Dragon Age Origins: The Tale of Solana

Chapter 27: Ogre

As the group of four tiredly made it to the end of the last floor, Alistair walked over to Solana in a low whisper. "Makers breath! What are these darkspawn doing ahead of the rest of the horde? There wasn't supposed to be any resistance here!"

Solana turned and groaned. "You could try telling them they're in the wrong place," she spoke up in her normal tone. She was getting tired of hearing Alistair whine while also being constantly pressured by the non-stop sound of strange far away voices in her head. She turned back around before hearing his response.

"Right," Alistair said with coolness. "Because clearly this is all a misunderstanding. We'll laugh about this later."

Kip was the one to groan this time. The boy-mage that followed shot a strange, bewildered stare at Alistair. From seeing the two together, the young guard had made his own assumption that they weren't together. They bickered way too much. Kip watched as the man standing next to Solana looked to the ground before nodding in her direction.

"At any rate," his voice changed, "we need to hurry! We need to get up to the top of the tower and light the signal fire in time! Teryn Loghain will be waiting for the signal!"

"I know that." Solana powered on ahead. She was more than sure that her head might explode as she drew near to the last door on this hallway. Alistair frowned once they were at the large cedar door. "Loghain better be ready to charge as soon as the we light the signal. The king is depending on us."

Solana thought Alistair sounded suspicious of Loghain. She saw nothing wrong with the Teryn other than his obvious dislike for the Wardens and Orlais. However, Solana did find it strange that Loghain's men did not have the tower ready in time, as Kip had explained moments ago.

"It does seem strange," he had said. "The Teryn was acting off before the battle, and I felt as if he wasn't himself."

The Voices thought the same, voicing their own similar opinions about the man.

"Battle worn... Weary..."

"Attack, must attack...! To destroy in secret..."

What was the Teryn up to then? Could he have planned the darkspawn to enter into the tower? If that was so, then could that be why he did not allow anyone to enter the tower before the battle? Solana's stomach felt sick at the thought of a possible betrayal of the king. She needed to forget this, push it aside for now and speak to Duncan on the matter later. Right now, she had a mission.

They ran up the stairs beyond the door and came to the top level that was exposed to the outside air from the many holes in the ceiling. They were running when suddenly Alistair held out his arm to stop Solana from going further. The mage trembled from behind them and a small sob escaped when he saw the huge creature ahead.

The Ogre at the remains of a man. Blood splattered the cobblestone floor and one could hear the bones crunching in the beast's jaws as it ate. Solana felt near sick at just the sound. She had never seen such a creature before in all her life! She cast as worried glance at Alistair. Kip came to her side as well, holding his shield with a tight grip. Having him close, Solana worried more about his safety than her own. When the young mage let out another small gasp, the beast turned suddenly.

It stood to its full height as it wiped the blood of its' last victim from its' mouth. Alistair figured the Ogre to be at least twelve feet tall, it's horns itself making up for at most two feet of that. It let out a hiss, then a roar that sent its saliva flying everywhere. Alistair raised his shield to protect Solana from the disgusting wetness.

It began to charge towards them. "Scatter! Now, go!"

They all did, but the poor mage boy. Solana stopped and almost went back for him if it wasn't for Kip. "Run," she called after him. "Don't just stand there!"

The boy's feet were stuck where he stood. The sound was like a wet dish rag hitting a brick wall. Blood splattered everywhere. "Oh Maker," Kip whispered. "Poor kid..."

Alistair saw the different expressions pass in his fellow Grey Warden's eyes. He watched as she broke from Kip's side and ran at the Ogre with all the fierceness of a High Dragon! Her eyes burned with that blue flame, as she sped towards the monster. He charged in with her, unafraid of this beast, something he had fought before. He had defeated all the others, this one would be the same.

Solana slashed two good gashes into its belly. She slithered underneath it to attack from behind, but the Ogre knew better. Its' large arm came swinging around and nocked Solana off her feet and she landed a foot away. The wind had been knocked right out of her. She gasped for air, feeling the sharp pain that erupted from her side. Was it her rib? In that moment, she felt the sting of the scar on her neck. It burned with a passion! Her teeth gritted together, she shook her head, and picked up the daggers that had dropped in the process. She ran back and joined in the battle.

Alistair carved his own mark into the beast. He was quick and agile, the Ogre's hits missing him by inches. It grunted in protest, and annoyance. With a few swings, an opening came. Alistair sliced the ogre's stomach open and while it stumbled back, he ran up the beast in one jump. His longsword, given to him by the Wardens, came down on its, skull like butter. It was the only way Alistair had been taught to kill Ogres: go straight for the head. The beast fell backward without a single noise.

Solana stood surprised at Alistair's accomplishment. She blushed when he pulled his sword from the darkspawn's head. He looked over and gave her a lazy grin that made his eyes dance. Solana felt her insides melt and for a split second, she was in heroic awe of her companion. Proud of his accomplishment, as much as he was.

He climbed off of the beast and as he strolled over, Solana felt embarrass for starring. What was wrong with her? Could it be she never had the chance to be around people like this before? She let herself smile a bit when the two men chuckled at the blood that soaked Alistair's armor. "The beacon's over here," Alistair comments. He stands next to a large fireplace. "We've surely missed the signal... Let's light it quickly before it's too late!"

Solana looked over at the tangled body of the boy lying next to the stairs. "What about..."

"There will be time to mourn him later," Alistair answers sadly.

Kip walked over and took her hand in his. "The soldiers will come and make sure he has a proper burial with all the fixings. It's okay." The warmth from his large grip quelled the growing tears that threatened.

Solana nodded, unsure how to explain the feeling she felt for the mage she knew not even the name for. She felt he would have grown into a fine young lade, mage or not. Her view of the mages was beginning to change as she had seen many while here, and none of them resembling the horrible stories she once heard. Why were they so feared anyway? That boy had done nothing wrong, and nothing deserving the death he had experienced.

She only hoped that this battle would avenge him. She turned and smiled. "Let's light that beacon!"