Normal Classes gave max 3 Stat points, but this one gave a total of five! Every level! Yep, +2 CHA, +1 INT, +1 VIT and +1 LCK! The last one was a novelty too, Engineer and Enchanter gave Luck too but just 0,1 – and this one gives a whole point! System called this the messiatic class, I call this the golden goose.
"That was two days ago already"
"I can be still stoked about it," I shrug, "I am still stoked about my gacha pull and that was even before that."
Margit watches me caress the Sword of the Creator I have at my hip and sighs. I love my new toy, if Thedas had showers, I would shower with it on. The Sword of the Creator, the protagonist's sword from the last Fire Emblem game I played, Three Houses. Sure, it doesn't have the crest stone ergo reached its maximum potential, but it is still an awesomely powerful whip-sword. No sword is cooler that a whip-sword.
Since the handling is really different I got a new Skill using it, [Whip-Sword Proficiency]. And thanks to my [Intuitive] Perk I got for reaching INT 500, it even started at level 10. Can't wait to use it on the darkspawn.
That said, I still have the unnamed valyrian sword in my Inventory. I intended to use that since it gives a big damage bonus against the undead but the Sword of the Creator is way cooler, you can do AoE with it and is really unique and eye-catching. Besides, the darkspawn are easy, I don't really need that bonus. My Title is more than enough for that.
Not that I intend to forsake my light, I just want to tone it down a little now that I don't need it to show it off that much. The Chantry will probably label me possessed anyway, but I want to show my human side a bit more to appeal to the peasants. The Avvar tribes are all well and good but I need more people. I'm pretty sure I can convince the Chasind to join up with me but that is still not enough people to conquer all of Ferelden. I need some 'normal' people, putting air quotes on normal since I'm pretty sure I can lean on most mages, not being Chantry and all, and city elves. The Dalish will need to be broken in first.
Hey, I would love them to retain their identity and all but I'm not letting Solas get his grubby hands on them. Hypocrite and slaver king he is. But I want my people united and the Dalish would want to stand too far apart. I will be definitely appealing to their young, converting a whole people is not a few hours' work, it can take a generation or two…
I mean I guess I could reference an existing figure of their pantheon like I did with the Avvar but I don't really want to. Mostly because of Solas and Flemeth, elven gods Fen'Harel and Mythal respectively. But I guess I could pass for Andruil, the elven Goddess of the Hunt. Even better would be Falon'Din, the elven God of Death and Fortune that guides the dead to the Beyond – with me liberating the darkspawn land and all. But he is regrettably male and the elves are pretty rigid about that…
Nah, I'm sticking to Sky-Chosen. It is black on white in my Profile after all. Let them draw their own conclusions. I'll be still kicking the Chantry's ass, that should be enough for many of them.
"It is an impressive weapon" Margit's voice made me refocus back to reality. I really should be spending more time here, all these plans are some time away, right now it is all about my Avvar and getting the Chasind on my side. And avoiding catching too much of Flemeth's attention. I'm pretty sure I can't take her – right now I'm fairly certain I could take real All Might from the BokuHero universe in a fair-ish fight, but not a god. Looking back I probably could've taken All Might even then but it would have to be by ambush. But that wasn't worth it, you take him on because of the publicity or because he is in your way. And I wasn't interested.
And I've done it again. Reality! Present time!
"It is" I reply to my servant, "And I still have way to go mastering it. It will be even more impressive then."
"Can you enchant it?"
"No, only normal weapons," I shake my head, "But this one doesn't really need it. It will be forever sharp and in good condition, the bone cracks are not a glitch but a feature. And its damage output is really impressive without any boosting, elemental or otherwise. And I like how it channels magic, with that I can make situational decisions."
"I didn't any take notice of any magic channeling when you took it to the dungeon" Margit hummed pensively.
I grin "Which is a bonus."
"Indeed. But I still doubt the sword is the reason for your unusual happiness"
"Hey, I am a happy person"
Cue a skeptical look. Rude.
"I am" I petulantly insist.
Despite her mask covering her entire face, I was sure she was smirking, "I think happy people are happy just because, not because they are about to ruin someone's day."
"You were special forces, you practically exist to ruin someone's day"
"And I don't claim to be happy person" the red-head replies smartly.
"How could someone who is not a happy person name her new hart mount 'Elky'" I grin, patting the aforementioned mount. Avvar don't do horses, they have harts. I used them in DA Inquisition too, my favorites. The antlers are pretty awesome and the do better in the cold weather of the mountains, not to mention the uneven terrain.
Margit whines like a wounded animal.
I grin even wider at that – that was the reason I was so happy. Each time I mentioned Elky, she breaks her professional façade. This whine is the best reaction so far though, but the cringing and grimacing was hilarious too. I wonder why though, she never had a problem with Wolfy.
