DA:I | Simply Solavellan: A Timeline ✔️

The Warmth of Hope

[Soundtrack: "Hope" by Adrian von Ziegler]

When I came to, I wasn't sure where I was. All I knew was the hard, frozen ground pressed firmly against my back, my ankle wedged underneath the end of a crooked metal railing of the mining rail. I felt no pain at first; my mind was slow to catch up and searched my memories for what had happened prior to waking up in the cold, dark mine shaft.

I squinted in the dark, attempting to make out shapes throughout the tunnel. My neck felt as stiff as the boards that barely clung to the ceiling above which let a little moonlight and snow seep through its cracks. A soft flake fell on my cheek as my mind began to reel at the events that happened just moments before I had landed myself here.

Had it been mere moments? Or had it been hours?

The ancient magister that attacked Haven with his army of red lyrium-crazed Templars knocked me into a trebuchet and snapped at least one rib. I also remember managing my way to the edge of the cliff just in time to dodge the avalanche that ensued after I released the boulder from the trebuchet -- my last desperate act of defiance against this "Elder One."

I thought I was going to die... but after jumping from the low cliffside, I fell into the abandoned mine shaft as the snow plummetted across the cliff's edge. Everything went dark after that.

Now I find myself here, cold and alone, with only the whistling wind to keep me company.

I finally attempted to move, and that's when the pain started to set in. The cold made it much worse. I sat up slowly, and my ribs felt the pain of a thousand knives digging into my side. I was seeing stars. I managed an upright position and examined my body to make sure I wasn't missing anything. 

Then I tried to wriggle my ankle free of the rail. The metal had cut through the leather of my boot and started digging into my ankle. I gritted my teeth as I carefully angled my foot to slip out of the bent railing and examined it further. It was cut, but it wasn't so serious that anything vital was severed. 

I took my time getting to a standing position and reminded myself that I should be in a hurry. Everyone was waiting on me. They probably thought I was dead. I thought that was oddly humorous -- I wondered how long they'd wait for their "herald" to return.

I searched the dark cave for my bow. Sadly, I found it snapped in half with the bowstring tangled around a stalagmite. Without bothering to gather what arrows had fallen out of my quiver, I hobbled my way down the path of the railway to hopefully find an exit.

The moonlight couldn't reach where I had stumbled into, so I carefully walked with one hand clutching my ribs and one hand outstretched to feel for my surroundings.

I had traveled so far into the tunnels that I began to feel claustrophobic. One false move and I could get completely turned around. For all I knew, I could be lost down there forever. I made sure to follow the tracks closely. All that worried me with this plan was when the tracks split. I had to take it on faith that I took the right turn.

Finally, I could hear the wind again. I followed the noise to an area where the ceiling of the tunnel was barely sheltered by wooden boards, much like the entrance I clambered into after the battle. The moonlight was lighting the area through the cracks and holes.

Before I could breathe easy, I saw the silhouette of a hooded frost demon floating his way around the open room ahead. As it floated mindlessly, it bumped into a weathered barrel and startled itself. It attacked in an instant, slashing the barrel in half. The sudden attack alerted other demons -- three green whisps -- who searched the area.

I was frozen in place. I was afraid to make my way down the tunnel. I could see the exit just on the other side of the wide room, but there was no way I could make it past the demons in one go. I was too slow and had no weapon. After careful consideration, I attempted to backtrack to the last area the tracks split off and go a different route.