It felt good to be back in her armor.
Fighting made sense to Khari, in a way that a lot of the rest of all this didn't. So when Leon had told her the scouts had reported there was a ruin to investigate, she'd jumped on the chance to go. Considering that various members of the irregulars were still on light duty only, it had been decided that she'd go with Rom, Asala, and Zee to do... whatever it turned out needed doing. Their orders weren't very specific. Maybe because the scouts didn't really know what was going on up there.
Buckling her gauntlets on, Khari reached for a scarf. It had been left in her tent, and no one had come for it, which she took as permission to borrow it for now, at least. Her clan never went as far east as the desert, so she wasn't very familiar with the terrain, but when she'd marched here with head uncovered, she'd ended up with sand in places she never, ever wanted sand to be again, so figuring this out seemed worthwhile.
Having tried about half a dozen different ways and never quite getting a decent replica of how the others had done it, she huffed and exited the tent, still trying to figure the damn thing out. Not looking where she was going, she ended up colliding with somethingâsomeoneâsolid. Being the smaller, lighter person in the collision, she staggered backwards a couple of steps, tilting her head up to identify the other party.
âOh, uh... sorry Asala." Khari paused a moment, then looked down at the scarf in her hands. Asala was from a desert. She'd been there. âD'you know how to do this? I'd rather not get sand down my armor, but I can't figure out how to wrap it right."
Asala had reached for her while she stumbled back, most likely to make sure she didn't fall over, but once it was clear Khari still had her feet under her Asala reeled her hands back in. For her part, she seemed to be prepared to set out herself. She already had a layer of vitaar applied to her face. A golden pigment that complimented her eyes and extended from beneath them to cover her face in various geometric shapes. Her bare shoulders and white hair were likewise accented by the golden substance.
As became the norm for their forays into the warmer areas of Thedas, Asala wore loose clothing with wide necklines no doubt to comply with her set of horns. However, she did wear boots with the billowy trousers she had tucked in and a scarf wrapping around her own neck. Notably, wherever she had exposed skin, she also had a liberal application of vitaar-- to guard against sunburn most like.
She tilted her head as Khari presented her with the scarf before she chuckled to herself. "I do," Asala replied, tugging at the scarf at her own neck. Though the shirt she wore was without sleeves, the scarf did cover her neckline. "I can do it for you, if you would like?"
Khari handed her the scarf with a shrug. âSure. Just do it slowly, so I can figure out for myself the next time, okay?" She stood still, trying not to fidget, since that would probably make things more difficult.
Asala nodded as she accepted the scarf and went to stand behind Khari. As was asked of her, she was slow with wrapping it around her neck with wide motions so that Khari could see clearly. Perhaps maybe she was even a bit too slow, but eventually, the scarf was tied to Khari's neck. "There," Asala stated as she took a step backward. She paused for a moment and pursed her lips before she started again, "I am sorry, but I do not know how to get it to go over your head for, uh, obvious reasons," she said, tapping her horns with an apologetic smile. Probably what the vitaar was for.
âNah. I got that part." Khari tugged a bit at the back, pulling part of the fabric loose and settling it over her vibrant red curls. It was basically a hood, but secure enough not to go anywhere. Another bit from near the front would fit over her nose and mouth if she needed it to, but she left that where it was for now. âThanks, Asala. The others are probably near the gate by nowâwe should go meet them."
Reaching back to make sure Intercessor was secure in its place, Khari led the way forward, passing the mess tent and the command one on her way to the front exit. Someone had already readied the horses for the trip. Definitely better than slogging through sand on foot. She could see Rom and Zee ahead, too, and raised a hand by way of greeting.
âWho's ready to go explore a bunch of rocks buried in sand?" She made it sound sarcastic, but truthfully, she was glad for the opportunity to get out. Griffon Wing wasn't nearly as big as Skyhold, but it was holding almost the same number of people, right now, and Khari felt a bit like a little fish squeezed into a tin.
âI hope these rocks are shiny,â Zahra quipped from the gates, a toothy smile turning the corners of her mouth up. Beneath her own maroon-colored headscarf were fresh bandages wound around her head. Her thick hair lay flat where it was wrapped. The rest of it was pulled into a loose braid which hung down her bare shoulder. Sheâd chosen appropriate clothes as well. A sleeveless vest that allowed for her arm, from her shoulder to her fingers, to be covered in bandages, possibly to protect it from being damaged further. Whoever had done it had taken great care to cover all of the burnt tissue. If she was at all in pain, she certainly didnât show it.
