The way out had been in sight, when the giant Nightmare Demon appeared between them and freedom. Alistair and Hawke backed away, signalling to the others. Alistair looked up at the gigantic form of the archdemon in front of him. Like the smaller fear demons, it looked different to each of them. Although, he did find it amusing that the Champion and Inquisitor shared the same fear of spiders. Something he was sure he could chuckle about later. But, for now he really wished he wasn’t looking at something that was the spitting image of Urthemiel. The archdemon that had haunted his nightmares ever since the Fifth Blight began.
“How do we get by?” He queried, hoping that someone around him would have a better idea than him throwing himself at it to distract it, hoping to buy the rest some time to get out. Because he was willing to do whatever it took to stop this creature from corrupting his Order, and stop Corypheus. He’d been willing to sacrifice his life 10 years ago, and he was willing to sacrifice it now. But, when Hawke spoke up. Offering the same idea he had, but with herself as the distraction. He had to object.
“No, you were right. The Wardens caused this mess. A Warden must...” He argued with Hawke, knowing that the world still needed her and the Inquisitor. The only one who would miss him, was his beloved. And, it could be argued that he needed her more than she needed him.
In the end, he won the argument, the Herald chose him to stay. He had never felt so saddened to win an argument with anyone. He wished he could have had a chance to say goodbye to Sereda. To get to know Kieran, if Morrigan would have let him, anyway.
“Right. Good luck. I’ll keep it off you.”
Turning, he drew his sword, and charged at the giant demon. Half convinced that he really needed an army to defeat it. But, he didn’t need to defeat it. Just distract it.
“For the Wardens!”
---
Alistair awoke with a start, his everything ached, and yet his mind was the clearest it had been for months. He could no longer hear the song of the false calling, and it was a blessed relief. But, that still didn’t stop the throbbing in his ribs, or elsewhere. He looked around, and could see that the rift that they’d planned to escape the fade from was closed. It looked like he’d done his job, and they escaped. But, once again he had been left behind. Just this time it wasn’t the gates of Denerim, it was the fade.
“Well, I don’t suppose there’s any getting out of this.” He sighed, realising that his only real chance of survival was finding a rift that was still open...somewhere. Hopefully, before the Inquisitor closed them all and defeated Corypheus. The only problem was, in which direction should he go. He couldn’t see the telltale green glow of a rift anywhere near. And, it was quite hard to figure out which way was north or south. Especially with the way the paths wound around. There was only really one course of action. Pick a direction, and walk until he saw something familiar. Sometimes, the fade could reflect the physical world. Such as when the village in the Blackmarsh was transported to the fade by the duchess. Or, so the tale he’d heard went. That was the problem with second hand knowledge, he supposed. Still, he had to hope.
---
He felt like he’d been walking for years. He had no idea how much time had passed since he’d been left in the fade. Days, weeks, months. There was no sun, at least not in the same way as in Thedas. No stars. No moon. No way to tell the passage of time from one moment to the next. Besides, even he knew that time passed differently in the fade. What felt like moments in the fade could be hours in the real world, and vice versa.
He pulled a piece of the dried meat he had in his pack. Glad that he had a large amount of supplies, even if he had had to ration it out to make it last longer. Although, he had found that he did not seem to be getting hungry in the same way he would normally. He supposed it might be an effect of the fade. He suspected he hadn’t needed to sleep as often, either. But, it was hard to tell.
Alistair, looked up as he heard footsteps approach. Even though demons didn’t seem to walk, he tensed up, sword and shield at the ready.
“You are not meant to be here, mortal.” The knight that turned the corner stated, or at least it looked like a knight. He supposed it was something else. Hopefully a spirit.
“Oh, am I not? Silly me. Here I was thinking this was exactly where I should be.” Alistair flippantly, let it never be said that Alistair ever managed to lose his sense of humour. Even if it had been dampened slightly by the false calling.
The spirit looked unimpressed. If you could really think a being that seemed to solely consist of a full set of plate mail, including full visor could look like it had an expression at all. But, Alistair could just tell it was unimpressed. Or at least very not amused.
“I have been watching you, mortal. You are brave, but stupid. Why are you here?”
