boxofmisfits | A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

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A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

It had been a week now since that day they had decided to start traveling together.

It had been nice- traveling alongside someone else, having stories shared with him and even sharing some very heavily edited ones of his own given that edited stories were all he could offer without sounding completely off in the head. It had also been difficult given that Altair had to be very careful to not let even a slip of skin show. Wandering off on his own during times Anders was otherwise occupied to clean himself or to eat or drink.

Still, Altair preferred it to traveling alone- even if he had found a lot of ghosts along the way to talk to. Having a friend among the living was nice too.

As they traveled on this particular day, the light was quickly being replaced with the darkness of night.

Some old and unused path through a forest, that had once been a well-traveled road if the old rock fence he was currently keeping his balance on as he walked along the top of it rather than on the path through the trees was anything to go by- maybe the place had been settled some time ago. Maybe people had lived out here. It seemed likely, all things considered. Maybe they'd find something neat if they kept walking in this direction.

Who knew.

He wasn't so focused on that at the moment though, instead keeping his head tilted back so his face was turned up to the sky- knowing that the stars would be starting to come out soon.

"Do you ever wonder if there's life out there?" He asked his companion, breaking the comfortable silence they'd been traveling in for a little while.

It was a question that had been on his mind, all things considered.

Maybe there was a similar Empire to his own out there. Maybe a Galactic Republic or something like it. Or perhaps all the worlds out there were like this one- still so early in their development.

Altair wondered if this planet had even gotten to the part of history where they were wondering or theorizing about whether or not there was life out in space too. Maybe he was sounding completely insane to Anders by asking.

But then, a lot of things Altair had said and done since they first met probably seemed completely insane, so it really was business as usual.

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Coming across Templars wasn't exactly a rare occasion. Seemed their particular brand of evil was spreading across the land like a sickness, if you asked Altair. Even now they woke up every day and chose cruelty despite having every opportunity in the world to stop and say that enough was enough and that they would no longer raise a hand to harm another innocent mage.

There were a lot of them this time though.

And trying to avoid them hadn't worked- it had become a battle before Altair knew it.

It had been going fine until another group of them had joined the fray, and he could sense their intent- to separate him from Anders and overwhelm them separately. He could sense their intent to hurt too and when that intent turned to Anders despite Altair's attempts to keep most of their attention on him, his desire to protect the mage- not to mention his desire to not lose him, selfishly- won out over continuing to pretend to be something he was not.

The lightsaber hidden beneath his outfit was unhooked in a flash, red blades flaring to life, casting its eerie glow over the darkening surroundings- a single swipe cut through the Templar who had been crowding him, slicing through the metal of his armor like it wasn't even there. A dash forward and the hum of his blade and two more of them laid in pieces, and the battle fell into chaotic shouts as malice turned to fear.

The rush of a blade overhead, the pressure of the air moving just above his head as he ducked down, bringing his lightsaber up and slicing through the sword like it was nothing as well, sending the pieces into the ground, followed by the shocked Templar's arm, and then his head.

Through their shock he could sense the remainders of the ones who had attacked them turn to at least try to get at Anders- the wise thing to do would have been for them to run- and as Altair sensed killing intent, he thought he heard himself yell no because as much as he knew the mage was plenty capable and even confident in battle, Altair hated the feeling of attention leaving him to be directed at someone he loved.

Whether it was Anders or his loved ones at home, it was better if people attacked him.

So perhaps it was no surprise that he instinctively reached out with the Force- halting the Templars where they stood, swords raised but unable to bring them down, followed by the sound of metal being crumpled and flesh and bone breaking beneath, followed by the clatter of heavily armored bodies to the ground as Altair came to his senses again.

"Anders!"

Returning his lightsaber to his side, he was quick to head toward the other man, concern obvious in his body language as well as in his voice- "Are you- Did they hurt you-?"

They couldn't avoid the Templars forever. The way Anders saw it, if they wanted peace, they would have left the Order, or at least made an offer of surrender. But they weren't out for justice, they were out for blood. Mage blood, his blood. They were just taking their creed to its logical conclusion.

Plus, Anders rather liked seeing Altair in action. He swore, that man liked killing Templars even more than Justice did. He could easily pass for an Orlesian bard, with the outfit and the way he fought. Templars were only trained to fight mages and demons, but they were ill-prepared for rogues and fellow warriors. They probably assumed that there was no need to learn to fight non-mages, figuring that the general population was on their side.

