I don’t know about you, but it’s been like six plus years since I played Origins and I still viscerally remember the “oh shit” of accidentally kicking up a revenant. This is a scene that happens “off screen” in Mark My Skin, which Alistair mentions in passing while he contemplates buying gloves.
Zevran had been behind him. Alistair had made sure of it. As soon as the unmistakable spiked hand of the revenant had emerged from the soil, they’d fallen into their usual array, with Alistair in front. The others ranged behind him, ready to support and strike from distance and, in Zevran’s case, dart in when opportunities arose. This time there was only one enemy, and Alistair felt sure of his ability to stay in front, to keep the others safe.
But all at once, the revenant all but vanished, just a blur of motion, and that horrible coughing roar came from behind him–yards behind him. He spun, already charging towards the sound before he actually spotted the revenant’s towering shape in the dusk. There was Zevran, just a couple of steps away, spinning with him. Light and quick and graceful in battle in a way Alistair never was even at his best.
And then he was not there.
There was a squawk of surprise, and Zevran was flying through the air towards the revenant, as if it had jerked on a rope round his middle. Alistair bellowed wordlessly and flung himself forward even faster than before. Harper swore and hurled a desperate slowing spell that the revenant shrugged off.
The revenant didn’t bother to catch Zevran. It simply brought up its sword and struck him with the full momentum of his own flight, flat across the chest.
Alistair screamed something–he had no idea what– and lunged the last few steps, cannoning into the revenant with his shield. It was like hitting a stone wall, but he gained perhaps a foot of distance from Zevran’s fallen form. The revenant fought terrifyingly, taking no note of the blows Alistair managed to land. He didn’t have time to think about the hits he took, either. Time enough later to see if any had gotten past the armor. He had to end the fight now.
Finally, he got in a blow that nearly severed the revenant’s neck, and it toppled, head flopping grotesquely to one side.
Wynne was already feverishly at work, but Zevran was horribly still. Alistair fell to his knees next to them. Zevran’s entire breastplate was sheared, hanging open, the tunic below turned from green to muddy brown by blood. Wynne slashed the tunic open to expose a ragged gash a good seven inches long and who knew how deep. Leliana came up behind her with a cloth, which she took and tossed to Alistair.
“Hold it over the wound. Press firmly.”
Alistair did as he was told, glad for the wound to be out of sight. He looked at Zevran’s grey face, feeling sick. Somewhere, Harper was whispering to herself, a steady stream of “Shit, shit, shit, shit.” Alistair though he could see Wynne actually glowing pale blue with the force of her efforts. The passage of time became completely irrelevant; all that mattered was steady pressure on the wound and that still face.
Suddenly, Zevran’s eyes flew open. He sucked in a harsh breath and started coughing. Alistair sagged with relief. Wynne sat back, white as a sheet.
“My friend,” he said, barely above a whisper, “you are bleeding quite heavily.”
Alistair glanced down, confused. It looked like the revenant had gotten into the gap between his breastplate and pauldron after all. The entire right side of his breastplate was a sheet of glossy red.
“Oh,” he said. “Look at that.”
Wynne sighed a very, very tired sigh.