What is Justice? chp.33

Chapter 33: Requiem of a spirit.

"Thera, I don't mean to seem like I am trying to hound you about Anders, but I worry," Sebastian said, sipping on his tea.

Thera for the most part kept her calm while the man talked; after all she had been listening to a similar song from Fenris for years, but there was something about Fenris' opinion that made it seem miles away from this. She listened mildly and nodded at the right times. She couldn't help but wonder if Sebastian just liked the sound of his own voice.

"I know this can't be easy for you, Sebastian, but truly, Anders is a good man. Justice is a bit abrasive and narrow minded, but he means well in all his intentions." She paused for a moment, searching for words to better put the spirit into perspective for Sebastian. "He is like a child set loose into a foreign place he knows almost nothing of."

"So we should excuse a child for their behavior?" Sebastian said with some distaste in his mouth.

"Why can't it be that simple? They will never learn if someone doesn't help them. Anyhow, I hope you didn't come here to argue about Anders."

"Right." Sebastian figured Thera was no longer going to listen on the subject of Anders. "I never felt I really repaid you for all your help with the regards of getting justice for my family…"

People always speak of justice, but scorn it when they meet it in flesh. Thera thought to herself as Sebastian rambled about her killing off the mercenaries and how he admired her good deeds, or some such. She let her mind drift off to thoughts about Anders what he was doing. She hoped he and Justice were doing alright, she hadn't seen them after the masquerade about a week ago. She was worried Justice might be embarrassed about his request, and had caused Anders to go into hiding.

Sebastian's speech and Thera's thoughts were disturbed by the sound of the study door flying open.

"Thera! Wait, what is he doing here?" Anders blurted out. He looked tired and stricken with a mix of fear and anger.

"Anders, is everything alright?" Thera asked, standing. She looked the mage over to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"I need your help…I'd rather talk to you alone about it," Anders glared at Sebastian.

"If you need help, it can't be too urgent if you need to wait for me to leave," Sebastian shrugged.

"Sebastian, please," Thera urged.

The over-judgmental chantry boynodded and said his goodbye to Thera, thanking her for the tea, and chat. He also nodded at Anders as he left.

Anders waited until he heard the front door open and close before he even bothered to breathe a word. "They are trying to make every mage Tranquil!" Anders cried, practically running over to Thera, his arms opened to embrace her.

"What?" Thera was caught by the distraught mage in an embrace.

"The Templars. There are more and more tranquil in the Gallows! No, I am not just seeing things. Some of them are good mages, people who passed their Harrowing."

"Anders, they can't do that. It's against the law," Thera tried to calm him down. Though she wouldn't find it hard to believe in this city; she didn't want to think that the Knight Commander had really slipped that far down into madness.

"But they are! I have to do something… you have to do something… we have to," Anders grabbed his head and shook it, his face wet from tears that had started to fall.

Thera sat him down and ran her hands through his hair. "You need to calm yourself; you are no help to the mages like this. Justice must be raging right now."

"He is, and I can barely keep a coherent thought," Anders sighed, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Well, do you two have a plan?"

"Yes, the ringleader of this is a Templar by the name of Ser Alrik. I need proof of this Tranquil solution, so I can take it to the Grand Cleric. If we can get into the Circle…" Anders stopped and looked up to see what emotion was on Thera's face. One thing about Thera he had come to learn, her emotions didn't hide.

"Who else would you want to go with us…or would you rather it be a small group of two?"

Anders pondered this for a moment, nuzzling her neck and taking in the smell of her sweet perfume she often wore. It smelt of cherry blossoms in the spring from a foreign land; how he wanted to go to this place when he was near her. How he wished this was all just some dream. Where he found the strength to carry on with all this to free the mages, had to rest solely on Justice alone.

"I wouldn't mind Varric going. I mean some help might be good, in case we run into trouble, but we all can't sneak in," he finally answered.

