Choose your own Dragon Age adventure

[Crane]

"Release my friend. Release Fern."

"Fair enough," the guard says. "Though I can't say I'd have chosen the same."

"Spare me your wisdom," you reply as the man unlocks the cell.

"Take him out through the back exit," the guard says. "The others can't see him upstairs. Now clock me one, so I can say you forced your way through me."

"With pleasure," you reply, smashing the guard across the face with the haft of your sword without delay.

The guard collapses to the ground, and you collect your friend. Fern is in a weakened state but alive. Only his cloak remains in the room. It won't cover him completely, but will have to do. You dress him, place one of his arms over your shoulder, and guide him toward the back door.

"Why," Fern groans. "How could you let them sell her? I trusted you. I thought you were differ--" he trails off and falls unconscious once more.

You'd expected the back door to lead to some form of abandoned alleyway or side-street, but are dismayed to find that the exit leads to a heavily trafficked thoroughfare instead. Perhaps unsurprisingly, two additional guards are stationed just nearby, and immediately see you leaving by way of the dungeon.

"Stop!" one of them calls, as he blows into a loud whistle. "You there, stop right now!"

You run, but the weight of Fern on your arm is too much for you to move with speed. As quickly as you can, you turn the corner and find yourself in the center of a large, noisy street party. The very first person to see you notices Fern and screams. It's the marketplace all over again.

Suddenly, three bulky men--not guards, just regular citizens by the look of them--approach. "Another darkspawn in the city?" one says, as they wrestle Fern from you, knocking you to the ground. "The guard should have killed the first when they found it and scare the others off. We won't make the same mistake, will we, boys?"

By the time you struggle back to your feet among the fluid crowd, Fern is already across the square at the center of a small circle of space in an otherwise over-crowded area. You shove through as many people as you can, though your single working arm makes the process nearly impossible. By the end, you only manage to get close enough for a clean look at what's happened. Just beyond the sea of people, a rope is being thrown over the top of a tall street lamp. Soon, Fern's body is hoisted up by the neck. The crowd cheers, and somehow, inside, you suddenly feel connected to one fewer member of the horde than you had before.

Wracked by the swelling pain in your arm, and seized the anger in your chest, you scream out in frustration at the sky. Before you run out of breath, a finger taps you lightly on the shoulder. You look down to see Ataxias with a thin smile across his face. He moves the finger slowly across your face, eventually leading your eyes to familiar elf standing just beside you, watching the lynching. It's Ciro.

A) Confront your poisoner.
B) To hell with Ciro. To hell with Antiva. To hell with Thedas. Flee the city to the Deep Roads seal, remove the stone, and flood this country with the horde.

 

[Azira]

Fortune smiles! A

 

[Elfberserker]

A
It's time to end this!

 

[Kz3r0]

A)

 

[TOME]

To hell with Ciro! B.

 

[Nevill]

At last!

 

[Crane]

Fortune smiles! A

It's how the author ensured there would be no negative consequences for sacrificing half your life-force. It's probably also because he was getting tired of writing so much and wanted to wrap it up.

"Ciro," you say. "Long have I--" Before you can finish, the elf has disappeared from sight. You look frantically around you, but cannot find him in the surrounding crowd.

"Levina," you say, getting her attention. "It's Ciro. He's here."

"Why, yes I am," Ciro says, reappearing just behind Levina with a knife to her throat. "And how good of you to be here as well. It was a long and difficult journey, I take it?"

You move your hand to your sword, but fail to see a safe opening for a strike. To Ciro's side, you see Ataxias standing casually, smiling in observation.

A) Your revenge is all that matters. Stab through Levina into Ciro. He'll never see it coming.
B) Petition Ataxias, "Ataxias, freeze him!"

 

[Azira]

We possibly want Ciro alive? Or is this still purely about revenge? If the former, then I guess B is the right answer. On the other hand, I hardly trust that mage.

 

[Elfberserker]

A
We shall have our revenge!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nevill]

Attack!

 

[Crane]

We possibly want Ciro alive? Or is this still purely about revenge? If the former, then I guess B is the right answer. On the other hand, I hardly trust that mage.

It could be just to get Levina out of Harm's way.

 

[Nevill]

Now why would we want that after killing the guard, the mother, the child, throwing the infant under the bus so we would have a better chance at putting Ciro down and making no attempt to save our 'friend' once he got in a tight spot?

It would only be fitting if we could somehow cause Ataxias' death as well.

A Biowarean revenge at its finest.

 

[Crane]

Very well.

"Sorry," you mutter, as you thrust your sword toward Levina's stomach. As your blade travels toward her, the elf grasps the sides of Ciro's arms and lifts herself sideways, keeping her neck still, but moving the rest of her body free from your strike.

Ciro looks surprised, and is forced to release Levina in order to evade the attack.

"Nice move," Levina says, as she moves beside you, evidently unaware of your actual intention.

"Thank y--" You're cut off by a stabbing pain near your hip. Ciro has shot across you, slicing his blade through the side of your belly. You cry out in pain as you notice a second attack already incoming.