It was when he began to be overwhelmed that he started to worry, as he felt himself begin to run out of mana.

Before Justice could make an appearance to defend them, they heard an odd snap-hiss noise, immediately followed by a red glow. Anders's head snapped in that direction and his eyes went wide. He could only stare in awe as Altair sliced through the Templars like butter, using a glowing red weapon unlike anything Anders had ever seen.

Turning back to the Templars attacking him, he continued to stare agape as their armor crushed them. Templar armor was enchanted to resist magic, to say nothing of how Anders had yet to see magic that could do that to armor.

"Huh?" He turned to Altair, giving a small nod. "I'm fine, yes... How did you...?" He looked at the weapon in Altair's hand. "That... that weapon, it's like the blades are made of magic."

Altair hadn't meant to crush the Templars into their armor to the point that their bodies wouldn't be able to be extracted from the metal without cutting them out of it, really. But he had sensed their intentions, and he had sensed Anders becoming overwhelmed, and he'd sort of lost it for a moment.

It was scary and fascinating all at once whenever it happened, because it felt like everything faded away- sound and sight and smell and maybe even reason- in the drive to protect those he cared about. But Anders was okay and he could breathe.

"Good..."

The Templars certainly weren't fine- were they all dead?- had some of them had the sense to flee?- but Altair didn't care. Though he was all for second chances normally, Templars were people he enjoyed killing because like with some of his darker fellow Sith, he couldn't understand how so much malice could be gathered in a single person.

"And it's... A weapon from home. It's called a lightsaber."

A dualsaber in this case, but still. That particular detail didn't matter right now.

As he could sense that they were alone, he reached to remove his mask and the white hood over his head, so he could look at Anders to confirm that he was completely alright. Another conversation was coming, he knew, but he just needed to make sure his mage friend was alright.

"I'm glad they didn't hurt you."

He glanced at the very crushed body of a Templar and frowned ever so slightly. Not the worst thing he'd ever done to a person, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant sight.

"We should probably move in case there are more of them around."

"A lightsaber." He had so many questions about it. Was it magic? An enchantment? Technology? Some combination of those things? And the way it had just cut through armor, even the best sword couldn't do that.

"Good idea," Forcing himself to move, Anders began walking. This part of Ferelden still had plenty of forested area for them to hide in. Ever since they'd left the cabin, he'd thought about where to start searching for Birch. By all accounts, he was still in Ferelden, and still with Zevran. So they just had to start asking if anyone had seen an elven Warden with an Antivan elf. Perhaps they needed to start following the Templar corpses or the good deeds.

Birch wasn't on his mind at the moment, however. "Are you a mage?"

Altair followed along, not putting his hood and mask back on just yet, since they were alone anyway.

Someone would have a very bad day when they came upon those Templar corpses, but it wasn't like that was any of their concern any more. Or perhaps the area was secluded enough that they'd just stay there and rot. Who knew, really.

"We're called Force sensitives. It's a little different than magic."

Altair certainly couldn't call upon the elements like a mage could. And the power came from different places, he thought.

"By this world's standards, I suppose I would be a mage. Just... A very specialized one, I suppose?"

"Force sensitive," There was a kind of magic specialization called force magic, but he'd yet to see a force mage do that. "I suppose the Templars wouldn't care about the difference regardless." As far as they'd be concerned, Altair had powers beyond what mortals should be able to do, and therefor he was a mage and thus inherently dangerous.

"Justice thought he could sense power within you when he got up close back at the cabin, but he was also confused because he couldn't hear you... sing."

"If they were exposed to just my powers, then they probably wouldn't, no. If I faced them as I am, I'm certain they'd be crying about a demon rather than worrying about whether or not I have powers, I imagine."

Altair wondered what they'd do. Stand and a fight or run and cower. Altair's money was on the second option. The Templars weren't brave warriors fighting to protect the innocent, after all. The only time they acted was when they thought they had found an easy target to victimize. Abhorrent bullies who would not be able to survive even a day as a mage, of that Altair was sure.

Now that the truth was out, Altair internally debated whether or not to trap Templars in their own nightmares in the future, really.

After a second, he decided against it- knowing the Templars they would not see the error of their ways, but instead let it drive them further into zealotry and push them even further into thinking that mages were dangerous and that their mission was a just one.

Altair was certain that this Maker of theirs could descend down to the world in a spectacular show of the heavens opening up and a celestial choir resounding throughout all the lands and the Templars would likely turn on him too and think him a mage to victimize instead.