Loose trousers tucked into calf-high boots, fastened with another colorful scarf of sorts, finished her ensemble. Comfortable gear for a trek in the desert. She raised her shoulder in a shrug and readjusted the scabbards, swinging at her hips, with her good hand, âHonestly, Iâm just glad to get out for awhile.â
"Don't get careless," Rom reminded the three women with him. "We don't know what we're walking into." He already sat astride his horse, hood up to guard against the sand. In place of a scarf he wore a more compact piece cloth that clung tighter around the lower half of his face, though it was currently pulled down so he could speak with them more clearly. Zahra laughed and swung herself up onto her horses saddle, albeit a little less gracefully. While she subtly favored her good arm, she didnât appear all that bothered by it. A small knit to her brows that mightâve passed off as minor annoyance, if anything.
Khari snorted, swinging astride her horse with a practiced motion. âI dunno what you're talking about, Rom. I'm never careless." Patting the horse's neck, she steered him towards the gate, waving up to the guards on duty, who cranked the iron portcullis up for the four of them. She led the way without really deciding to do so consciously, easing them up to a ground-eating trot pace while the ground was still slid enough for it.
Asala coughed gently. "Uh, Khari... I am not so certain I believe you," Asala answered, though the little smile to her lips gave away the tease for what it was. Khari grinned.
She'd seen a map of the basic way they were going, and trusted one of the others to point it out to her if she erred too much. âWhat are we supposed to be looking for, anyway? All I got was 'suspicious ruin, go take a look.'" Leon had used much more eloquent words, of course, but the information was essentially the same.
"Ruins make for good hideouts," Rom pointed out, catching up quickly and riding more or less beside Khari. By his tone, general demeanor, and lack of much reaction to her quip, he wasn't in the best of moods. Even with the hood and the mask up, he wasn't so hard to read. "We need to make sure the area is as secure as we can get it before we march back to Skyhold. Venatori held Griffon Wing, they could be elsewhere, too."
âVenatori,â Zahra repeated the word with a sigh. Two shades exasperated. She rounded up alongside Rom and glanced sidelong for a moment before staring off at the horizon. She didnât appear all that concerned whether or not theyâd see any more of them, though it was difficult to tell if anything worried her at all. Her smile hadnât waned since waking up in Griffonâs Keep, neither had her spirits. Perhaps, she was just happy to wake up, and see everyone. âIâd seen enough of those bastards. You think theyâre also looking for stones buried in sand?â It sounded like a rhetorical question.
Khari wondered if something was bothering Rom in particular. Well, actually, that was a stupid thing to wonder. Something probably was, and it was probably whatever had actually happened when they fell into the Fade. Khari didn't know a lot about magic, but she knew that was a big deal. And she'd seen what they looked like walking out of there.
It had been bad enough on her side of things. She pressed her lips into a thinner line, and sighed through her nose. She wanted to ask him about it, but she wasn't sure how, or even if this was the right time. Would it ever be the right time, though? âWe can find out, anyway." She glanced at him once more before putting her eyes in front. Venatori weren't to be trifled with, even if she was pretty sure they could handle whatever small party of them would be out here now.
Gradually, what must have been their destination resolved on the horizon. It looked kind of like a big fancy house, maybe even big and fancy enough to be called a palace or something, though it wasn't in great shape, obviously. Hence the 'ruin' part. It had a spiky sort of architecture to it, in a dark color, with a few trees growing in front. The ominousness and the spikiness made her think Tevinter, but she couldn't be sure. It wasn't like she was an expert on that kind of thing.
There were plenty of footsteps in the dirt out in front of the ruin, most of them heading inside, and very few heading out. Not a promising sign, if they were hoping to have a quiet trip. Rom was the first to dismount, as it was obvious the horses wouldn't be fitting inside. Once all four were on foot, they stepped onto a narrow pathway leading inside. Even from here the air smelled different somehow, a little acrid or oily. Rom left his mask in place.
He stepped inside the thin, open doorway first, taking a few steps before he quickly drew his blade and got his shield in front of them. A second later, though, he paused, tilting his head to the side. "What the..."
A large rage demon was planted near the door, back turned to it, in mid lunge for what looked to be a low-ranking Venatori soldier, who was backing away in apparent fear. The odd part was that the scene was frozen. Nothing appeared out of place with either of the subjects in front of them, but indeed they looked more or less like they were locked in a living piece of art. Glancing further in, they could see more Venatori, and more demons, all similarly frozen in place.
Rom took a step closer to the rage demon, examining it. It seemed to be the source of the smell. Rarely did they have long enough to stand beside a rage demon to properly smell the thing. Rom shook his head and turned away from it. "Why does this not even seem strange to me anymore..."
"Wait, do you feel that?" Asala asked, turning to face the open door they had just passed through. Her brows furrowed and her head tilted quizzically. "There is not even a breeze from the outside. Everything just feels so... still." Shaking her head, she turned back toward Rom and the others, coming to stand behind them, though understandably further away from rage demon. "Do you... think it is like the magic we faced in Redcliff?" she asked.
