King & Lionheart

The Tower

"Would you?" Morrigan asked. "Die in Alistair's place?"

Alistair glared up at her. "That's a bit of a loaded question, wouldn't you say? Don't answer that, Auggie."

"It is still valid," Sten said. "But he is correct in considering the circumstances. There is always a right or a wrong answer, but the vagueness was the demon's downfall."

"I believe that was the point, qunari," Morrigan chided. August let out a breath.

"Do you want me to finish or not?"

"Oh, no, please," Alistair gestured to him. "Continue."

Now, in place of the rat capable of fitting in his palm, August had a large bear- or at least something that resembled one- strolling at his side. He still called him Rat, of course, for convenience.

"Now there's the matter of finding the envy demon," Rat spoke up, breaking the silence. "Or, rather, having the demon find us."

"More lures?" August rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm kinda all riddled out, dude."

"No riddles this time," Rat assured him. "Just a donut on a stick. A reason for it to get close. What does it want?"

"To become me."

"Right. So, I guess... just talk about you? Give it the information it wants."

"That's a little vague, and seems a little suspect to me. Why would I give it anything?"

"Just enough to get its interest sparked."

"But I thought its interest was already sparked."

"Hm," Rat hummed, thinking. "You have a point. How do I explain this? It's in hiding. And we want it to show itself so we can do away with it, right?"

"Sure."

"So give it something so enticing it can't resist closing in."

"And what do we do when it does?"

"Blast it in the ass until it disappears into nothing."

"Sounds perfect."

"Great."

"You're the demon expert. What does it want that badly? You said something about it taking information from my fear."

"Right."

"I've been on edge this entire experience."

"Yes. So it's been close the whole time."

"Creepy," August grumbled. "Okay. I would suggest just flat out revealing my deepest fear, but I don't even think I know that. Or, even if I did, how to articulate it."

"You're supposed to be the clever one. Figure it out," Rat said.

"Most of my worst fears have already been realized," he swallowed. "My brother was taken from me, sent to be turned into one of those mindless, junkie bootlickers. Torn from our childhood home just to be shoved into the institution that hates my very existence, and taken from that to be placed in a prison because of the way I was born."

He inhaled, staring down at the tattoos on his palms. Rat listened intently.

"I guess..." he shrugged. "For now, at least..."

"Out with it."

"Never being able to live the life I want to. Dying having done nothing. Dying never seeing Alistair again. Dying being just the same ignorant, selfish piece of shit I've always been."

He swallowed. "I guess I'm just too scared to die."

The ground disappeared beneath him.

Floating, staring face to face with Rat's eerily human gaze, eyes wide as its bear face made no expression. The first feeling August truly experienced in the Fade, and it was Rat's hot breath brushing against his nose.