"Does magic normally sing then?" He asked then, a bit of curiosity working its way into his voice, pushing thoughts of foolish and cruel Templars from his mind for now. He didn't think that it was a literal singing, after all. Perhaps more like the whispers he sometimes heard in places, like the subtle rush in the Force when thoughts and intents shifted around him.

"Somehow I can't imagine that letting them know that you're from the stars would make it any better." It still amazed him that Altair wasn't human, or any race known to Thedas. It also made him special in a way, in that he was one of the few who knew about the Chiss, and that Altair trusted him enough to let him know.

"Sort of. Spirits can sense magic, and lyrium is basically raw magic in crystal form, and thus they can hear it as music. Get up close to a mage, and he can sense the magic within them too. I can hear it too, through Justice." Though he heard a more muted version, since he was parsing it through a mortal mind.

"Oh, I'm certain they'd want to string me up by my entrails should they find out. That or kill me and preserve my corpse for study or display in some eccentric's mansion."

Not like that was unheard of, for an unknown species to become some degenerate's prized possession under the guise of research or collector's curiosity. Whether insect or animal or man of an unknown species, there was always someone looking to possess that which was unique- perhaps if found out, the Templars would want to kill him and he'd be stuffed in some Chantry basement for a few hundred years to be kept some dirty secret, only to be dragged out some day and stuffed in a glass case for the world to see.

That had happened on occasion even back in his own world.

Despite the gruesomeness of that concept though, Altair spoke of the concept rather the same way he'd speak of the weather. Like he didn't even resent the thought of that happening all that much.

"And I see. In the Force I can hear whispers. I can sense surface thoughts, emotions, intentions. Sometimes it feels like standing in a rushing river, almost deafening, and other times it's like the slightest breeze. No singing, though. But I can understand the concept."

He smiled slightly, sort of wishing he'd come clean earlier.

"You and Justice are very comfortable presences. I've felt a lot of malice in this world and it's been deafening at times. You and Justice feel like being pulled in from a torrential downpour and into a warm room with a gently crackling fire, really."

Anders blushed slightly, looking at his boots in an attempt to hide it. Even Justice was feeling some bashfulness. "You're too kind." He looked back up at Altair. "You can sense thoughts and feelings, though? Without blood magic?"

Altair couldn't help but smile. Anders was cute when he blushed.

"I can, yes. I think all Force sensitive people can, though our strength varies greatly between individuals. Someone who's not very sensitive to it at all may be limited to getting a bad feeling every once in a while, like sensing bad intent even though nothing seems to be wrong on the surface. And then there's people like me to whom it comes very easily."

Altair had definitely met Force sensitives like that, where they were very limited in what they could do. Didn't change the fact that the power came from the same place though, and that it was rather universal so far as the Force went. Or so he thought, anyway.

"Of course some of our abilities would probably come across as blood magic here, even though they would never be called that where I come from. Overwriting wills, for example. I could probably mind trick a whole lot of Templars to walk into a lake in full armor and just not come back up."

It'd be funny.

He wouldn't.

But it'd be funny.

"... I feel like it's also important to note that the Force runs through all living things where I'm from. An energy that binds all life in the galaxy together. So while we do categorize things as light or dark, we don't draw very clear lines between abilities like what seems to be done for magic."

"This Force sounds similar to magic, and yet also completely different." Now that he thought about it, since Altair's powers didn't come from the Fade, then would Templar abilities work on him? Their enchanted armor hadn't protected them from a lightsaber.

"I knew an elven woman back in Kirkwall, Merrill, and she said that there was a time when all elves had magic. She also said that while many elves aren't full mages, they do still have some innate magical sense. And in a way, all beings are connected to the Fade, even if they lack the ability to do magic, because that's where we go when we dream. Well, I say all beings, but dwarves are completely disconnected from the Fade, meaning they don't dream and can't be born as mages."

"Similar yet very different indeed. I know there are species who are more likely to be Force sensitive, and then there are species like mine where there are very few. And I'm certain there are species who cannot be born Force sensitive at all, even though the Force runs through them too."

The Rakata came to mind, even though that too was different, since they once had been able to be Force sensitive but gradually lost that ability. Altair was certain that Ashaa would see to it that they'd never again be able to regain it either, however long the remaining ones who still escaped that Mother's fury struggled for it.

Not that he was about to start talking about that.

It was just curious how many similarities there were, even if the wellspring that their powers came from was different.