"Okay, you rest here, you look ragged. I will go see if Varric can join us. Please… get some rest. I promise we will end this," Thera said quietly, as she gently, but firmly made Anders lie on the sofa.

Anders led Thera, Varric, and Merrill to sewer entrance. Merrill was with Varric when Thera arrived to ask, and insisted on coming to help. The sewers gave way to a cavern under the city. It was open and vast.

Thera was thankful Anders knew where he was going. She didn't want to go into a craze like she did with the poison gas. No one spoke as they moved. Anders walked ahead of everyone. Every so often, Thera noticed he would jerk his head like someone having a conversation with themselves. Thera could only imagine the strain Justice was putting on Anders. She wondered what the spirit was barking at the poor mage; the tension rose from him and seeped out into the world.

Some ways in, they started to hear voices. One sounded like a girl in distress. Anders took off after them, like they were fleeing with his soul. They all turned a corner and found themselves looking a group of Templars and a scared young mage.

Thera watched as small blue cracks started to break Anders' skin. Varric readied Bianca, while Merrill looked at both Anders and the Templars with fear. She, too, felt the strain Anders was under.

"The bald one...that's Alrik. He is the one that made Karl Tranquil," Anders hissed through his teeth.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Alrik asked the mage, who just dropped to her knees, sobbing.

"Please, I am sorry. I just wanted to see my family! I will do anything, please don't make me Tranquil," she whimpered.

"You know what happens to mages who disobey. Once you are Tranquil you will do everything I say," Alrik replied with a wicked smile, his voice hinting at some things, Thera would rather not think about.

"In fact…I bet we can get you to do some of that stuff right now…" he continued; moving closer to her, undoing his armor ties. The other Templars started laughing.

Thera felt her blood boil over, and her Reaver start to rise, she wanted this bastard's blood, all of it! Her head pounded with the drums of battle.

"You will not touch her!" Thera growled, her voice sounding guttural.

The Templars turned and smiled. Taking Thera's threat with a grain of salt, as they outnumbered the people before them.

"Who in the Void are you?"Alrik demanded.

"We are the Divine, come all the way from Orlais to tell you what a jackass you are," Varric said, aiming Bianca.

Justice was clawing to get control; his assault was so brutal, Anders, was physically hurting. Anders tried to fight him back, but Justice's anger was stronger and ripped Anders from control and drowned him out, "You will pay for this transgression!" Justice roared, finally taking full control of Anders.

With that, the fight was on. Varric quickly maneuvered over to the mage to give her protection. The fight was proving a challenge, as the Templars didn't spare their smites, they used them as much as they could. Merrill could barely stand and no longer cast, but still she fought on, using her staff like a spear; jabbing at any Templars that got too close. It was times like this she was glad Aveline suggested adding a blade to the end of the staff.

Justice and Thera recklessly jumped into the fray, tearing into their foes. Justice found himself a little staggered, but the rage consuming him overpowered the backlash he was feeling from the smites. Unfortunately for the Templars you cannot drain the mana from something that is in itself a font of the Fade.

Thera let the Templars get hits in so she could revel in the pain and need for it before she tore into them, then used their blood to heal herself. The blood pumping in her sending her into a rage like state using her and their blood to channel attacks no simple warrior could ever do.

It was debatable who was more fearsome, Anders possessed by Justice or Thera…both looked liked monsters.

When most the Templars were down, Thera turned her attention to Alrik who looked like he was going to run. She started towards him, but stopped. She had enough of her mind still to know this was a kill for Justice and Anders.

Justice roared, "You are mine, fiend!"

A blue fire built up around his hands, and then spread over his body. It was so intense everyone averted their eyes. It was like Justice was going to rip himself from Anders. "You will feel my burn," his deeper voice bellowed before he released the fire.

Thera didn't see what happened, but she heard Alrik wail and the smell of burning flesh invaded her nose. It made her ill.

After feeling of illness passed she stood among the corpses licking the blood from her hands and wiping her face clean; while Justice paced the place looking for more Templars.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Varric asked the young mage.