Elky's awesome name aside, thanks to him and his herd we are making good time descending the Frostbacks. Especially with all our carts – moving entire holds is no easy task. Me and Margit were one of the few that used their hart for riding. I offered to help with that but was politely but resolutely turned away. But I guess I was better use scouting and fighting than carrying stuff.
Our first destination was Elmridge, the biggest city of Western Hill Arling. The entire area was hit by the darkspawn hard, and the city was empty of anything living and filthy of the Taint. It needs to be cleansed, in all possible senses of the word. From there I plan on taking the castle that isn't far from the city – Highdun. My summons showed me that the castle is pretty much the only place that survived the attack so I expect some human resistance there. We'll see how that goes, I want converts, not too many corpses. I hope to swing that in some way but the Arl and his closest have to go. I need loyalty, not entitled nobles.
From here I am planning to expand onto the entire Arling. It isn't all that big and the darkspawn did most of my work for me anyway. Once the Arling is secure and warded, I will move further east through the Fallowmire area and towards Ostagar. That said, during this journey I foresee most of the contact with the Chasind so that will slow my march down.
At least that is my plan, we'll see if it survives contact with the enemy.
I turn in my saddle to see the convoy behind me. Hm, I estimate we could be in Ferelden nice and proper in four days, barring any trouble. So far there was none, not even darkspawn… Though I expect that to change the closer we get to the lowlands.
We'll need to clean up the immediate arrival area, set up a camp, hunt for food while hoping the darkspawn didn't cause the animals to flee too far, we'll need…
"My lady?" Margit interrupted me again, "Are you well?"
I sigh "Just thinking ahead. It kinda hit me that it isn't just me anymore, I have to take care of the tribes now. It's not just me, you, Wolfy and an infinite Inventory, we need infrastructure. We need plans and strategies. Sofia smash is not enough in this case, though I could get pretty far."
+15 affection with Margit, for taking this seriously
Oh, nice! A few points more and I'll have her at hundred.
"I'm sorry" Margit bowed to me in her saddle.
"What for?" I ask in surprise.
"You were so happy before but now you are all worried. I should've let you be" the soldier sags minutely, it wouldn't do to lose her composure but I know her well enough to see it.
I chuckle "It was a mere teasing question, something I always welcome. I am glad you have loosened up a bit around me. Never hesitate in talking to me. Especially if you think I'm doing something wrong, constructive criticism is appreciated."
Margit falls silent for a while but then she surprises me "In that case, Elky's name sucks."
Elky whinnies under me and snarls in her direction. I love him.
"Seems Elky disagrees with you" I grin.
"You must've already indoctrinated him somehow" Margit grumbles.
My laughter can definitely be heard over the whole caravan.
My summoned eagle circles the city, me riding alongside its brain to see the situation. It is as expected but nothing to be joyous about. The darkspawn have taken over Elmridge completely, not a living soul resides in it now. Rooting them all out will be a pain since this is urban warfare of a sort and we will need to be really careful.
Withdrawing from my summon I address my 'officers' – nothing official but those people usually stuck around me when during campaign and the other warriors listened to them. I will definitely formalize the army's structure soon but I think we need things to settle a little after coming down in such force.
"The darkspawn on the field should be no problem, the city will take time though," I say to the little assembly, "We will need to form small teams, advance carefully and thoroughly."
"Can't we just burn the city?" Rila, the steely matron that gave me my first paints, spoke up.
There was a murmur of agreement, one other speaking up as well "It's not like there is anything of too much value there and nobody would want to settle there anyway."
"I see" I hum, "I thought about it too but then I don't want anybody to really know we have taken the city and the pillar of smoke would be quite telling."
"We are far enough from the border of Redcliffe Arling" Margit assessed, "And they should assume it's just the darkspawn, they won't come running."
"We can crush the lowlanders" one other said, somehow even managing to sound respectful.
I look at him and shake my head "Not a priority at the moment. Redcliffe is the only Arling that still has its entire army intact since they had not marched to the slaughter at Ostagar. Besides, I want them to fight against Loghain Mac Tyr, Ferelden's regent. Civil war is imminent and it would be a shame if we interfered."
Everybody chuckled at that. Rila nodded along but guided the discussion back "What about the city?"
Thinking on it for a moment I nod "Agreed, we burn it then. First we take the ones in the fields and then we circle the city and set it on fire, any darkspawn that comes running out of it we put down. You burn it from the edges, I'll fly over the center. We will still need to be careful, there are a great number of them hiding among the buildings."
"Perhaps we can bait some more darkspawn out" Kandert, one of the most level headed warriors in my company, proposed, "So that we aren't overwhelmed when we start the fire."
"No need, they'll attack us when we approach close enough to burn the first building" another officer countered.
"Most likely" I nod, "Rila, you take a third of our warriors and take position towards the left, Kandert will take the right. Ferl, you take the remaining warriors and the center."