You jump back, but Ciro is too well trained to allow as simple a maneuver as that. He adjusts the extension of his arm and cuts across you anyway, hacking out a good piece of your chest. You grasp the wound, but it fails to do much to stop the bleeding.

Ataxias still stands idly, watching events unfold. Ciro moves in close once more, this time staying low to the ground.

You turn your blade at the approaching assassin and thrust it downward at him sloppily. He smiles, exits its path, and runs his knife across the back of your right ankle. You fall to the ground in immense pain.

"Now stay out of my way," he says, as he snakes toward Levina. His hand moves sharply in from the left toward her throat, and she deftly blocks it, clearly not seeing the second dagger in his right hand aimed toward the same target. The blade slides cleanly across her throat.

Before a single drop of blood can spill, Ataxias suddenly raises his left hand and holds it cupped in her direction. The wound closes and Levina collapses to the ground, coughing. By some miracle, she's saved, but the process seems still to have taken a heavy toll on her.

Ciro looks angrily at the mage and moves toward him, but Ataxias simply raises his other hand to the assassin and locks him in place. White lines of magical energy surround Ciro's body, and he levitates in place, unable to move.

"Now, I'm as interested in a good performance as anyone, but there's more entertainment to be found in her living than her dead," Ataxias says. Then he looks at you. "The truth may be less entertaining for you, however," he says, the concern he's showing almost uncomfortable for him. "You gave me reason to return to the waking world. I know I've already done more than I promised in return, but I suppose I can offer you this one last choice. Ciro is yours now. What will you do with him?"

You look at your fresh wounds, and then to your arm. You don't have much time left. If the fresh wounds don't take you, the infection beginning to breach your weakening tourniquet finally will. Even if you hear the truth of who hired Ciro, there's little chance you'd be able to do much about it now. If you wait too long looking for answers, you may miss your chance to kill even the assassin who infected you.

A) You must know. "Who hired you?"
B) End this. Kill him where he stands.

 

[Crane]

Fuck it. A is more interesting anyway; B just ends the game there. Let's continue to the final choice.

"Who sent you?" you yell at the elf. You feel as though you already know the answer, but want to hear him say it.

Ciro chuckles weakly from within Ataxais' spell. "No one hired me."

"That makes no sense," you say, completely shocked by the claim. "I've never even met you before. What have I ever done to wrong you?"

"Nothing," he says. "But perhaps I can explain it best in this way: Do you know why Antiva is so worried about the darkspawn?"

"What does that have--" you start.

"It has nothing to do with anything!" Levina yells from the ground, still recuperating from her wound. "Just kill him, now!"

"Of course she would say that," Ciro continues. "She is the reason you were poisoned. Antiva worries about the darkspawn because Antiva has no army with which to fight them. Antiva has no army because Antiva needs no army. It fights its wars with fear and threats. The crows, we have members stationed throughout Thedas. Trusted generals, high-ranking political officials, leaders of corporations and churches in every country. We may have no military of which to speak, but any man or woman, no matter their rank, who orders an Antivan invasion will be personally murdered within the fortnight.

"What does this have to do with you? Nothing. And everything. Not long ago, an Orlesian agent contacted a certain disgruntled member of our house. His request? A list of every agent currently working in Orlais. With such information, Orlais would be completely free to crush, absorb, enslave, or ransom this entire country ... and with barely one company of militia. For this betrayal the crow was promised title, gold, lands, and many spoils of Antiva.

"This crow agreed, then flew from Antiva with this information, but could not arrive in Orlais before I was alerted to what transpired. The result was a difficult game of cat and mouse. I'm the only crow who knows what she's done, and if I informed those few above me of what happened, my life would be forfeit. Because of the network I command, she was smart enough to know that she had no hope of reaching Orlais with me still alive, while I knew that this country--and I--would not be safe until she was dead. The woman went into hiding, and I had to come up with a plan to ... uproot her, if you will. I'm sure by now, you've figured out of whom I speak."

You turn to Levina.

"Is this true?"

Levina looks away from your gaze without answering.

"So you see," Ciro continues. "I simply used you, friend. I had tracked her movements to Ferelden, but I did not know where specifically she hid. So, I attacked you--and many others--giving you my name, telling you I was a crow, and poisoning you with a substance that would force you into immediate action. I thought that if there were enough people bumbling about Ferelden asking after crows and using the name Ciro, that Levina would eventually hear of it and offer her trust to a stranger with a mark that does not lie. No one looking to ensnare her would inflict such a horrifying death upon himself, surely."

You look down at your arm and see the black, corrupted skin reaching slowly past your tourniquet. Some part of you had wanted to believe that this was some form of ruse, or that Ciro would have an antidote on his person. Some part of you had believed that there was hope left, but there isn't. You're going to die, and soon, caught in the middle of a game you should, by right, have nothing to do with.

You crawl to Levina and hold your sword to her throat in anger. She's too weak to stop you.