The strangeness of the ruins certainly wasnât lost on Zahra. Sheâd joined Rom at his side, though she inspected the frozen creature with far more curiosity. She prodded a finger at the rage demonâs clawed fingers, poised above the Venatoriâs gawping face, with little more than a thin-lipped smile. She made a humming sound in the back of her throat. It idled somewhere between amazement and barely contained excitement. She leaned over and dragged a hand across the Venatoriâs face, patting his cheek before straightening up and planting her hands against her hips.
âItâs something...â sheâd taken to leaning against the Venatori's back. It was solid enough. Much like a segment of wall. Frozen in place, like a piece of horrific memory. She followed Asalaâs gaze towards the door and shrugged her shoulders, eyebrows pinched, âSomething tells me weâll find the answers the further we go.â Her laugh had a tilt of barely susceptible worry, âOr not.â
Khari was a bit tempted to just stab all of them now, since they were Venatori and demons anyway, but that didn't seem like a very honorable or sporting thing to do, and who knew what effect it might have, anyway? This was clearly above her pay grade. Still... the Venatori were one thing. Demons were another. She reached over her shoulder, drawing her sword from its spot at her back.
âWonder if we can just... you know?" She shrugged, then swung in a controlled arc for a nearby shade. Intercessor hit where she aimed, then abruptly rebounded, as though the shade's immobile body were vehemently rejecting the contact. It was enough to throw her backwards, and she fell onto her rear with a low oof.
âGuess not." She huffed out half a laugh and grinned at the others. âSo, uh... might need to undo whatever magic this is before we do the fighting part. Just, you know, a guess."
"I wonder..." Asala said, looking down at her hands. Apparently deciding upon something, she threw her gaze towards Zahra. "Could you ready an arrow? I wish to try something." Zahra quirked her head to the side, curious as to what she was planning to do, but obliged without question.
Once they were ready, Asala brought the magic to her hands, the same muted green she had used when they dealt with the Venatori mages while taking Griffon Wing Keep. She noticeably took a step backward before she erected the barrier over the Venatori warrior instead of the rage demon, most likely for the obvious reasons. Though the barrier was up, and the dispel was working judging by the coloration of the barrier, nothing changed. The Venatori still did not unfreeze. Asala however winced, and let the barrier melt away. "I... tried," she stated before shrugging, "But this magic is far beyond the scope of my own."
Rom, in the meantime, went to offer Khari a hand up. His eyes had softened a little, and he might have even smiled behind his mask, but once it was clear nothing they could do would affect the frozen Venatori and demons, he signaled the group to keep moving. "I'd say we could just leave them here, but... if a Venatori mage learned something from Magister Viridius, or found notes from him or something, we need to deal with it. It's dangerous, especially if the mage doesn't know what they're doing."
Further in they found a fade rift, the obvious source of the demons. A few were in the process of spilling out of it, and everywhere they looked there were Venatori scrambling for cover or in the act of fighting back against the creatures. Some were already dead, just as frozen where they lay on the ground as everything else. Some of them were captured in rather spectacular displays, such as a mage lifted into the air by a terror, or an unfortunate soldier who had his arm torn off by a shade. The blood lingered in the air, the gruesome moment paused in time.
When Rom tried to interact with the rift, however, his mark was met with no response. He grumbled in frustration. "Guess we'll have to close that on the way out."
It was actually kind of awesome, in a macabre sort of way. Khari stepped in close to the one who'd lost an arm. She poked one of the suspended drops of blood with a fingertip, but it was solid enough to be crystalline, and resisted motion just like the demon did. Huh. She tilted her head at the rather grisly view of the stump where the arm had been. It was weirdly interesting, and she might have lingered. But they were moving again, and she jogged to catch up, not wanting to be left behind.
They crossed an inner courtyard of sorts, where there was more of the same. By the looks of it the Venatori hadn't been in the ruins for long. The camp they were in the process of setting up inside wasn't complete, many of the tents still in shambles on the ground. They trekked up a flight of stairs, arriving in a confined chamber containing nothing but a pedestal of sorts. There, a Venatori mage had plunged the end of a staff into the stone. Blood hung in the air all around them, the source of it obviously a hastily made slash in the mage's own arm. Blood magic. Rom looked around at the blood hanging in the air above him, then down at the staff. Unlike everything else, the staff was vibrating, humming slightly, and a dull blue light emanated from within the pedestal. It didn't look to be paused in time, unlike everything around it.
"I'd say this is our source," Rom speculated. "Not sure if there's a good way to undo it, though."
âWhile Iâm all for touching things you shouldnât,â Zahra began to say, circling around the staff, âI⊠donât know about this.â
Khari wrinkled her nose and scratched the back of her head through the scarf she still wore. âI mean... that looks like it's doing something important. If we destroy it, probably nothing will be doing the important thing anymore."
Asala stared at her with her mouth agape, the wheel clearly turning in her head as to why that may be a bad idea. However, if one ever made it to her, she didn't voice it. Instead she closed her open mouth and spoke, "We should probably prepare first."