"I am honored" Ferl brought his fist to his heart
"Once the darkspawn in sight are dealt with, take positions around the city and burn as you go. I'll fly over and take the other side of the city as well as the center" I outlined the plan.
Everybody nodded and out little circle dispersed. Once they were out of earshot Margit spoke up "Burning the city is a lot better than be bogged down in it, we should finish ahead of schedule and with less losses."
"That is the hope" I chew my lip in slight worry – I don't really have troops to spare at the moment. That is also why I hope to do the heavy lifting in the city with a flyby. I do have some fire AoE spells at a very decent level so it should go down smoothly. The Perk [Pyromaniac] I got a while ago will help too.
"It will also be important to see how the Avvar fight on a flat open terrain," Margit added, "It will also be a good practice run for later."
I nod, this particular Arling is mostly hills with some flatter spots but once we get further into Ferelden, not to mention some parts of Orlais, we will need to be organized enough to take on cavalry. That said, I already have some barrier/enchantment/engineering ideas how to counter the enemy's advantage.
Soon the signal that all are ready comes in triplicate so I nudge my hart forwards. This time we are leaving the more or less civilians behind and only taking the army. I leave a small contingent behind as well but all my scouts, both human and not, indicated that there were no enemies that could attack the vulnerable convoy.
The march is steady but a sight faster, both because the slowest elements were left behind and because many of the warriors are excited for their first taste of fighting in the lowlands.
Once we can see the faint outline of the city in the distance, as well as the filth around it, I cast my usual set of army buffs. Many of my warriors already have enchanted weapons and armor but there is no kill I like more than overkill.
The horde around the city stirred to unlife and they started grouping up, forming a front line of sorts. Despite all the appearance of mindlessness, it is a standard formation – melee weapons up front, ranged in the back with some magic-capable emissaries smattered in the middle.
My own army is positioned more or less the same, not yet ready for any complicated strategies and maneuvers. But against darkspawn it should be more than enough.
The Avvar warriors let out a very Xena-like war cry and start their charge, meeting the darkspawn in a flurry of blows. I stay with the ranged troops while Margit draws first blood right on the front.
I spare a sad thought at my new sword that once again would go mostly unused and charge up my light spells, alternating between a bombardment of the darkspawn rear line and sniping the emissaries with light spears. This time I don't even take flight, relying on my army. Air support is great but I don't want my warriors to get too used to it.
Even with my buffs I see some of the Avvar fall, but by that point the darkspawn line is well and truly broken. Our victory is inevitable after that.
Some of the darkspawn might've realized that and start retreating into the city, a small group at a time. I target most of those groups, wanting to keep the darkspawn out here so that they'd have less people for ambushes later, but some slip my grasp. Still, the bulk of the darkspawn numbers is still staying put, getting methodically killed by my warriors.
My people work together well, helping each other and not letting much of wannabe heroics into their fighting. It is only when the darkspawn horde breaks and begins to flee into the city that some of the hotheads leave their reason at the door and charge after them.
Fortunately my chiefs have a handle on those warriors, managing to yank them back into formation.
When no second wave of attack comes and my army starts getting impatient, I hop down from Elky and activate [Flight]. Fila and Kandert correctly take that as a signal and start moving, slowly and carefully starting to set a perimeter around the city.
I don't overly like how thin the lines are getting so I decide to strike. First a truly big firebomb attack at the city's centre. That one gets the darkspawn moving, running from their ambush positions from within the homes and other hiding places. I attack again conjuring several wall of flames that start going in different directions, outward from the city center.
That takes out a chunk of the darkspawn but I do not linger, I need to get to the far side of the city and start my extermination from there. While I fly there I keep up a continuous stream of fire, watching as the mostly wooden roof go up in flames, not to mention the wooden houses that are getting more frequent towards the outskirts of the city.
During my flight I spot two ogres abandoning their spots and fleeing from the inferno. I nearly gulp at that – if my warriors got caught up in the city and those two came rushing through wall and stuff, it would be a slaughter. Fortunately we went with the flame plan, which to my shame I had previously discarded. Mostly because I thought the Avvar would want to take the city over but I should've known they would not want to. And they were right, our provisional camp was already better looking than this hovel.
Anyway, one ogre I take down with my light spears while the second one continues his charge. The fleeing one is pretty burned, and quite injured according to my [Observe], so I let him go confront my warriors. Taking down a beast such as the ogre will be a massive boost to morale. I don't want my army to rely on me for everything, sooner or later I will be sending them out without my supervision and for that I need them capable and confident. I am an ace and should not be taken for granted. Besides, I will be always with them in the metaphorical sense, they can see my 'blessing' in their glowing swords and increased toughness.