"Listen," Ciro says. "I realize the horrible, unfair position in which I have placed you. But I have done so to protect lives. Not just myself, but a nation of people. Let her deliver those names, and the men they belong to will be killed, with many more innocent Antivans sure to follow. She's obviously hidden the names somewhere. Let me free, and I have the network and the knowledge to find them, and bring them safely back to Antiva. Kill me, and eventually someone will find them, and this will begin again."

"I have helped you this whole way," Levina pleas. "I had my reasons and you had yours. Just kill him, please. Let us both walk away from this city in victory. Antiva is an evil place. The crows purchase children and force them into a life of murder against their will! I cannot pretend the rest of Antiva will not suffer alongside the crows, but I can promise you it will be worth it."

"And very worth it for you in particular," Ciro adds. "Do not pretend this was done for some form of idealism."

You have an important decision to make. It's the last thing you'll do with your life.

A) Kill Ciro, and let Levina go. This isn't your battle. Ciro subjected you to this fate, and by some miracle you've been given the chance to kill him for it. It's everything you've worked for. Any consequences that follow don't matter.
B) Kill your companion, Levina, and let Ciro go. Murdering your friend, despite the lies, will be difficult, but not as difficult as letting Ciro go without punishment for his crimes. Still, potentially saving thousands of Antivans must be your priority.
C) This situation has nothing to do with you. You came for a reason. You've lived on the promise of killing all who have wronged you. Kill Levina for her betrayal, Ciro for his, and let the world do what it will.
D) Kill neither of them. Leave the fate of the world to fate by allow these two to finish the game they began before you became involved.

 

[Azira]

Never liked crows, nor Antiva. To heck with them.

A

 

[Elfberserker]

A

We have played pretty ruthless bastard, so crows and Antivan doesn't matter.
At laest we know Levina even if she failed to mention her betrayal, but again none of our business.

 

[Ulminati]

A. Fuck Antiva.

 

[Kz3r0]

A)

 

[Nevill]

Ahahaha. As if we care at this point.

 

[Crane]

A, uncontested.

"I came here to kill you, and to kill whoever hired you," you say weakly. "I'm lying here about to die, and find myself miraculously faced, even in my current state, with the opportunity to do both with a single thrust of my sword." You remove the sword from Levina and hold the blade at the ground. Using the sword as a crutch, you somehow manage to stand.

"This is not about me," Ciro says, finally sounding panicked by his situation. "Think of how many lives are at stake. How many lives she's ruined! She lied to you, dragged you into a fight there's no way she thought you could have won, and is positioned to become a queen for it! I'm sorry for what I have done, but--"

You close your eyes, and slide the blade through Ataxias' field with ease. The steel melts through Ciro's soft skin, up from the stomach beneath his ribs, and into his heart. You watch with glee as the light drains from his eyes. You've done it. Everything you've worked for; you've had your revenge.

Adrenaline courses through your body, elevating your heart rate. You see the black, tainted tendrils of corruption begin to crawl more easily past your tourniquet and across your chest. It's time now.

Ataxias jumps and begins clapping his hands together. "And that, dear children, is why I came. My thanks to you both for not disappointing me. Enjoy your ghoulhood, One Arm, and you're welcome. And you, elf, enjoy the spoils. I'm off to find a carpenter." With that, he disappears into the crowd.

"You have my thanks as well," Levina says. "You've done Thedas, and me, a great service. I wish I could stay with you to the end, but with Ciro dead, my passage is free, and there's no longer a reason for me to risk delay here." She kisses your cheek. "You changed the world, you know." Without waiting for a reply, she disappears into the crowd.

You lay there for a moment, abandoned in your final moments of life. The crowd that once filled the square around you dissipated without you noticing long ago when the fighting began. You look across the way and see Fern, the only body other than your own in sight.

You begin to crawl toward your friend. As you grasp the road and pull yourself forward, the wounds across your body fire pain across your body. Your next advance hurts just as much. Soon, you're halfway to him, and the pain seems to have all but disappeared. Fern is getting blurry now. Is this quiet, empty death the fulfillment you thought vengeance would bring you? No time for regrets. No time for--

You move a final hand toward your friend, and the world fades to black.

The end.

Congratualtions! You've earned one of five complete endings to Dragon Age: Retribution! Try again from the start, or check out more of Mike Kayatta's Pick Your Path with Pick Your Path: Skyrim> and Pick Your Path: Mass Effect.









Honestly, I just feel like I read a forgettable short story set in the dragon age setting.

 

[Nevill]

Honestly, I just feel like I read a forgettable short story set in the dragon age setting.

What story?

 

[Crane]

Honestly, I just feel like I read a forgettable short story set in the dragon age setting.

What story?

What was this whole thread about?

 

[Kz3r0]

Congratulations, this felt very Bioware like, err, I mean, it's a compliment, relly, haem, comgratulations again.

 

[Nevill]

Congratulations, this felt very Bioware like

I don't know. Nevermind the plot, where is my lesbian romance with Levina?

 

[Azira]