"Why?" Rom shrugged. "We should let them finish what they started back there, then clean up anyone left." He studied the staff a bit more, then sighed, glancing at Khari. "You want to do the honors, or should I?"
She shrugged. âI can do it." Still holding her sword in one hand, she moved to where the stone was, blinking at it. It was definitely humming, and vibrating ever so slightly. Well, that was quite possibly dangerous, but you never got glory unless you had the guts for it, right?
Hefting Intercessor in both hands, Khari heaved it forward. The heavy dwarven steel cleaved through the wood of the staff's pole, half-slicing, half-snapping it in twain. A heartbeat passed, and then almost with a lurch, time started up again around them.
Immediately blood rained down on their heads and splashed around them on the floor. The blood mage in question lurched back, and only had a moment to stare in complete shock at the four strangers that suddenly surrounded him before Rom's knife plunged into his chest, and he stilled. He fell with a heavy thud, a sound which was drowned out by the sudden chorus of the desperate battle raging outside the room they were in. It was easy to see from a glance out the door that the demons were winning, but both sides were thinning each other out effectively.
Zahra made a noise that mightâve sounded like disgust as blood rained down on them. She wiped at her face with the back of her hand and knuckled at her eyes, before planting a foot across the fallen blood mageâs chest, âSo... we make our way back?â She glanced at Rom, and back towards the chaos breaking out ahead of them.
"Perhaps... in a few more moments?" Asala asked, letting the barrier she had erected around herself fade away. Noticeably, it had shielded her from the blood spray.
A few more moments was all it took for the fighting to begin to wind down, the Venatori being on the losing side. Swiftly they moved out, making short work of the wounded and weary that remained, whether they were demonic or human enemies. It seemed likely the Venatori had tried some sort of time magic to try to save themselves when the rift had appeared in their choice of hideout. The rift was able to be closed like any other when they reached it, and that seemed to be the last of the threats.
When they were about to leave, however, Rom paused, noting the spot on the floor where the rage demon had been. "Where's the... look out!" He had turned around, his warning shouted towards Zee. Rage demons were not known for stealth, but this one had migrated down a side hall during the fight, and now rushed back towards them with surprising speed, reaching a burning limb out in the pirate's direction.
Whatever Zahra had expected⊠it certainly hadnât been this. Her bow occupied her hands, and sheâd only had time to look up when Rom shouted towards her. The arrow sheâd been holding against the bowâs string dropped from her fingers, clattering on the ground at her feet as the rage demon advanced. Impossibly fast. Maybe, she was regretting poking it earlier. Maybe, she didnât have time to form a thought beyond shit.
From the looks of it, she hadnât had time to reel backwards either, though she tried. Her feet tripped and tangled with the fallen Venatoriâs arm, burnt to a crisp. It crackled and fell to ash under the weight of her boots. She raised one of her arms, shielding herself from the oncoming heat. An instinct rather than anything effective to counter its attack. The rage demon reared back and wrapped its claws around her bicep, engulfing her arm. Attempting to pull her closer. Its flames licked up and ate away at the bandages.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
She fell backwards, dead-weight, trying to break free. Pulling against its grip. A scream bubbled and broke free from her lips.
"Zee!" Asala cried out, a barrier already in her hands. A shield materialized in front of the demon, where its face was. It struck the demon with a dull thump, but it still did not relent. The barrier pushed further and added distance in between the demon and Zahra.
The rush of a battle still thrummed in Khari's body, and she was quick to react at the opportunity. Pivoting where she stood, she chopped downwards in a swift, clean stroke, severing the demon's arm from its elbow. The limb fell away from Zahra, nerveless and without a way to grip. Her follow-up thrust pushed the blade of her sword right into the creature's chest cavity and out the other side. When she pulled it away, the blade hissed and steamed, faintly red at the edges where she'd plunged it into the creature's molten heart. The demon dissolved, banished to the Fade from whence it had come.
âYou okay, Zee?" That seemed to have been the last of them, but it had probably given her a nasty burn.
The captain kicked the useless limb further away, hugging her arm to her chest. A sheen of sweat dripped down her chin. There was a moment of silence, before Zahra glanced up and offered a toothy grin. It looked somewhat forced, though she still managed to rattle off a laugh, âY-yeah, Iâm fine. Scars build character, donât they?â Her eyebrows knit together, and her tone, strained as it was, sounded much more genuine when she added, âThanks.â
Asala was by her side in a moment, leaned over as close as she could get to Zahra without enveloping her. "Let us hope not," Asala mumbled to herself and she set about inspecting the burn. It wasn't long before she was digging around the pack at her side for a potion or ointment or something.
âI'll get the horses." The sooner they could get back to Griffon Wing, the sooner Asala would have access to all her supplies and such. Khari figured that was probably better than lingering.