And apparently in their rallying cries. I like that. All that 'for Sky!' makes me feel pretty epic even though that is more meant to the Lady of the Skies than myself.
While shouting out my warriors set fire to the closest homes to the defunct outside wall, that one already down thanks to the darkspawn. Together with my efforts we manage a nice ring of fire all around the city as well as a torched center. As more and more houses are catching fire from each other, atypically for Ferelden it was a week without rain. The darkspawn grow more desperate, running though the flames and attacking. Contrary to my worries though, none of my warriors die during this strategy, only getting injured when the darkspawn muster a sharp charge rather than disorganized fleeing.
I sigh in relief when System notifies me of the exp I'm getting for this entire attack, meaning that the fight is over. Pity though this wasn't a quest, System is thinking bigger and has asked me for the entire Arling. But that was based on my own plan anyway so I just missed out on some Credits.
But I trust System, it always makes it worth it.
You respect me, so I deliver
'Bad experience?'
Like you wouldn 't believe
Arrogant Gamers, they think they're so smart
'Angering your System doesn't seem smart at all'
It 's not. Whatever, I always have the last laugh
A cold shiver runs down my spine. Yeah, I can see that. I would be looking to get even in System's shoes too, I am a bit of a vengeful bitch. An entitled punk gamer riding my ass, damn right I would get even.
:-)
I make a mental note to really keep myself in check when System is concerned. It has a pretty good sense of humor but that has its limits.
People are fair game though. Speaking of which, it's time for a small victory speech. After all, conquering Elmridge is a bit of a milestone – our first victory in Ferelden and a major kicking ass against the darkspawn.
Still, we had this one in the bag, though we did far better casualty-wise than I feared, it is our next target that will be our true test. After all, Highdun is a castle, one that still has human soldiers in it. And this time I won't do any burning short-cut, that would give me and my Avvar a reputation that won't invite any converts. No, I want people joining up with us because they'll see us as an alternative to the Chantry or just out of loyalty for having them saved against darkspawn. And the rest we just conquer, but humanely, if there is such a thing.
I return to my painted army, flying over their triumphant faces. Yep, we are a picture of humanity.
I knew beforehand that establishing that initial perimeter for my barrier would be the hardest step, the most time-consuming. I thought up two ways to do it, one temporary and one more permanent. The temporary one uses metal rods that my scouts plant around our encampment that anchor the [Repel Undead] wards. The permanent one is a bit more involved.
Mokuton constructs are my conduits of choice. Impossible to move, near impossible to destroy when done right and I can grow them on demand. Those too come in two variants – really impressive trees for the permanent border and vines for the one I plan to conquer beyond. So what I do is fly around and grow greenery, not exactly the most exciting job but a necessary one. So far I planted my big trees over the whole western boundary of the Arling, between the mountains and the hills, even to the parts we haven't gone yet. Then it is the turn for the vines around our current territory.
Our territory is actually pretty big now, and is growing every day as me and my army make expeditions to further it. Right now we hold pretty much everything south of Elmridge and some more territory to the north west. It was pretty much free territory, the darkspawn didn't have another big presence there, only groups and patrols that we dispatched easily enough. To the south there were four major villages but those got the same treatment as Elmrige – the Avvar didn't want them and they were on the verge of collapsing anyway. Better to start with a clean slate.
Which is exactly what one of my tribes reasoned, deciding to make a permanent settlement here. My first hold in Ferelden. Since I was using mokuton aplenty anyway, I restored the land and grew back the crops that the darkspawn trampled. The seeds were there, I only raised them up. We needed provisions for our army anyway so that went well. The wildlife also showed signs of returning in force and we practically only began.
Both the animals and the crops made the reverence of my person skyrocket. I actually noticed my Class gets exp out of worship and this really boosted it. Although now I was practically revered by all of my new subjects, meaning the well was drying up. Need me some more people.
But that would come soon enough. West Hill Arling had only the tiniest of territory bordering the actual Korkari Wilds and so far nobody from there made any contact. I expected that will change once we crossed into Fallowmire. And if not, I would go looking.
There was no contact with the human inhabitants of the Arling either. My summons showed me that most were either in the castle or to the north, north east of it, where most of the crop fields were. Still, it was a bit suspicious that no soldiers came to greet us. Guess they suffered heavy losses against the darkspawn, both here and at Ostagar.
Sucks to be them, I am coming for them soon. Maybe as soon as tomorrow even. Definitely this week though.
Right now as I am doing my little horticulture project my people are helping out setting up the new village, both running drills and doing some ritual fights to please Hakkon, the god of war, and my brand new scouting division is doing its job outside the wards. In a bout of initiative one young thane, succeeding his father only in time for that thane summit, asked for a few men to act as a vanguard and was slowly pushing that warding boundary outwards. I put him in touch with my chief scout and supplied him with my warding rods while directing him where to go. Or more precisely, where not to go. So far he was doing good, expanding our territory a step at a time.
