Asher Lavellan had never asked for this responsibility. Somehow a recon mission for the clan had turned into him being held up as the Herald of Andraste. Andraste! He didn't even believe in the Maker, he was ELVEN but this didn't even seem to faze them. No matter how many times he told them that he wasn't the chosen one, wasn't there by some sort of divine intervention, they simply smiled and shook their heads convinced that he was in some sort of denial.

They had followed him. The humans had agreed to raise an elf onto a pedestal as a sign of their maker and although he rejected their faith he supported their cause. Somewhere along the way he had developed a sense of a responsibility for these people. In spite of their false beliefs Asher found himself striving to meet their expectations. If he walked away now he would not be able to face the crushed faces of all those who had trusted him to help. And although he found it inevitable that they would eventually realize that he wasn't an instrument of their maker, he could not bring himself to crush them so completely by turning from their cause. Not when he was the only one with the power to close the rifts.

And that idiotic sentimentality is how he found himself here in this situation. Honestly, there really must be something wrong with him. Putting his own life at risk for a bunch of humans. Good people maybe, but a race that had brought his own to the brink of destruction. Had all but wiped out his culture and then lowered them to the level of second class citizens in Thedas. Even as these thoughts streamed through his head he found himself turning to Cullen.

"Can you get them out? If that thing is here for me I'll distract it." The words coming out his mouth sounded a lot more confident than he felt. An Old God and an Archdemon. There was no way he was getting out of this alive.

"And when the mountain falls? What about you?" Cullen's voice was laced with concern. Asher was a little startled. A few weeks ago he had been little more than a prisoner who conveniently possessed the power to close the breach. When had the relationship between him and the others changed so much?

Cullen's question was answered with silence. Asher would fight, but realistically he had no real chance of getting out of this alive. He was being stupid, he shouldn't be putting himself at risk but the alternative was unacceptable. For the people of Haven that had gathered around him to die because that monster out there was after him.

"Perhaps you will surprise it? Find a way?" Cullen spoke realizing what Levellan's expectations were.

Once again Asher didn't respond. Lashing his twin blades to his back, and ensuring that his armor was fixated tightly to his person Asher turned to the rest of his group.

"I'm coming with you." That was Cass. She had rubbed him the wrong way in the beginning. But after spending so much time with her he had come to admire her passion and bravery. She was devout but not in a way that allowed her to make excuses for the Chantry. When something needed to be done, she was always the first person to be on the front lines. When he had asked her about it she had simply said that she didn't believe in asking someone else to take up a responsibility that she herself was not willing to accept.

"No, Cassandra." Asher shook his head slowly. "I need you to go with Cullen and make sure the rest of these people make it out of Haven safely. We brought them here and promised them safety. With you and Cullen at their sides I won't have to worry about the evacuation."

Cassandra looked like she wanted to argue but one look at the refugees waiting to be evacuated made her nod her head reluctantly. "Take someone with you though. You will need the support."

Asher's eyes scanned over the small group. Surprisingly every one of them looked back at him with determination in their eyes. They were all willing to go out there with him. Even Dorian, whom he had just met, did not shirk away when their eyes met.

He would have told them all to go if he could. But if he did that, there was a chance that he might fail and no matter what happened he needed to make sure that mountain came down or the refugees would not be able to make it out. Steeling himself Asher took command, aware that he might very well be signing their death warrants.

"Blackwall, I need you to take point. If that thing is really an Archdemon we're going to need a warden. Sera, Varric, and Cole I need you to go with the refugees. We don't know where that exit leads. They'll need scouts to guide them. Lady Vivienne, you're with the refugees as well. I would feel better if they had a mage with your experience at their side. Solas and Dorian with me. I'm going to need all the magical assistance I can get against that thing."

It was a strange feeling having everyone follow his orders without question. Asher wasn't sure he would ever get used to that.

You won't need to. A little voice inside his head spoke up. Not like you'll live much longer anyway.

Asher shook his head to clear the thoughts. If he went out there expecting to lose then he might as well be damning everyone. There were three people going out there with him and he would take on the Elder One alone before he let his defeatist attitude sentence them to their deaths.

"They'll load the trebuchets." Cullen spoke gesturing at two of his men "Keep the Elder One's attention until we're above the tree line. If we are to have a chance – if you are to have a chance- let that thing hear you."

Asher allowed Cullen's words to fill him with determination for his grim task. He nodded to Cullen as the man turned decisively to assist with the evacuation effort.

With Blackwall at his side and Solas and Dorian behind him, Asher stepped out of the safety of the Chantry building and focused simply on reaching the trebuchet in time.

Once they were outside the sheer volume of enemies they were faced with no longer allowed any stray thoughts of despair fill his head.

Stab. Duck. Hack. Parry. Slash. Dodge.

His mind focused purely on his next move as they fought through the swarm of enemies to the trebuchet. Things were no different when they finally reached the trebuchet either. The party was forced to fight off waves of incoming enemies while Asher adjusted the aim of the trebuchet. His focus distracted he almost did not notice when the towering figure of Knight Captain Denam came up behind him. He was mutated so heavily he was almost beyond recognition but that stream of thought was quickly interrupted as his fists came hurling downward. Asher managed to leap out of the way of the first blow, but the Knight Captain quickly followed his initial blow with another that would have blown him backwards if not for the barrier that divided them at the last minute.

"Don't lose focus!" That was Dorian.