Fighting made sense to Khari, in a way that a lot of the rest of all this didn't. So when Leon had told her the scouts had reported there was a ruin to investigate, she'd jumped on the chance to go. Considering that various members of the irregulars were still on light duty only, it had been decided that she'd go with Rom, Asala, and Zee to do... whatever it turned out needed doing. Their orders weren't very specific. Maybe because the scouts didn't really know what was going on up there.
Buckling her gauntlets on, Khari reached for a scarf. It had been left in her tent, and no one had come for it, which she took as permission to borrow it for now, at least. Her clan never went as far east as the desert, so she wasn't very familiar with the terrain, but when she'd marched here with head uncovered, she'd ended up with sand in places she never, ever wanted sand to be again, so figuring this out seemed worthwhile.
Having tried about half a dozen different ways and never quite getting a decent replica of how the others had done it, she huffed and exited the tent, still trying to figure the damn thing out. Not looking where she was going, she ended up colliding with somethingâsomeoneâsolid. Being the smaller, lighter person in the collision, she staggered backwards a couple of steps, tilting her head up to identify the other party.
âOh, uh... sorry Asala." Khari paused a moment, then looked down at the scarf in her hands. Asala was from a desert. She'd been there. âD'you know how to do this? I'd rather not get sand down my armor, but I can't figure out how to wrap it right."
Asala had reached for her while she stumbled back, most likely to make sure she didn't fall over, but once it was clear Khari still had her feet under her Asala reeled her hands back in. For her part, she seemed to be prepared to set out herself. She already had a layer of vitaar applied to her face. A golden pigment that complimented her eyes and extended from beneath them to cover her face in various geometric shapes. Her bare shoulders and white hair were likewise accented by the golden substance.
As became the norm for their forays into the warmer areas of Thedas, Asala wore loose clothing with wide necklines no doubt to comply with her set of horns. However, she did wear boots with the billowy trousers she had tucked in and a scarf wrapping around her own neck. Notably, wherever she had exposed skin, she also had a liberal application of vitaar-- to guard against sunburn most like.
She tilted her head as Khari presented her with the scarf before she chuckled to herself. "I do," Asala replied, tugging at the scarf at her own neck. Though the shirt she wore was without sleeves, the scarf did cover her neckline. "I can do it for you, if you would like?"
Khari handed her the scarf with a shrug. âSure. Just do it slowly, so I can figure out for myself the next time, okay?" She stood still, trying not to fidget, since that would probably make things more difficult.
Asala nodded as she accepted the scarf and went to stand behind Khari. As was asked of her, she was slow with wrapping it around her neck with wide motions so that Khari could see clearly. Perhaps maybe she was even a bit too slow, but eventually, the scarf was tied to Khari's neck. "There," Asala stated as she took a step backward. She paused for a moment and pursed her lips before she started again, "I am sorry, but I do not know how to get it to go over your head for, uh, obvious reasons," she said, tapping her horns with an apologetic smile. Probably what the vitaar was for.
âNah. I got that part." Khari tugged a bit at the back, pulling part of the fabric loose and settling it over her vibrant red curls. It was basically a hood, but secure enough not to go anywhere. Another bit from near the front would fit over her nose and mouth if she needed it to, but she left that where it was for now. âThanks, Asala. The others are probably near the gate by nowâwe should go meet them."
Reaching back to make sure Intercessor was secure in its place, Khari led the way forward, passing the mess tent and the command one on her way to the front exit. Someone had already readied the horses for the trip. Definitely better than slogging through sand on foot. She could see Rom and Zee ahead, too, and raised a hand by way of greeting.
âWho's ready to go explore a bunch of rocks buried in sand?" She made it sound sarcastic, but truthfully, she was glad for the opportunity to get out. Griffon Wing wasn't nearly as big as Skyhold, but it was holding almost the same number of people, right now, and Khari felt a bit like a little fish squeezed into a tin.
âI hope these rocks are shiny,â Zahra quipped from the gates, a toothy smile turning the corners of her mouth up. Beneath her own maroon-colored headscarf were fresh bandages wound around her head. Her thick hair lay flat where it was wrapped. The rest of it was pulled into a loose braid which hung down her bare shoulder. Sheâd chosen appropriate clothes as well. A sleeveless vest that allowed for her arm, from her shoulder to her fingers, to be covered in bandages, possibly to protect it from being damaged further. Whoever had done it had taken great care to cover all of the burnt tissue. If she was at all in pain, she certainly didnât show it.