The wards were coming along nicely though it took me the whole day and a big chunk of Mana. Better than making construction material for the village though. I also took the time to regrow any damaged parts, be it from humans or darkspawn, which got me a cheeky [Green Thumb] Perk. System was having a laugh. But hey, it will come in handy once I get to the Alchemist Class and start growing my own ingredients since the Perk speed us the growth of any plant I consider mine.
Anyway, I am way too good with grass now and the south part of the Arling has never looked better.
Maybe I could look into some better water Skills too, if I'm doing landscaping I'm going to be the very best. And I have plans for renovating Ostagar with mokuton. It's going to be pretty awesome, a bit elf-y, but awesome. And I'll definitely be making a hot springs, I love those and there is nothing better after a hard day of conquering. Margit likes them too if I remember her visual novel well enough.
Speaking of Margit, it's time to circle back. I told my faithful Hound to keep an eye out for people she might want to form an elite group with and that somehow translated into her training one particular girl up. Alara, the girl from Blood Mist whose father caught the taint and I had to put him down. She used to be apprenticed to the woman who prepares the funeral arrangements and other rites, it's a function and all I just don't really know the title, but after the death of her father she resolved to change careers and take up fighting. Margit seems to think she has promise. She definitely has the determination though. I am kinda curious how she'll turn out after all that.
But right now that only means she is hogging a lot of my Hound's time and I want some pampering after flying around all day growing trees and making barriers.
I touch down just in time for a light drizzle to start. With a sigh I make my way towards the practice field. The weather is hard to predict in Ferelden, it generally seems to be in some semi-permanent state of overcast. So far I've been pretty lucky, only mild showers and some rain but I am sure we'll get some heavy duty rain and storms soon enough.
True to my expectations, Margit is with Alara. Last time it was a spear tutorial so the shortsword is a bit of a surprise. Ah well, probably just trying to figure out which weapon the girl is most comfortable with.
"My lady" Margit greets me, her senses truly marvelous.
"Hound, Alara" I greet back, "Anything interesting happen while I was out?"
Naturally Margit could've reported via our mental link, but that is just for emergencies, right now I am more interested in a general report.
While Alara inclines her head in greeting, Margit immediately straightens up like the soldier she is "The chief scout has a report for you. Looks like the noble of these parts has started stirring, there have been news of increased activity in Highdun."
"Ah" I hum, it wasn't an unwelcome news, means we will be getting some excitement soon, "It will be interesting to see if the noble is boneheaded enough to face us on an open field rather than suffering a siege."
"But won't you just fly over the walls?" Alara interjects, curiosity getting the best of her.
I smirk "They don't know that."
The girl's grin is positively wicked. And here I thought she only hated the darkspawn. Not that I am complaining, the more warriors to help me conquer the entirety of Thedas, the better. Maybe not Seheron though, I might do something more… drastic to the Qunari. I think they'll be too much of a hassle.
Thoughts for the future.
"Do we attack tomorrow?" Alara asks eagerly.
"You're not ready for that" Margit interjects sternly.
"What? No, I…"
"Not. ready."
I chuckle "I'd listen to her, she is your trainer."
"You can stay with the support" the red-headed soldier continues, "Securing a territory is much more than just fighting. Especially since my lady wants to take some alive."
Alara turns to me, eyebrows raised in question. I shrug "I'm sure some will be amenable to surrender. Like the servants. Some might even find a better life with us. Definitely more secure and more free."
"The tribes would never accept them" the girl wonders.
"What if they forsook the Chantry" I cock my head to the side. With Mind Mage you bet they will like staying with the tribes.
"Father always said Chantry believers were small-minded and took themselves far too seriously" Alara says in an absent tone.
I smile at her "We'll see."
"Now put away the weapons, I'll find you for another lesson" Margit dismisses the girl.
When the tribeswoman leaves with a grateful nod to the both of us, Margit turns to me "She should spread the word a little, hopefully the Avvar won't be all that blood-thirsty when we attack."
I hum "The noble has to go no question, most of his soldiers too. I'll work on the rest. We need people if we want to hold what we conquered, the barriers are good but a big army is better, especially against human opponents."
"Not to mention all the infrastructure" Margit arched an eyebrow, "Food and equipment, builders and workers. And that is the least of it."
"I know," I look at her pointedly, "I didn't forget. That is exactly why we'll be taking as many people as reasonable under our wings. And infrastructure-wise, I've got some of the older thanes managing all that. I do have advisors you know, I don't need to handle this all by myself."
"True," Margit nods, "They are used to small tribes of people though, not a nation. Looking forwards we'll need someone who can think bigger."
"I'm not taking this Arl whats-his-name" I scoff, "I'll find someone better. I've been planning a little teleporting/kidnapping expedition anyways – spread the word about Chantry-free territory to get some more mages onboard, maybe even city elves. Get some suitable individuals from beyond our borders."