“Heeeey!” Alistair scrunched his face up in a hurt expression. He knew it had also complimented him in it’s odd, but blunt way. But, he’ had too many people in his life call him stupid. “I’m not exactly here by choice, you know. There was a dragon, and a weird glowy green mark, and a nightmare demon. It’s a long story.”
“It was you who fought the Nightmare?” The spirit asked incredulously. “That was brave indeed. You may be worth my time after all.”
“Oh, really?” Alistair raised an eyebrow questioningly. “And, who exactly are you.”
“Forgive me. I do not often converse with mortals. I am Valor.”
“Right. Of course. That makes sense.” Alistair muttered. “I don’t suppose you know where there’s a rift I can leave through?”
“No. But I may know someone who does.” Valor confirmed, before turning and beckoning the Grey Warden to follow him. “Follow me.”
---
Alistair threw his shield and sword on the ground with frustration. Another rift closed just as he reached it. At this rate, he’d never get back. He’d die in the fade. If he could even die in the fade. Where do you even go if you die in the fade? What happens to your soul?
Still he resisted the urge to scream his frustration into the fade. It wouldn’t do to attract demonic attention. Instead he picked up his weaponry, and turned to trudge in hopefully the direction of an open rift home. Instead he found himself face to...face(?) with a rage demon, and it was only instincts honed over years of training that brought his shield up in time to take the blow aimed towards his face. “Damnit.”
---
“There’s a new rift, mortal.” Valor said in greeting. Alistair had almost given up all hope. He hadn’t found a rift in….he had no idea how long. All he knew was that Valor had almost become a...friend. Which is something he had not exactly been expecting. But, at least it wasn’t unheard of, not to him anyway. While he had never met Justice, he had heard the stories from Sereda and the others.
“Where?”
“Not far.” The spirit replied. Which Alistair knew could mean anything. The fades sense of time and distance was all screwy at the best of times. Still, it was the best lead he’d had for a while. “Lead the way.”
---
Alistair saw the swarm of demons, before he saw the rift. Saw them swarming to enter the physical world.
“Shit.” He muttered, “How in the void am I supposed to get through that?” He knew he was good, but not that good. There were dozens of demons between him and salvation.
“Not without help.” A voice behind him spoke, he turned to see Valor had found help. He had no idea what ideals most of the spirits represented, or embodied. But, he wasn’t exactly about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Thank you, my friend.” Alistair stepped forward and gripped Valor’s arm in his own, in a gesture of farewell. “You have no idea how much this means.”
“It is the honourable thing to do.” The spirit argued. “There are no thanks required.”
Alistair nodded, decisively, before turning and raising his sword to signal the charge. “FOR THE GREY WARDENS!”
Joined by the spirits at his back, he charged into the line of demons, taking them by surprise. He managed to cut a few down, as they thinned the crowd. Soon, there was a clear line of sight from where he was to the rift. Valor appeared at his side, and pushed him towards the rift. “Run!”
Alistair sprinted full speed towards the sickly green glow of the rift, dodging blows from rage and pride demons as he did. His ability to sense danger enhanced by the adrenaline flowing through his system. He didn’t dare slow, not even as he got closer to his goal, instead he dove headfirst through the breach, and into the unknown.
---
He hit the ground on the other side, and immediately curled into a combat roll back onto his feet in seconds, shield and sword ready. He sensed rather than saw a blow coming to his left, and dodged out of the way, turning to face his foe. One of the demons that had clearly gone through the breach ahead of him. It went to hit him again, and his shield was barely in time to take the force of the blow. But, he was still slightly off balance, and it pushed him backwards. His foot hit an indent in the ground, and the next blow knocked him further off balance, twisting his ankle with an audible crack.
Alistair was beginning to think he was done for, when the demon in front of him froze in place. Giving him the time he needed to limp backwards, towards the familiar sight of Inquisition uniforms. It looked like that was the last of the demons that had made it through the rift. So, he turned to grin at those gathered to fight the demonic incursion, noticing the familiar faces among them.
“Please tell me someone has some cheese with them. That’s the thing they never tell you about the Fade. There’s a distinct lack of decent cheese. Or food in general really. But, especially cheese.”