Loose trousers tucked into calf-high boots, fastened with another colorful scarf of sorts, finished her ensemble. Comfortable gear for a trek in the desert. She raised her shoulder in a shrug and readjusted the scabbards, swinging at her hips, with her good hand, âHonestly, Iâm just glad to get out for awhile.â
"Don't get careless," Rom reminded the three women with him. "We don't know what we're walking into." He already sat astride his horse, hood up to guard against the sand. In place of a scarf he wore a more compact piece cloth that clung tighter around the lower half of his face, though it was currently pulled down so he could speak with them more clearly. Zahra laughed and swung herself up onto her horses saddle, albeit a little less gracefully. While she subtly favored her good arm, she didnât appear all that bothered by it. A small knit to her brows that mightâve passed off as minor annoyance, if anything.
Khari snorted, swinging astride her horse with a practiced motion. âI dunno what you're talking about, Rom. I'm never careless." Patting the horse's neck, she steered him towards the gate, waving up to the guards on duty, who cranked the iron portcullis up for the four of them. She led the way without really deciding to do so consciously, easing them up to a ground-eating trot pace while the ground was still slid enough for it.
Asala coughed gently. "Uh, Khari... I am not so certain I believe you," Asala answered, though the little smile to her lips gave away the tease for what it was. Khari grinned.
She'd seen a map of the basic way they were going, and trusted one of the others to point it out to her if she erred too much. âWhat are we supposed to be looking for, anyway? All I got was 'suspicious ruin, go take a look.'" Leon had used much more eloquent words, of course, but the information was essentially the same.
"Ruins make for good hideouts," Rom pointed out, catching up quickly and riding more or less beside Khari. By his tone, general demeanor, and lack of much reaction to her quip, he wasn't in the best of moods. Even with the hood and the mask up, he wasn't so hard to read. "We need to make sure the area is as secure as we can get it before we march back to Skyhold. Venatori held Griffon Wing, they could be elsewhere, too."
âVenatori,â Zahra repeated the word with a sigh. Two shades exasperated. She rounded up alongside Rom and glanced sidelong for a moment before staring off at the horizon. She didnât appear all that concerned whether or not theyâd see any more of them, though it was difficult to tell if anything worried her at all. Her smile hadnât waned since waking up in Griffonâs Keep, neither had her spirits. Perhaps, she was just happy to wake up, and see everyone. âIâd seen enough of those bastards. You think theyâre also looking for stones buried in sand?â It sounded like a rhetorical question.
Khari wondered if something was bothering Rom in particular. Well, actually, that was a stupid thing to wonder. Something probably was, and it was probably whatever had actually happened when they fell into the Fade. Khari didn't know a lot about magic, but she knew that was a big deal. And she'd seen what they looked like walking out of there.
It had been bad enough on her side of things. She pressed her lips into a thinner line, and sighed through her nose. She wanted to ask him about it, but she wasn't sure how, or even if this was the right time. Would it ever be the right time, though? âWe can find out, anyway." She glanced at him once more before putting her eyes in front. Venatori weren't to be trifled with, even if she was pretty sure they could handle whatever small party of them would be out here now.
Gradually, what must have been their destination resolved on the horizon. It looked kind of like a big fancy house, maybe even big and fancy enough to be called a palace or something, though it wasn't in great shape, obviously. Hence the 'ruin' part. It had a spiky sort of architecture to it, in a dark color, with a few trees growing in front. The ominousness and the spikiness made her think Tevinter, but she couldn't be sure. It wasn't like she was an expert on that kind of thing.
There were plenty of footsteps in the dirt out in front of the ruin, most of them heading inside, and very few heading out. Not a promising sign, if they were hoping to have a quiet trip. Rom was the first to dismount, as it was obvious the horses wouldn't be fitting inside. Once all four were on foot, they stepped onto a narrow pathway leading inside. Even from here the air smelled different somehow, a little acrid or oily. Rom left his mask in place.
He stepped inside the thin, open doorway first, taking a few steps before he quickly drew his blade and got his shield in front of them. A second later, though, he paused, tilting his head to the side. "What the..."
A large rage demon was planted near the door, back turned to it, in mid lunge for what looked to be a low-ranking Venatori soldier, who was backing away in apparent fear. The odd part was that the scene was frozen. Nothing appeared out of place with either of the subjects in front of them, but indeed they looked more or less like they were locked in a living piece of art. Glancing further in, they could see more Venatori, and more demons, all similarly frozen in place.
Rom took a step closer to the rage demon, examining it. It seemed to be the source of the smell. Rarely did they have long enough to stand beside a rage demon to properly smell the thing. Rom shook his head and turned away from it. "Why does this not even seem strange to me anymore..."
"Wait, do you feel that?" Asala asked, turning to face the open door they had just passed through. Her brows furrowed and her head tilted quizzically. "There is not even a breeze from the outside. Everything just feels so... still." Shaking her head, she turned back toward Rom and the others, coming to stand behind them, though understandably further away from rage demon. "Do you... think it is like the magic we faced in Redcliff?" she asked.