"That is a good plan, my lady" Margit validates me.
"Once we get to the Brecilian passage, I think," I frown, "After that we'll take a breather from conquering and focus on securing what we have. Anyway, enough about that. I worked all day and I wanna relax."
Margit is unimpressed but ultimately chuckles "How about you meet with the chief scout, then the officers to set the plan for the castle, and when you come back I'll have food brought up? And I promise to let you do whatever you wish after?"
I sigh, I do have responsibilities and Margit is right about them.
"There is this woman who was talking about some sweets made with honey, I can find out more"
I grin and nod, that deal I will take. I wink "You're the best wife ever."
Margit predictably blushes "I'm not your wife."
"You nag me and take care of me"
"That's just what I do"
"I know, if you were my wife you'd offer me a massage after my back-breaking work all day"
The teasing tone returns Margit back into form as she cocks her head to the side "You just flew around and did some magic."
"Some magic, some magic," I shake my head and scoff, "Muggles."
"… I see that I touched a sensitive topic and I apologize."
"Some magic. I mean really. Some magic."
"I'm really sorry?" Margit hedges.
"Humph"
"I'll give you that massage?"
"That better be fucking magical"
"…"
It has been raining for three days straight and it doesn't seem like the weather is going to change soon either, so despite my reluctance I decide to move to assault Highdun. Pity, I won't be doing any brilliant magical girl antics since the clouds seem to absorb all light and leave Ferelden in a depressing penumbra. On the other hand I might be finally able to use my Sword of the Creator for more than just sparring. Or I might use that impaling spear I got a universe back.
The plan of assault is pretty easy – I would fly over the walls, drop Margit in, take care of the gate and let my troops in. I did a little bit of scouting inside the castle, deep in stealth, so I know where everything is and I shared that with my officers. They weren't exactly enthused about taking so many prisoners but I am the Sky-Chosen, my order is close to law nowadays.
They did appreciate me planning to destroy the Chantry building though. I was ambivalent on the sisters but decided to [Deep Scan] them first to get orientated in current Chantry politics. All I know from the game is the bare minimum about Divine Beatrix and that if I don't interfere, Divine Justinia is next.
For a similar reason I'd like the Arl alive too – I plan to mess up Fereldan politics in a major way but knowledge is power. For that reason I also plan on a little jaunt to Denerim to fuck around with Loghain and stuff – I want more information so I can decide which path to conquering Ferelden I should choose. Brute way is possible, but I want something more elegant. Loghain has made a lot of enemies and some might even be amenable to an alliance. One that I would eventually suborn with my charm and Mind Mage… Sooo, spreading even more rumors and little factoids about the Hero of River Dane is probably not only a fun idea but a useful one.
"Pretty impressive castle, all things considered" Margit hums beside me.
I shrug, not all that impressed myself "I guess. This Arling is responsible for handling any Avvar or Chasind incursion so they tried to make it sturdy at least."
Margit chuckles at that "Avvar incursion, let's see how it holds up, hm?"
"I can destroy that gate in one blow. The walls too if I wanted," I say with certain satisfaction, "Not to mention I will be landing directly on their yard once I soften them up. No castle is holding up against me."
"You will be dropping me in, right?"
"Nah, you'll lead the charge"
"But I could take care of all the archers" the soldier protested.
"Let them shoot" I shrug again, "They can barely touch me even without my shields and barriers."
"Why risk it?"
"Ordinary soldiers are no risk to me"
The red-head's tone turns rather sour "Very well."
"Don't worry, I like my life very much, I won't risk it willy nilly" I reply mildly, "But we're not fighting elven gods, immortal magisters or even a proper army. It's a few soldiers in a castle. You could probably take them all alone."
"More than just a few soldiers but point taken" Margit nods slowly, "But if you don't mind me saying, you don't seem all that enthusiastic about the assault."
I sigh "I'm not. I guess it's the weather, makes me feel a little blue."
"You are a warrior, the assault will get your blood pumping since we begin in full"
"That would be nice"
"Sky-Chosen!" Rila, my quickly climbing top general, jogs up.
"Yes?"
"The scouts came back, we're ready" the matron reports.
"Let's pick up the pace then" I smile, "I'll take off once we're in range, you follow the Hound when I distract the archers and secure our way in."
"Yes, my lady" Margit and Rila chorus.
The Avvar troops behind me are buzzing with excitement, now doubly so as the castle is in full view. It is a little contagious and I find my bad mood leave me little by little. I even take flight earlier than intended, before the line my scouts indicated. Once I cast my [Barrier] the rain ceases to bother me, that helps my mood as well. Flying always helps too.
