View Single Post
Old 01-18-2013, 03:10 PM   #26
Vaprakgruumsh
Drizzt Do'Urden
 

Join Date: November 24, 2001
Location: Neverending Nights
Age: 53
Posts: 639
Default Re: Dragon Age: Life Begins With Death.

Gabriel paced back and forth, his long blond hair tied neatly into braids. He looked up at William. “We can help you against the Blight,” Gabriel said. “But I am need of your… services.”

“My services?” William was somewhat taken aback. “What could I possibly help with that you could not?”

“I mentioned… those that survived the Joining process… whose bodies… changed,” Gabriel said, stopping his constant pacing to look directly at William. “I need you to dispose of them.”

“Dispose of them?” William looked more confused than ever. “Why is it that you and your people do not do this? It would seem, between how the Joining has enhanced your bodies, and the aid of a dragon and several drakes… these abominations could not hope to stand up against you.”

“They have burrowed deep into the mountain,” Gabriel answered. “Through tunnels and small crevices that neither drake nor dragon can fit… and as for us… just as we, as Grey Wardens, could once hear the calling of the Darkspawn… so too can these abominations hear us… so when they do… they scurry, hide, and prepare traps… They will not be able to hear you… Only your Blood Mage, and the amount of Dragon Blood he has taken in through his black magic ritual is minimal at best…”

“I don’t trust him,” Quinn whispered, standing behind William. “Not that I won’t fight these things, just to fight… but there’s something else he’s not telling us.”

Navah looked between Quinn and William and added, “William, we should do as he asks. I have heard about ‘ghouls’… they say it’s people turned by the Darkspawn… but not completely… these… people… not creatures… need to be put out of their misery. They’re suffering.”

William looked to Berik, who smiled and shrugged. “Hey, look,” he said with a coy smile, “I don’t mind shoving my dagger between someone’s shoulder blades, if that’s what you want to do.”

William sighed and turned back towards Gabriel, who had seated himself back upon his throne made of deep mountain stone. “What is it we’re looking for?”

Gabriel signaled to one of the men who left, only to return moments later dragging what appeared to be a male human back into the room. A trail of blood followed. Navah was horrified when the guard kicked the body over. It was, perhaps, at one time – a human male. But now his skins, has tiny small, scales that glimmered even in the poorly lit torch filled room. It’s teeth, once normal, were replaced by what appeared to be perhaps hundreds of small, razor sharp teeth. The human’s eyes, once normal, had expanded into large, round eyes, with scales around them; where there was once a pupil, there was an eye that resembled that of a tiger’s.

Navah kneeled next to the creature, placing her hand on his bloody chest, feeling no heartbeat. She, in aghast horror, looked at Gabriel. “He has been tortured.”

“Yes,” Gabriel said nonchalantly, waving away the notion that it was some horrible act that had been committed. “Unfortunate, I agree. We normally put them out of their misery as soon as we find them. But they have been raiding our stocks outside, in Nahash, stealing our sheep for food… We captured that one and tried to get information from it about where they are nesting… the thing refused to speak and tell us. I will say this,” Gabriel added as an after thought, “their pain threshold is something to be admired.”

Navah looked at William, horrified. He could see in her eyes, everything she had said only moments ago, had now been reversed. Where she once sought to put these things out of their misery, she now felt deep, compassion for.
__________________
· [url]\"http://www.neverendingnights.com\" target=\"_blank\">Neverending Nights.com</a> ·
Vaprakgruumsh is offline   Reply With Quote