The strangeness of the ruins certainly wasnât lost on Zahra. Sheâd joined Rom at his side, though she inspected the frozen creature with far more curiosity. She prodded a finger at the rage demonâs clawed fingers, poised above the Venatoriâs gawping face, with little more than a thin-lipped smile. She made a humming sound in the back of her throat. It idled somewhere between amazement and barely contained excitement. She leaned over and dragged a hand across the Venatoriâs face, patting his cheek before straightening up and planting her hands against her hips.
âItâs something...â sheâd taken to leaning against the Venatori's back. It was solid enough. Much like a segment of wall. Frozen in place, like a piece of horrific memory. She followed Asalaâs gaze towards the door and shrugged her shoulders, eyebrows pinched, âSomething tells me weâll find the answers the further we go.â Her laugh had a tilt of barely susceptible worry, âOr not.â
Khari was a bit tempted to just stab all of them now, since they were Venatori and demons anyway, but that didn't seem like a very honorable or sporting thing to do, and who knew what effect it might have, anyway? This was clearly above her pay grade. Still... the Venatori were one thing. Demons were another. She reached over her shoulder, drawing her sword from its spot at her back.
âWonder if we can just... you know?" She shrugged, then swung in a controlled arc for a nearby shade. Intercessor hit where she aimed, then abruptly rebounded, as though the shade's immobile body were vehemently rejecting the contact. It was enough to throw her backwards, and she fell onto her rear with a low oof.
âGuess not." She huffed out half a laugh and grinned at the others. âSo, uh... might need to undo whatever magic this is before we do the fighting part. Just, you know, a guess."
"I wonder..." Asala said, looking down at her hands. Apparently deciding upon something, she threw her gaze towards Zahra. "Could you ready an arrow? I wish to try something." Zahra quirked her head to the side, curious as to what she was planning to do, but obliged without question.
Once they were ready, Asala brought the magic to her hands, the same muted green she had used when they dealt with the Venatori mages while taking Griffon Wing Keep. She noticeably took a step backward before she erected the barrier over the Venatori warrior instead of the rage demon, most likely for the obvious reasons. Though the barrier was up, and the dispel was working judging by the coloration of the barrier, nothing changed. The Venatori still did not unfreeze. Asala however winced, and let the barrier melt away. "I... tried," she stated before shrugging, "But this magic is far beyond the scope of my own."
Rom, in the meantime, went to offer Khari a hand up. His eyes had softened a little, and he might have even smiled behind his mask, but once it was clear nothing they could do would affect the frozen Venatori and demons, he signaled the group to keep moving. "I'd say we could just leave them here, but... if a Venatori mage learned something from Magister Viridius, or found notes from him or something, we need to deal with it. It's dangerous, especially if the mage doesn't know what they're doing."
Further in they found a fade rift, the obvious source of the demons. A few were in the process of spilling out of it, and everywhere they looked there were Venatori scrambling for cover or in the act of fighting back against the creatures. Some were already dead, just as frozen where they lay on the ground as everything else. Some of them were captured in rather spectacular displays, such as a mage lifted into the air by a terror, or an unfortunate soldier who had his arm torn off by a shade. The blood lingered in the air, the gruesome moment paused in time.
When Rom tried to interact with the rift, however, his mark was met with no response. He grumbled in frustration. "Guess we'll have to close that on the way out."
It was actually kind of awesome, in a macabre sort of way. Khari stepped in close to the one who'd lost an arm. She poked one of the suspended drops of blood with a fingertip, but it was solid enough to be crystalline, and resisted motion just like the demon did. Huh. She tilted her head at the rather grisly view of the stump where the arm had been. It was weirdly interesting, and she might have lingered. But they were moving again, and she jogged to catch up, not wanting to be left behind.
They crossed an inner courtyard of sorts, where there was more of the same. By the looks of it the Venatori hadn't been in the ruins for long. The camp they were in the process of setting up inside wasn't complete, many of the tents still in shambles on the ground. They trekked up a flight of stairs, arriving in a confined chamber containing nothing but a pedestal of sorts. There, a Venatori mage had plunged the end of a staff into the stone. Blood hung in the air all around them, the source of it obviously a hastily made slash in the mage's own arm. Blood magic. Rom looked around at the blood hanging in the air above him, then down at the staff. Unlike everything else, the staff was vibrating, humming slightly, and a dull blue light emanated from within the pedestal. It didn't look to be paused in time, unlike everything around it.
"I'd say this is our source," Rom speculated. "Not sure if there's a good way to undo it, though."
âWhile Iâm all for touching things you shouldnât,â Zahra began to say, circling around the staff, âI⊠donât know about this.â
Khari wrinkled her nose and scratched the back of her head through the scarf she still wore. âI mean... that looks like it's doing something important. If we destroy it, probably nothing will be doing the important thing anymore."
Asala stared at her with her mouth agape, the wheel clearly turning in her head as to why that may be a bad idea. However, if one ever made it to her, she didn't voice it. Instead she closed her open mouth and spoke, "We should probably prepare first."