"You go to the Fade while dreaming though... I wish I could, too. I've walked in dreams before, but I think it's probably different."

"Would you believe I've been sent into the Fade twice? Once was in the Blackmarsh, and the other was in Kirkwall, when we saved a young mage from demons." Both very different experiences, between the circumstances and one being after Anders agreed to host Justice. Birch had even been sent into the Fade during the Blight, when he'd gone to recruit the mages.

"Our connection to the Fade is also what makes us more vulnerable to demons. They come to us in our dreams, promising power if we just let them in." He'd even seen mages submit to the Rite of Tranquility after the nightmares became too much for them to handle. "Though, ever since I started sharing a body with Justice, I don't get very many visits from demons in my dreams anymore."

"That sounds both frightening and fascinating."

Altair would love to experience that for himself, but then, he was rather prone to tossing himself into dangerous situations with the intent to either gain something or come to study and understand something. He was well aware of that, of course, though had zero intentions of ever changing.

"I'm glad you don't get many visits from demons any more. I've had... Entities? Ghosts?... Try to take over my body before, against my will."

Admittedly he'd invited those in, but still. It had been unpleasant.

"It's not a pleasant feeling."

"I can't imagine that it is. Still, is the fact that such a thing is possible used as a reason to lock all Force sensitives away?"

The question was mostly rhetorical, since Altair had made it clear that Force sensitives were free to do what they wanted. From what he'd seen, Altair's powers could be just as deadly as magic.

"My situation is rather... Unique, I suppose. I'm sure you've seen how ghosts tend to flock to me even in haunted places here."

Even here, even though the powers came from different places, he still drew ghosts to him. Some places he'd passed through before meeting Anders had even become haunted despite being peaceful before he had come there, since Altair had assumed that the ghosts here were different.

"Most Force sensitives aren't spirit magnets the way that I am. Nor do they cause spirits to feel strong emotions the way I do. I'm glad Justice seems immune to that, really. I don't think I could ask for forgiveness enough should my presence affect him negatively somehow."

Altair didn't even know why he was the way he was, really. But that quality did seem to be rather unique to him, even though he knew there had to be more like him somewhere.

"But you don't have to be Force sensitive to become possessed either. If the spirit is strong enough, then any living vessel will do. And these spirits are often strong in the Force themselves, so there's no difference between the harm a possessed Force sensitive could do or the harm someone who's not could do."

Sith Lords were going to Sith Lord even after death, Altair supposed. Any meat puppet would probably be acceptable.

"So no. Force sensitives are not locked away for something that isn't their fault to begin with."

Not in the Empire. Not in the Republic.

Perhaps some places, though Altair had a hard time imagining mass possession anywhere other than in the Empire. But still.

"Oh, you certainly have an effect on him," Anders said quietly. Justice certainly felt some form of strong emotion around Altair. That Justice seemed immune to any negative effects of Altair's power, perhaps it was because he was bound to a mortal, or had enough willpower to resist.

"Funny, because in Kirkwall, we found proof that non-mages can get possessed too. In fact, there was a whole blood mage ring that was getting Templars possessed by demons." And yet there was no call to lock up all the Templars, or decide that they needed Harrowings too. A Templar abomination was just as dangerous as a mage one.

"Then I'm glad it's not a negative effect. I'd never want to hurt either of you, even unintentionally."

And having his innate power affect either of them negatively would definitely count as hurting, in Altair's book. While he hadn't really been aware of Justice to begin with with the exception of Anders feeling a bit different, he cared for both of them now, and would probably recommend a bit of distance between them should his presence have a negative effect on either of them.

"And yet no one's shrieking about locking them up. Or any other non-mage, for that matter. I'd bet any person could become possessed should the cards happen to fall that way."

Not being as exposed didn't mean immune, after all, in the same way the Force could affect those not sensitive to it in his own world. A particularly determined spirit could even take control of droids. So the idea was hardly so outlandish.

"... I feel like I should apologize to you again. First my species, now this..."

He was rarely inclined to lie at home- he didn't often need to despite being Sith- but here it felt like he was living a lie most of the time, all things considered. Well, aside from the lie about being a Pantoran, anyway, though even that had become less and less common.

Still, thinking back, he felt like he should have just come clean about everything back when he revealed his species.

"Exactly. Nor are mages the only ones who can fall for a demon's tricks and promises." He wouldn't be surprised if the Templars had encountered abominations who hadn't originally been mages, but chose to keep that part quiet. After all, if non-mages could also fall prey to demons, then that damaged the Chantry's argument for mage imprisonment.