"Keep the demons away from me!" she cried, looking at Justice and Thera.

Thera frowned, but she could understand why the girl would think she was a monster.

Justice however did not understand, and his rage was back. "I am no demon!" he yelled. "Are you one, that you would call me such?" Justice loomed over her, blood dripping from his clothes. Thera had splattered some Templars a little too close to him. Though he didn't look like the demons Thera has seen, there was something about Justice at this moment that looked demonic, but he couldn't see it.

Justice stop it! She is on our side.

Silence, you know not of what you speak.

Justice pushed Anders further back with his rage, choking the mage.

"Calm yourselves, both of you!" Thera interjected. "The fight is over, and we won. That girl was why you were fighting."

"No!" Justice turned to face Thera, "She is theirs. I can feel their hold on her!"

"It's called rape, Justice," Thera said coldly to the spirit. "That isn't a hold, it's a damn nightmare! That's why you are fighting! That's why you saved her. So no mage will be treated like they're nothing but piss." Thera started to show her teeth, she was getting riled up from the spirit; she was still too close to her reaver self for this kind of confrontation.

"She is right, Justice, let her go," Varric added, trying to defuse this. He didn't want the girl hurt, and mostly he didn't want Justice and Thera to go rounds. That fight would shake Kirkwall. Varric never realized how much of an unstable man Anders was.

They're right Justice, please, stop this.

I thought I told you to be quiet? I know what I am talking about she is the enemy. She needs to be dealt with! She is a spy for them…this is a lie!

Justice let out a scream in frustration, this heat that had always been inside him was rising up to the point it was blinding. He felt like he was on fire, and out of control. "If you don't stand with me, you are against me!" he cried as tendrils of magic started to swarm around him. "You all will feel my burn!"

Justice, no!

Then silence, everything stood still. The memory of how he burned Thera flashed before him. Justice regained his mind for a moment, and an overwhelming sense of shame washed over him, weakening him enough for Anders to retake control. The overpowering emotions coming from Justice however knocked Anders to the ground, as his body could barely handle it.

He looked at the blood on his hands; horror set in.

What did you do?

I…

What did you do?

Anders… Justice's voice was almost pleading.

We… you… Maker help me!

"Anders?" Thera asked, running over to him. She forgot she was even mad with him.

"If you weren't here… Justice…" Tears ran down his face. "Don't look at me! I need to get out of here."

Anders scrambled to his feet and took off running. Leaving everyone there stunned and scared for him.

Merrill and Varric looked on, unsure what they should be feeling, or if they should do anything. Never had they seen Anders like this; never did they think he would turn on another mage.

Varric calmed the young mage down and helped her out of the sewers and gave her some coin so she could get out of Kirkwall safely. Merrill, feeling weak from fighting the Templars, went home after Thera assured her that she didn't need her to come along to check on Anders.

Thera stood in front of the clinic doors. One of her hands clenching the papers Ser Alrik had on him. With a shaky hand, she opened one of the doors. Anders was rummaging through his things mumbling incoherently to himself.

"Anders…" Thera stopped, she didn't know what else to say; Maker, she wasn't sure if coming here was even a good idea.

"Leave here," Anders said flatly through his tears.

"Anders, please, calm down and talk to me…what happened back there?" Thera asked, taking a small step forward.

"Leave! I do not want you looking at us." Justice flooded forth. "Do not look at us! I do not want you to see! Leave!"

The tears coming from Anders' eyes looked different. She couldn't place it; where those Justice's tears? Was there a difference? Was this a requiem for a spirit? Was this how they fell from the high perch they once rested on? Was this the start of Justice's downward spiral? Or was this always in motion and she never seen it? Thera didn't say anymore she just turned and walked away, Anders and Justice's sobs grew to howls of pain and sorrow as she walked away. She was scared for them, of them. Her heart felt like it was going to shatter; her chest was so tight she could barely breathe. She wanted to help, but she wasn't sure she could.