light the signal fire!

the horn blew, signalling to the two Warden's that they needed to do what must be done.

"We should get going" Aedan determined to which he got a curt nod from Alistair as the two Warden's and Aedan's faithful mabari quickly made their way across the bridge towards the Tower of Ishal. They needed to be quick and light the fire, the king, Duncan and those fighting by their side would need Loghain's aid when the battle got underway.

As they approached the tower Alistair and Aedan were approached by a clearly panicked tower guard "You, you're Grey Warden's aren't you? the tower, it's been taken!"

Alistair frowned "what are you talking about? taken how?!?"

"they came up from the lower chamber's, most of our men are dead! they even have one of those big huge one's with them, the ones with the horn's from their head" The panicking guard answered.

"An ogre? shit!" Alistair cursed.

"Ogre?" Aedan asked.

Alistair shuddered "the results of a qunari turned darkspawn" he gulped "the only ones I've killed are with Duncan, never thought I'd face one without his help"

"Well you won't be facing it alone, me and Dane here are with you" Dane gave an affectionate bark and the junior Warden looked at the panicking guard "and you"

"What?!?!?" the guard answered, his eye's going wide in terror "no no no no, I barely managed to escape them!"

"You will d your duty" Aedan demanded, his eye's boring into the guard's face. "You should avenge your fallen comrades"

"Y..yes, I should" the guard relented. "Let us move then"

As it turned out the guard was indeed telling the truth, darkspawn were infesting the tower, thankfully it wasn't enough that the two warden's, mabari and guard couldn't handle as they cut their way through the darkspawn as they ascended the tower closer and closer to the signal fire.

Further and further up the tower did the four go until they reached the top where the signal fire was and Aedan had to do a double take as he saw what Alistair had described as an ogre, and it was every bit as horrible as Aedan had imagined. The beast was currently feasting on the corpse of one of the fallen tower guard's before it turned and faced them.

"Well shit" Aedan said as he saw the monstrously ugly darkspawn abomination.

"I guess we need to deal with it first" Alistair surmised.

"Not me!" the guard said, as panicked as he was when he met the two Warden's and mabari "I wasn't trained to fight these..thing's!" he instantly turned and ran back down the stair's as he fled.

Aedan sighed "should've expected as much" he looked at the ogre that was now menacing the trio "guess it's time to deal with you" he said facing the massive darkspawn as he readied his longsword and shield and charged the creature and was quickly followed by Alistair and Dane.

The fight was intense, the ogre was clearly a force to be reckoned with if he managed to land a hit on you but Aedan was thankful he had a preference for heavy armor and Alistair too, he prayed that the ogre wouldn't get a direct hit on Dane as he had no doubt that one full force punch from the ogre would end his faithful mabari's life as the beast danced and dodged around the ogre's leg's.

"Just hurry up and die already!" Aedan heard Alistair shout as the two Warden's were able to sustain a few blow's to them from the ogre's massive fist's thanks to their sturdy Grey Warden armor while thrusting their longsword's into the ogre's shin's in an attempt to hurt it enough to get it to drop to the floor to finish it off by cutting its throat.

It would seem however that the ogre's wasn't content with attempting to punch one of the Warden's only for them to dodge out of the way and as it result the darkspawn grabbed Aedan by the leg and lifted him up so that the young noble was looking at the hulking darkspawn upside down to which it began slamming its fist into Aedan's armoured chest which Aedan knew wouldn't protect him forever as his breath was forcefully taken out of him with each punch of the ogre's fist into his midsection, Alistair's attempt at forcing the huge darkspawn to it's knee's seemingly having little effect on it.

"Feel free to step in at ANY time!" Aedan told Alistair as in his upside down position he tried looking to the other Warden before he felt yet another full force punch to the chest. Was this it? was he about to join his parent's at the Maker's side?

"Get ready to roll out of the way when you land" Alistair's voice demanded as the blonde Warden was able to slowly climb up the massive darkspawn as it was busy on pummelling the life out of Aedan and soon Alistair found himself sitting on the darkspawn's broad shoulder's and thrust his longsword into the back of the ogre's head which caused it to stop beating the life out of Aedan and the young noble dropped onto his back on the floor.

Aedan quickly did as Alistair told as he saw the ogre's body about to fall down and crush him he quickly dove away from his reclined position narrowly missing the massive darkspawn as it crashed face first onto the floor, dead. The wooden floor creaking slightly as the ogre's massive bulk smashed onto it.

Aedan looked towards Alistair "thanks" he said, genuinely "not sure my mother and father wanted me to join them too soon"

Alistair merely shrugged "we're brother's in arms now. I wasn't about to fail Duncan and let you die"

Aedan chuckled lightly "well I appreciate it, and so does Dane" he smiled down at his mabari. "I'm fine, boy"

Dane barked, happily.

"Time to do what we came here to do then" Aeden said, motioning to the signal fire which was promptly lit.

"Now it's up to Teyrn Loghain to do his part" Alistair said, hopeful that he would see Duncan again.

A sudden loud commotion could be heard coming from downstairs which was promptly followed by a horde of darkspawn rushing up the stair's.

"Oh fuck" Aedan groaned as he saw the mass of darkspawn surrounding them. They were all about to die, ah well. At least they had done their job. Teyrn Loghain would save the king.