"If you'd told me the truth, I may have had a hard time believing you. Besides, it's not as if I told you all my secrets right away."

Altair could imagine how easy it was for anyone to fall for a demon's tricks, regardless of whether or not they were mages. Though his world didn't have demons in the same way that this world did, plenty of people fell for promises of power, or fell under the control of particularly strong ghosts. And whenever something major happened along those lines, it was often swept under the rug- though admittedly for different reasons.

"Still... I'd like to be honest with you from now on."

Anders and Justice both deserved the truth. They didn't deserve lies, and Altair trusted them both.

"Once we've gone far enough to not be in as much danger, there are things I'd like to tell you. About myself, and about my world, too."

"I'm not exactly one to talk when it comes to not telling someone the truth."

It still ate Anders up that he'd lied to Hawke about what he'd been planning for the Chantry on that fateful day. Even though Hawke had been very understanding at the time, Anders had still felt guilty. Afterwards, he'd admitted that he should have simply trusted Hawke, even as Hawke forgave him and said that he would have gone along with the plan had he known.

"I'm sure that nothing you tell me could be enough to make me not want to be your friend."

"I'm glad to hear that."

He sounded genuine, and he was- they hadn't known each other long in the grand scheme of things, but Altair was certainly already attached- and wanted to make sure that their friendship would be a lasting one. Attachment always had come easy to Altair, despite how the Sith warned against his particular brand of genuine love for the people in his life. But he had, of course, never been one to let the Sith dictate how he lived his life.

As he'd said though, it was a conversation that would need to wait until they were safely away- and so night had fallen and camp had been made by the time he was ready to sit down and actually talk.

"I told you before that things are different where I come from. That mages- Force sensitives- aren't... Treated like they are here."

He paused, thinking about how to phrase what he was about to say, tilting his head back to look up at the stars above. It still sort of amazed him how many stars could be seen here- it usually did, on any planet that wasn't full of light pollution.

"That is true, for the most part. We do have our issues, but that's... Not one of them. But..."

There was, of course, that but-

He did pause though. Waiting to see if Anders had anything he wanted to say before he continued.

Anders helped set up camp that night, and took the cat into his lap as they sat around the fire, idly petting him and listening to him purr. He kept his eyes on Altair as he spoke, eager to hear more about his world and Force sensitives.

But there was that note of fear. Like when Anders had confessed to him about the Chantry explosion. That fear that what he had to say would make Anders reject him. Altair condoning what he'd done, saying that it was the right thing to do, had been such a relief. More than a relief, it strengthened the feeling that Anders (and Justice) had for him.

"Whatever problems you have, it can't be worse than things here. I'd love nothing more than for Thedas to realize that magic isn't the cause of all evil, and not judge all of us for the actions of a few. That mages as a whole aren't going to turn all of Thedas into Tevinter should we become free."

Altair smiled very slightly, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He knew he wasn't to blame for it, but he still felt bad for keeping it to himself for so long, when there were places in his own world that saw Force sensitives in much the same way that mages were seen here.

"I'd love nothing more either. Magic just is, much like the Force in my own world. It's hard to ascribe morals to a force of nature. The Force has a light side and a dark side and there are those who think that the dark side itself is evil, but what ultimately matters is what you do with the gift you've been given."

That was what he believed, anyway. He saw magic in much the same way.

"Plus I think people need to sit down and think about why they think punishing the whole for the actions of a few is justified, when there seems to be about twenty or thirty morally bankrupt Templars for each one of those few mages."

He sighed, and looked into the fire, falling quiet for a moment, "Force sensitives aren't normally treated the way mages are here, but... I wasn't entirely truthful. There are places- certain groups of people- who see us as... Contaminated. Impure. They think that being Force sensitive means that there's something... Wrong with you, somehow."

Altair was small already, though seemed even smaller as he spoke, "My people- the Chiss- see us like that. I wasn't born where my people are from, but... From what I understand, some Chiss are made to use drugs or have surgeries that cut them off from the Force. Some are sent away from all they know- exiled- to try their luck elsewhere. And if any Chiss is found using their powers, then they're executed- without question, without trial."

A very small shrug before he continued, his voice much quieter, "My family saw the Force like that."

He probably didn't need to elaborate on what that meant. When someone saw someone else as being made wrong somehow, it wasn't exactly usually met with kindness.

A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

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