"Why?" Rom shrugged. "We should let them finish what they started back there, then clean up anyone left." He studied the staff a bit more, then sighed, glancing at Khari. "You want to do the honors, or should I?"
She shrugged. âI can do it." Still holding her sword in one hand, she moved to where the stone was, blinking at it. It was definitely humming, and vibrating ever so slightly. Well, that was quite possibly dangerous, but you never got glory unless you had the guts for it, right?
Hefting Intercessor in both hands, Khari heaved it forward. The heavy dwarven steel cleaved through the wood of the staff's pole, half-slicing, half-snapping it in twain. A heartbeat passed, and then almost with a lurch, time started up again around them.
Immediately blood rained down on their heads and splashed around them on the floor. The blood mage in question lurched back, and only had a moment to stare in complete shock at the four strangers that suddenly surrounded him before Rom's knife plunged into his chest, and he stilled. He fell with a heavy thud, a sound which was drowned out by the sudden chorus of the desperate battle raging outside the room they were in. It was easy to see from a glance out the door that the demons were winning, but both sides were thinning each other out effectively.
Zahra made a noise that mightâve sounded like disgust as blood rained down on them. She wiped at her face with the back of her hand and knuckled at her eyes, before planting a foot across the fallen blood mageâs chest, âSo... we make our way back?â She glanced at Rom, and back towards the chaos breaking out ahead of them.
"Perhaps... in a few more moments?" Asala asked, letting the barrier she had erected around herself fade away. Noticeably, it had shielded her from the blood spray.
A few more moments was all it took for the fighting to begin to wind down, the Venatori being on the losing side. Swiftly they moved out, making short work of the wounded and weary that remained, whether they were demonic or human enemies. It seemed likely the Venatori had tried some sort of time magic to try to save themselves when the rift had appeared in their choice of hideout. The rift was able to be closed like any other when they reached it, and that seemed to be the last of the threats.
When they were about to leave, however, Rom paused, noting the spot on the floor where the rage demon had been. "Where's the... look out!" He had turned around, his warning shouted towards Zee. Rage demons were not known for stealth, but this one had migrated down a side hall during the fight, and now rushed back towards them with surprising speed, reaching a burning limb out in the pirate's direction.
Whatever Zahra had expected⊠it certainly hadnât been this. Her bow occupied her hands, and sheâd only had time to look up when Rom shouted towards her. The arrow sheâd been holding against the bowâs string dropped from her fingers, clattering on the ground at her feet as the rage demon advanced. Impossibly fast. Maybe, she was regretting poking it earlier. Maybe, she didnât have time to form a thought beyond shit.
From the looks of it, she hadnât had time to reel backwards either, though she tried. Her feet tripped and tangled with the fallen Venatoriâs arm, burnt to a crisp. It crackled and fell to ash under the weight of her boots. She raised one of her arms, shielding herself from the oncoming heat. An instinct rather than anything effective to counter its attack. The rage demon reared back and wrapped its claws around her bicep, engulfing her arm. Attempting to pull her closer. Its flames licked up and ate away at the bandages.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
She fell backwards, dead-weight, trying to break free. Pulling against its grip. A scream bubbled and broke free from her lips.
"Zee!" Asala cried out, a barrier already in her hands. A shield materialized in front of the demon, where its face was. It struck the demon with a dull thump, but it still did not relent. The barrier pushed further and added distance in between the demon and Zahra.
The rush of a battle still thrummed in Khari's body, and she was quick to react at the opportunity. Pivoting where she stood, she chopped downwards in a swift, clean stroke, severing the demon's arm from its elbow. The limb fell away from Zahra, nerveless and without a way to grip. Her follow-up thrust pushed the blade of her sword right into the creature's chest cavity and out the other side. When she pulled it away, the blade hissed and steamed, faintly red at the edges where she'd plunged it into the creature's molten heart. The demon dissolved, banished to the Fade from whence it had come.
âYou okay, Zee?" That seemed to have been the last of them, but it had probably given her a nasty burn.
The captain kicked the useless limb further away, hugging her arm to her chest. A sheen of sweat dripped down her chin. There was a moment of silence, before Zahra glanced up and offered a toothy grin. It looked somewhat forced, though she still managed to rattle off a laugh, âY-yeah, Iâm fine. Scars build character, donât they?â Her eyebrows knit together, and her tone, strained as it was, sounded much more genuine when she added, âThanks.â
Asala was by her side in a moment, leaned over as close as she could get to Zahra without enveloping her. "Let us hope not," Asala mumbled to herself and she set about inspecting the burn. It wasn't long before she was digging around the pack at her side for a potion or ointment or something.
âI'll get the horses." The sooner they could get back to Griffon Wing, the sooner Asala would have access to all her supplies and such. Khari figured that was probably better than lingering.