Nodding thankfully for the assistance Asher quickly used his stealth to slip into the shadows as Blackwall came forward to direct the Knight Commander's ire at himself. He took a few blows on his shield before Solas froze Denam in place temporarily, giving Asher the opportunity to sink his blades into the mutation's back. He heard the clash of metal against metal as his blades failed to penetrate the armor. Not letting the opportunity slip by, he lifted his blades and kept pounding them repeatedly into the man's back. Dorian for his part was shooting bursts of electricity from behind Blackwall.

Solas's hands fell to his side as he was unable to hold the cooling spell any longer and Asher was promptly flung off the Knight Commader's back and sent crashing into the wall.

He heard the yell of alarm from his companions as he struggled to get back up. His chest hurt. He must have busted a rib or two and he could feel blood trickling down the side of his head.

Damn, we haven't even seen the Elder One or the Archdemon yet and I'm already in this condition. GET UP DAMMIT. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE BEFORE YOU BRING DOWN THAT MOUNTAIN.

Steeling himself for the pain, Asher lifted his head. Eyes coming into focus in time to see the Knight Commander advancing on him. Blackwall desperately trying to get the Templar's attention directed back at himself and failing. Solas launching spell after spell. Both him and Dorian had exhausted their barriers and would need time to recover before they could launch another one. It wouldn't make it in time. Speaking of Dorian, where was the man?

Dragging himself to his feet in an attempt to outrun the Knight Commander, Asher knew that he wasn't going to be able to make it. Fortunately it turned out that he didn't have to. Dorian sent a cracking bolt into the back of Denam's armor. The crack that Asher had made with his earlier persistence split, breaking the armor completely.

Roaring with fury Knight Commander Denam's mutated form turned towards Dorian and began to charge. Asher's eyes widened with alarm. Dorian had saved him, he could not let the price for that action be Dorian's death.

Gritting his teeth he forced his body into action and leapt up onto the back of the commander and drove his daggers deep into the man's chest where the armor had broken. Blackwall then smashed into the man with his shield. Sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Asher groaned from the pain and quickly turned to the Knight Commander but the man did not move. Sighing with relief he slumped back into the ground. But that relief was short lived. They still had a job to do.

"Blackwall help me up. We have to finish aiming the trebuchet before the next wave comes."

"You stay right there and catch your breath for a second. I'll finish it up." Blackwall replied.

Asher wanted to argue but he really wasn't in any condition to do so, so he remained where he was, allowing Dorian to lift him up. Leaning heavily on the Tevinter mage, Asher allowed his eyes to scan the sky, widening with alarm at what they saw. He lifted himself off Dorian and rushed forward just as Blackwall finished adjusting the aim.

"It's the Archdemon! RUN NOW!" Asher screamed as he grabbed Blackwall by his armor and bodily pushed him forward. The others looked up with alarm and quickly began sprinting as fast as they could. Asher was in the rear and his injuries prevented him from moving as quickly as the others so when the Archdemon descended, bathing the town in flames Asher was caught in the explosion and bodily thrown to the side.

Coughing he screamed as loudly as he could, "Keep running and don't look back!"

The others had to believe he was okay or they would turn back and get themselves killed. He was the target here. They had come this far with him and for that he was grateful but there was no need for them all to die in this madness.

Once again he forced himself back to his feet. This is getting rather repetitive. If I get knocked down again I'm not sure I'll be able to get back up.

There was a figure coming towards him through the flames. As Asher readied himself for an attack. The Archdemon landed behind him with a loud thud. Surrounded with no weapons, Asher laughed bitterly. There was no getting out of this one. All he could do now was make sure he bought enough time for the others to escape. So when the Elder One, approached him haughtily, Asher leapt at the chance to drag out the conversation.

Corypheus, as he learned the Elder One was called, did not seem to realize that Asher was buying time. Or maybe he just didn't think that it would matter in the end.

"I will have the Anchor back. The process of its removal begins now."

As he spoke, Corypheus activated the orb in his hands and a searing pain launched through Asher's hand. His vision blackened once more and it was all he could do to keep from passing out. The as suddenly as it began the pain stopped and Asher looked up at that corrupted face. If it was possible for that face to make any expression Asher thought that it looked frustrated.

Corypheus marched forward and grabbed his hand. Lavellan's body was too bruised and battered to put up much resistance as he was bodily lifted into the air so that his face was eye level with Corypheus.

Corypheus spoke in a low menacing growl "I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own. To champion withered Tevinter and correct this blighted world. Beg that I succeed for I have seen the throne of the gods and it was empty!"

He punctuated this last word by hurling Lavellan into the wooden trebuchet.

"The anchor is permanent. You have spoiled it with your stumbling. So be it. I will begin again, find another way to give this world the nation – and god- it requires. And you, I will not suffer even an unknowing rival. You must die"

So Corypheus had not been able to get what he wanted. Smirking, Asher looked up. At least if he was going to die he had stuck it to this bastard one last time.

But not there is still a job to do. Asher's eyes fell towards a sword lying close to him on the ground. One last job before you can call quits. Come on body. We made it this far don't fail me now.

Scraping forward Lavellan grabbed the sword and with his back supported by the wooden body of the trebuchet he spoke his last words of resistance.

"It won't end here! If I'm dying it's not today!" And with that he brought the sword down on the rope that was holding the trebuchet's cargo in place. The rock was launched into the mountainside and not even turning to verify that the avalanche had begun Asher sprinted as fast as his broken body could carry him. I guess I haven't given up on getting out of this alive after all.

And with that thought a group of rocks fell behind him, the force hurling him forward into a cavern beneath the ruins of Haven.