Just as Margit said, my mood takes a definite turn to 'happy' once some of the archers on the walls spot me hovering high above them. Their faces, priceless! Confusion and fear, all mixed up into a 'oh fuck' expression. It makes me grin.
Ok, bad mood gone. Let's do some damage!
Being both lazy and dramatic gives me an idea as I watch the panicked defenders look up at me, rain getting in their eyes and drenching their clothes. With a sinister grin I freeze most of all those raindrops, my magic making them into sharp pointy needles. That is all I did, they were travelling down anyway, just faster now with their increased weight.
Most of the archers have the presence of mind to try dodging, those that do not don't last long at all. The sharp icicles tear through any unprotected flesh, making the defenders scream and gurgle. Those that survived the first barrage try to get to shelter but the walls are too exposed, only a handful managing to get to the sentry towers. Some archers are panicked enough to decide to take their chance jumping down the wall and into the castle's courtyard, but that only results in broken legs and more serious injuries.
I find interesting that the screams of the soldiers are pretty much deafened by the rain. The sound of the regular raindrops is a consistent soundtrack to my assault, it is actually rather pleasing.
Sure, the defenders aren't happy about the rain as I suddenly am but that is only because of the ice. Since it worked so well I do the same trick all over the castle, making the Arl's soldiers flee to hide inside. Or die. Plenty of soldiers go with that option.
Still, it clears the walls and the courtyard so my Avvar can come in without being harassed. One big telekinetic strike and the gate is breached and damn near blown off its hinges.
Ooops, I hope that can be repaired, actual stone wall defenses might come in handy. That's one of the reasons I haven't just burned this place. I want it and I want the people inside it.
What I do not want though is the Chantry building. I should make that my fist stop, look into the priests or sisters there and then drop a lightning strike on it.
With satisfaction I watch as my warriors come pouring it, Margit right in front. They all shout my title in acknowledgement and awe as they cross into the courtyard and then split into smaller units to fight better indoors. The reverence feels very nice indeed. I practically feel my Class exp grow by the sound of it.
Speaking of reverence…
Highdun's Chantry building is not overly large but the lack of opulence and over-decoration makes it feel roomier. I kinda like it, not bad for a church. Atrocious lighting though, a bit damp too, but that is Ferelden for you.
Not helping décor in the slightest are three bleeding out soldiers with missing chunks to them with about eight of their compatriots, all of them with pikes in hand, and all pointed at me. How rude.
Doing even less to endear this building to me is one old sister with a rather shrill voice, preaching about the evils of magic and me being pretty much the Antichrist. This one isn't alone either – two more sisters are hiding behind the soldiers, though both rather silent. The older one is obviously praying, scared witless with a very unflattering smell of piss wafting from her. The younger one though, the younger one is a delight! Seeing the sacred yet calculating look intrigues me so I delve into the younger sister's mind.
I nearly giggle – I see bitterness at being posted in this backwater, I see a rebellious streak, one that made their family shove her into the Chantry in the first place, and most of all I see ambition. Oh so much ambition and a pragmatic ruthless streak too.
She is perfect, the perfect convert. And it isn't even my birthday!
"…you maleficarum, the Maker and his servants shall smite you…"
Oh, the granny is still talking. And why aren't the soldiers attacking? Do they think the nun is doing something more than just irritate me?
Anyway… I shrug and draw my sword. The whip function is better suited to the outdoors but the church has room enough. And I want my first live test of this thing.
My sword unfurls and with one swing I manage to slash five soldiers in the front line.
Damn, the Sword of the Creator is super effective!
"Scatter and surround her!"
That seem to finally spur the defenders into action. Not that it does them much good, but it is more fun that way. For me. Fun for me.
+ 16.500 exp
[Whip-sword Proficiency]'s level has increased by one!
How nice. And it looks like the trained yet grunt soldiers are 1.500 exp apiece, not bad. I wonder how that scales. Ah well, I'll see soon enough. Right now I have to deal with the screaming shrew and the two other sisters.
"…you shall not prevail, even if you kill me…"
"Good idea" I nod, eager to shut her up. Still, first things first. [Deep Scan]!
The other two I freeze in place, I don't want them to run off after all, not that either actually looked like they were planning on it. Better be safe though, rummaging through someone's mind takes time.
Some memories are absolutely useless, I want information on the Chantry and on the people in power. With my focus narrowed this goes a bit quicker but it still is a lot of material to go through. The insight into Orlais and its politics, Chantry included, is fascinating though. Even though this woman is a Fereldan native and not that politics oriented. A true believer actually. Very old testament though, so to speak, all fire and brimstone.
Apart her information she is useless to me though. I withdraw from her mind and stretch a little – a bad habit but what can you do. The other elder woman is trembling, eyes closed and still praying, but the younger one is clearly mustering courage to speak. Poor girl doesn't know I already decided she may live. That ugly robe though has to go, as well as any faith in the Chantry doctrine. Not that there is all too much of that.
I cast [Stat Steal] on the no longer preaching woman in my grasp, letting her fall dead to the ground.
This bitch had Charisma? Huh.
"Please, please don't kill me"
To my surprise it's the praying one that spoke. The other sister shoots her a venomous look, clearly surprised and upset about the same fact.
"Have mercy" the woman sobbed, head still bowed and refusing to meet my eyes, "We're just nuns, we haven't done anything to anybody. Please, let us go."
"And where would you go, sister?" I ask mildly, genuinely curious about her response.
It turns out her answer was only sobs. Disappointing.
"I have some medicinal training," the younger one speaks up eagerly, "I can read and write and speak Orlesain and Nevarran. I can be of use! I'm originally from a family of merchants, I can do accounting and…"
I can't help but chuckle, she is offering to do the books for a bunch of barbarians – that is what she is calling us in her head. Hilarious.
The younger woman falls silent, the other one is still crying. Maybe I could give that one a chance too? I do need people and she seems too scared to make any waves. Besides, I can have someone keep an eye on her and kill her if necessary.
"We do not worship the Maker, and we have little use for the Chantry," I speak up, "If you wish to live and come with us you'd have to renounce your life and your faith."
The older one is aghast while the younger is already in a middle of a nod. She is fun.
"You, you can't…" the older one , I peek with [Observe], Sister Agatha, finally exclaims "…I, I can't!"
Maybe I peeked prematurely. Ah well, I can always forget a name. Sister Eloise, the younger one, is already onboard.
"I will" Eloise confirms this verbally.
"You'd forsake the Maker" Agatha gasps, looking at her fellow sister, horror in her eyes.
Eloise just shrugs. Probably wise, she doesn't know anything about me and my people and is trying to play it safe.
"You cannot. We cannot!" Agatha was getting hysterical, "This is a test, a test of our faith. We cannot fail lest we give the Maker more reason to turn his face away from mankind. This woman is here to tempt us, make us commit the greatest of sins. I shall NOT FALTER!"
Seeing Agatha getting all worked up, and even ready to strike – either herself, me or Eloise - I revert to my original plan. To quote Voldemort, 'kill the spare'. Another [Stat Steal] later I am two WIS richer. 'Really, System, is it irony day today?!'
System does not reply, though I do feel it giggling, so I turn to the younger of the sisters "Your decision stands?"
The nodding is this time far more vigorous than before. Self-preservation at its finest. I can respect that. And I can use that.
"Come with me then"
The courtyard is full of bodies, most of those that I have made but there are some extra. That makes Eloise whimper but she does not slow her step, following right behind me. I lead us to the small group of Avvar that is holding the gate, guarding it from both directions. I nod in approval.
"Sky-Chosen" one of the warriors brings a fist to his chest in greeting even as his eyes narrow at the Chantry sister behind me.
"Anything to report?"
"The assault is going well. Last I heard most of the ground floor was cleared except for the main hall"
"I will head there shortly" I nod, that is where the Arl should be. Along with his best of the best. Definitely my next stop.
"What about the Chantry wench?" the warrior asks.
"A prisoner right now, I'll sort everything later" I hum, "You, sit by the wall, I'll come back once we clear the castle."
Eloise looks far more spooked now, I attribute that to my painted and frankly huge warriors that are sneering at her, but complies without protest.
After making clear she is not to be harmed, along with any other prisoner that might be sent to them, I speed-walk towards the main hall. It would not do well to run, rulers don't run except an absolute emergency. Still, I don't want to lose too many of my warriors and the Arl of a border Arling is bound to be tough. The memories of the nun I took only confirm that.
The castle is easy to navigate – I only need to follow the shouts and the trail of corpses. I can only sigh at the unarmed servants' bodies though, I hoped for more prisoners.
As expected, the way to the main hall is suffering of a bit of a bottleneck, too many of my warriors wanting to get in and fight the Arl. I hasten my step even more as my people let me pass. Once in though, I have to unfortunately step over quite a few corpses, both Fereldan and Avvar.
An arrow pinges off my [Barrier]. The Arl positioned himself and his people well, a strong bulwark and archers behind him. Smart.
Less smart is limiting his own movement as the man clearly favors a two-handed sword his large physique lets him wield with ease. Right now he can only thrust and do small steps, hardly an efficient use for his weapon.
Still, they are holding their own against my Avvar. Too well. And that needs to be remedied.
With a twist of my wrist the Sword of the Creator shoots forward, cleanly piercing a knight's throat underneath his helmet. The man falls with a very satisfying 'clang' of his armor and shield.
In a very coordinated fashion, another one takes his place. I am genuinely impressed. Not that it will help them in the east, but I am impressed. Those are definitely worth more exp than the archers or those pikemen I killed in the Chantry.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone