The following afternoon found the Inquisition camped with a small group of Argent Lions. Cleaning up some leftover pockets of demons and undead had taken them the first half the day so far, and they were just now breaking for lunch. The Lions, Khari found, had earned every bit of their reputationâthough only a small number of them were present, their assistance made the rest of the work almost trivially-easy. Apparently, they'd been dealing with those bandits for most of the time here. The Freemen of the Dales, or whatever they were called.
Biting into her bread crust, Khari sighed through her nose. It had occurred to her that if Ser Durand were still here, he'd have been the one doing that job. They'd sent him to Ser Drakon; perhaps the presence of his mercenaries here meant he'd received the message about how badly the region needed competent help. Maybe they were just here because of the Civil War. She didn't know. Wasn't important enough to tell, either, probably. No one looked to her for orders or guidance or information, which was probably a good thingâshe still needed a lot of those things herself. But someday, maybe...
She shifted in her seat, her mouth twisting into a grimace at the oddly-balanced weight on her back. The Lions had been more than willing to lend her a sword. They really traveled prepared, to have an extra laying around. She was grateful to have something to fight with, but it just didn't feel right. Intercessor, that stupid old piece of junk, was in her tent, but she wished it was at her back. She'd learned to fight with that graceless hunk of metal in her hands, from the very first day Ser Durand had woken her up at the fucking crack of dawn to put her through her paces. She'd barely been able to lift it for any length of time, having only ever held the lighter blades of her clan's make. Khari wasn't sure anything else would ever feel quite the same, now.
She was making her way over to the stewpot for seconds when a small disturbance from the front of the camp caught her attention. She doubted it was anything the Lions couldn't deal with, but it wasn't that far away, anyhow, so she set her dishes down where she'd been sitting and headed over, unfamiliar sword awkwardly shuffling against her armored back with each step.
It didn't take long to identify the issue: a large, dark brown riding halla stood just outside the bounds of the camp. Most people would probably mistake it for an elk, but the horns, black and shiny, were different, curling in the particular way that only halla had. She groaned under her breath. Just dismounting the creature was Vareth, face drawn. He did not seem to have noticed her, and Khari hung back uncertainly. What was he doing here, and alone at that? Normally Elasha or one of the other hunters at minimum would go somewhere with the First, just like Shae had been responsible for protecting Zeth while he moved around and did incredibly stupid things.
Vareth turned dark eyes upon the Lions standing at the front of the camp, still apparently unaware of her presence. Khari decided to keep it that way, for now, and tracked his progress with her eyes, remaining silent.
"Excuse me." He met with the mercenary on watch, pausing a polite distance and smiling thinly at her. "I have heard the Inquisition camps here, at the moment. If... there is a chance that the Lord or Lady Inquisitor is present, I would request an audience with them." He blinked, apparently realizing that he'd failed to introduce himself, and amended. "Ah... please tell them that my name is Vareth Saras, of Clan Genardalia. Kharisanna's clan."
Khari's lips pursed. She didn't know what the hell he thought he was doing, but she was damn well going to find out. âVareth!" She drew his attention on purpose, stomping over to him even as the Lion left to retrieve... someone, she supposed. Maybe Rom, maybe just the lieutenant in charge of her squad. âWhat are you doing here?" She couldn't help the accusatory note that entered her tone. Old bitterness and distrust, creeping back in.
His eyes widened; he seemed genuinely surprised to find her there. The expression vanished a moment later, followed by a tentative smile. Khari grit her teeth and tried not to hold it against him. "KharisaâKhari." He cleared his throat, the smile falling. "It's not, ah, how do I explain?" Vareth sighed. "As happy as I am to see you again so soon, I'm here about something unrelated. Yourâahem. The Keeper has a request to make of the Inquisition. Specifically an Inquisitor."
Khari felt herself relax just fractionally at that. The less this had to do with her, the better. Though she still wasn't happy that her clan had crossed her path twice more in the last year than it had in the seven or so that came before. Still... this was within their roaming area. Perhaps it was to be expected.
It didn't take long for the Inquisitor Vareth sought to arrive. The camp wasn't that big, after all, and they were sticking close for the most part. Rom looked to have been roused from a nap, or at least a bit of rest; he was throwing on a few pieces of gear and armor he'd removed. Hacking down undead was strenuous work, and it wasn't unusual to see him a bit more tired when the effects of those tonics of his wore off. He looked alert enough now, though, if a bit unsure at seeing who Khari was with. He obviously recognized him.
"Vareth, isn't it?" he glanced between him and Khari repeatedly, though he seemed to be trying to stop and focus on the First. Maybe checking to see if Khari intended to be as hostile towards him as last time. "I'm Romulus. Uh. Inquisitor." He held out a hand a little awkwardly. The not-marked hand.
Vareth's brows arched slightly, but he nodded, taking Rom's hand without any hesitation and clasping it firmly. "I'm glad to meet you, Inquisitor. In a more proper fashion than last time, anyway." He politely dropped his hand and stepped away, glancing at Khari almost as if seeking her permission to continue.
She heaved a sigh, nodding reluctantly. It really seemed like he hadn't known she was here or anything, which meant he probably really did need Rom for something important. Vareth was a lot of things, but he wasn't petty or frivolous. She could say that much in his favor. He looked relieved for a moment, but seemed conscious of the fact that he was using up their time, so quickly returned to the matter at hand.
"It hasn't escaped notice that the Inquisition was willing to help the humans here, when they required it. My clan was hoping that you would also be willing to help the elves, though we have nothing to offer in return." He shifted his weight, the ironbark staff on his back producing a faint clink as the bone charms tied to it knocked together on their strings. Khari knew the soundâand was surprised to still be hearing it. "About a month ago, our scouts reported strange activity near Var Bellanaris. Some of our warriors were sent to investigateâit would not have been the first time looters or bandits had tried to desecrate that place."
He pursed his lips, and Khari felt her expression shifting to match. "But it wasn't bandits. Elasha was the only one to make it back alive, and even then, she... a day later, she was gone. She managed to tell us of a shifting green light within Var Bellanaris, and some kind of creature that had confronted them there. The Keeper and I sealed the necropolis, but there is no telling how long it will hold. We were debating sending a message to the Inquisition, in hopes that you would help, but... there was little optimism. So when we saw the chance to ask in person, well. It seemed worth taking."
Rom had crossed his arms while Vareth relayed the information, but his stance was more a thoughtful one than anything defensive or combative. It didn't take him long to answer. "If there's another rift there, then we should close it." He made it sound like a simple choice, and maybe it was. "How far is this place? Var Bellanaris?"
Khari felt an immediate sense of relief. This... this was something they could do. Something she could do. âProbably a couple hours, riding." She glanced at the halla. Clearly they wouldn't need to provide anything additional in that respect, anyway. âI take it you're coming with us, Vareth?" She managed not to sound angry about it, more resigned than anything. She couldn't really blame himâit was the duty of the First to do things like this. To be the extended reach of the Keeper when necessary. She knew he took it extremely seriously, and Var Bellanaris important to the clan. To the People.
"I would be, yes. If something from the Fade has disturbed the dead who rest there, I must strengthen the protections again afterwards. Besides... I suspect I will be necessary to undo the seal." He paused a moment, then turned to address Rom again. "Thank you, Inquisitor. I do not think that many in your position would bother."
Rom looked as though he might say something in return, but decided against it. He nodded to Khari. "I'll see if the others are up for the ride."
It didn't take long before they were once more on the road. Marcy had stayed behind in the Citadelle with her father, Mick, and all the chevaliers there. Though at any other time she would have been quite interested in hanging around herself, Khari knew well enough when it was better to not make a nuisance of herself, and she figured she probably preferred camping with the Lions anyway. There'd been a lot of questions about how Stel was doing; it was actually kind of nice. It must be, to have someplace to return to someday, like that.
Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she turned her eyes to Vareth for a moment. He led, though not by too far, remaining well within sight and earshot of the Inquisition he was escorting. Khari was still a little suspicious, though, and ventured the question she'd been trying to swallow for the better part of an hour. âHow come you're alone?" She knew Elasha had always served as his primary guardian, but if she'd... died, then they'd have surely appointed someone else almost immediately. When his face shifted slightly, her suspicion only grew. âDid the Keeper even actually sanction this visit?"
He sighed. "He agreed that it would be prudent to seek the Inquisition's assistance. He... may not know that the Inquisition is actually here, yet."
Khari snorted. âYeah? Doesn't seem much like you, Vareth, doing anything the old man might not like." Khari eased her feet from the stirrups of her saddle and let them dangle instead, settling into the motion of her horse. She still needed to name him eventually.
A trace of humor entered his expression. "Everyone changes, Khari. Perhaps I have, too."
âThis... creature, inside of the burial ground," Leon broke into the conversation with a mild tone. He'd forgone the helmet for now, but it was tied to his saddle. âIs there anything else you can tell us about it?" The introductions had been taken care of before they left, and he'd seemed quite willing to go along for this, once he'd learned what Vareth was asking for. But details had been sparing thus far, and Khari knew he tended to prefer to be armed with information as well as his fists.
"Not much." Vareth admitted it readily, though not exactly lightly. Elasha had been his friend since they were children, after all, though she'd never had much time for Khari. He was probably still dealing with what had happened to the warriors. Everyone probably still was. Khari glanced away, hearing the rest of his words without watching him say them. "It was apparently in possession of some kind of artifact that it was using, but... there are so many pieces of history in that grotto I wouldn't be surprised. That we hadn't already recovered it or looters already stolen it suggests that it was buried with someone, perhaps the creature itself. And that means..."
âRevenant." Khari finished the declaration with a grimace. âFuck." Her clan had stories about those things, the possessed bodies of powerful warriors, animated by mighty demons of pride or desire. And with some kind of artifact at its disposal, there was no telling what it might be capable of. She really hoped Vareth knew what the hell he was doing. If he was leading her friends into some kind of trap or something, she was going toâ
"Aptly-put." Vareth sighed. "Which means we ought to expect combat magic and a great deal of power, I'm afraid. In addition to whatever else that rift is doing. That is what they're called, yes?"
Nearby Khari heard Asala sigh, though afterward she cautiously glanced around, perhaps in hopes that nobody had heard her.
Rom grunted softly in the affirmative. His hand had gone down to a pouch on his belt as soon as he'd heard what they would be facing. Thinking for a moment, he looked dissatisfied and settled on one of a light orange color. Stamina draught of some kind, Khari had seen him take it a number of times before or during his workouts. He downed it with his usual speed, and reacted in the usual way to its taste, but soon had put it behind him.
A sigh deliberated itself from Zahraâs lips as they spokeâthough she had no qualms about trying to keep it quiet. There was a pinched look to her brows as she scuffed her boot in the dirt and glanced around at the others. Sheâd kept relatively quiet when they arrived, and it didnât seem as if she had anything to contribute. Perhaps, it was all the death theyâd faced up until this point. Or the general misery that hung down over their shoulders, like a gray smog. From what Khari could tell, she didnât look all too surprised by the news that there was something much worse to face in these parts, âJust another thing to bury, right?â
The question sounded rhetorical.
It wasn't much longer after that when they came upon the entrance to Var Bellanaris. The area was indeed blockedâthick, impassable brambles had grown high on all sides of what had once been the stone arches that divided it off in front from the outside. The rest, Khari knew, was backed up against stone, the terrain inside pitted with hills, hardy trees, and ruin-gravel, as well as ancient tombstones, and a few much more recent ones. But from this angle, it just appeared to be encased in a living sphere of protection.
Khari exhaled. Even if the Keeper had done some of this, Vareth's magic had clearly improved by leaps and bounds since she'd last been around. Maybe to be expected, but as usual, her own progress felt dwarfed by it. She tried not to think about itâhe did what he did for the People, and no doubt he'd studied just as long and hard as she'd trained to reach something like this.
He stopped them in front of it, dismounting his halla and waiting for them to do the same. "The outer portion was clear when we sealed it, but... that was a month ago. I'm not entirely sure what's happened since then, so please be wary as I take this down." Vareth gave them all several moments to prepare themselves, in which Khari slid from her horse and drew the borrowed sword from her back. Vareth glanced at it, specifically down near her hands, before averting his eyes, something like disappointment passing briefly over his face.
Advancing towards the entrance, he drew a small knife from his belt, sliding the blade over his wrist perpendicular to the length of his arm. The motion was controlled, careful, and practiced. Blood welled to the surface of the wound immediately, and he tilted his arm so that it all ran towards the ground the same way, sheathing the knife. She tensed for a moment, remembering quite vividly her last encounter with blood magic, but nothing else changed. His eyes retained the warm, dark color they'd always had, and he took his staff in his free hand, propping it against the ground and activating the spell.
With a great creaking of wood and the rustle of leaves, the half-sphere of plants over Var Bellanaris began to recede. At the very top of the dome, the leaves turned bright orange, until they were only light, and then dissolved, fragments of them floating upwards towards the sky. The decay of the spell spread, sweeping outwards to vanish the rest of the dome at an even pace, but rapidly. It was actually, she had to admit, beautiful to watch.
When the seal was gone, the white stone arches with their deliberate gap inwards remained, like a skeleton bereft of all its flesh. But the graveyard seemed... quiet.
Leon had looked prepared to be faced down with a very large number of demons. But considering that the area seemed to be empty, he relaxed somewhat, his head turning towards Vareth, if the angle of his helm was any indication. âThe light... was it inside the grotto?" They could see that now, a closed stone building a fair distance in.
Vareth hummed. "Elasha did not specify. Perhaps so. Follow me, if you would... and please try not to touch anything if you can avoid it. We walk on sacred ground."
Khari certainly knew better. Though her clan's dead were sometimes buried here, if they could manage it, the older sites dated back hundreds of years at least, maybe more. The Keeper thought they might go all the way back to the age of Arlathan, at least within parts of the grotto itself. It probably didn't really matterâthe site was important anyway. She might not care as much about the past as Vareth did, but she didn't go wantonly disrespecting it, either. Not when she could avoid it.
The air here was especially fresh-smelling, which shouldn't have been the case for a graveyard. Likely it had something to do with all the flowers growing, and the spell that had protected it for a month. It must have let enough sunlight in to sustain the plant life. Their feet crunched softly over the main path, laden with small bits of the white stone edifice. Her clan had repurposed the ruined parts this way, to keep it neat and tidy. None of them were capable of rebuilding the structures, so they had to make do.
The door to the grotto was somewhat ajar, a smear of old blood spread over the stone, ending in what looked very much like a handprint. Small, but with a noticeable scar on the palm. Elasha's hand had left it. Khari still remembered giving her the scar, accident though it had been. She swallowed, tightening her grip on her sword. Vareth led the way in, but she went right behind him.
It took her eyes a moment to adjust before an orange light flickered to life overhead, illuminating the dark grotto. The walls were lined with mosaics depicting familiar themes of Falon'din, the god of death. Several stone sarcophagi stood open, their lids cracked and pitted, the engraving upon them ruined by their occupants' hasty exits in undeath. The fresh smell from outside was gone, the scent of putrefaction hitting her like a wall as soon as she stepped inside. Vareth sucked in a breath through his teeth.
"The warriors." Peering around him, Khari bit down on her tongue. Felan and Mahiri were both there, along with another person she didn't recognize. She hoped that was because he was a stranger to her, and not because whatever was here had mauled him so badly he was nigh unrecognizable anyway. Their bodies bore heavy slash marks; Mahiri had nearly been cleaved in two, the wound edged with oddly-blackened flesh. Not burns, but something not totally unlike them.
She'd expected... Khari didn't know what she'd expected. But certainly not the numbness that swept over her. Certainly not the sudden recollection that Mahiri had been about to have a child when she left, nor that Felan liked to sing to the halla when he'd had too much to drink. Suddenly, the blade felt heavy in her hands. Almost as heavy as the air felt in her lungs.
She felt a hand on her shoulder as Leon stepped in behind her. He gave her a firm squeeze and the smallest of shakes, a bracing gesture more than anything else. âI'm sorry, Khari," he said, the words so quiet they almost got lost in the rumble of his bass itself. The rest, he left to implication, and his hand fell away. Rom added no words to that, instead stopping close enough on her other side for his presence to be felt. He remained ready to fight at a moment's notice. Zahraâs footsteps halted behind them. A soft exhale followed. As good as any indication that she, too, was present. For her.
Leon's implication was one she understood, and Khari pulled in a breath, doing her best to ignore how bad it smelled. Her grip firmed back up, and she nodded once to Vareth, whose eyes were too solemn. He returned it, and led them deeper.
The grotto was a large space, and opened up almost like a cavern. Though it appeared from the outside to be a structure with at least three aboveground stories, there was in fact only oneâthe ceiling was that high. She'd never been this far inside before, but had heard there were further levels underground. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to enter one: the green light they were looking for shone from an adjacent chamber to the one they entered. The door was a low arch, forcing them to pass through in single file, but the room with the rift in it was likewise quite spacious.
The rift itself was near the center, shifting in the almost indolent way they had, the green crystal structure suspended in midair in a way that made no sense. Standing just beneath it, face upturned as though to bask in the light, was a Revenant.
At least, Khari assumed that was what it had to be. It wore armor, rusted but clearly once of finer make than most things she'd ever seen, from a helm with a backswept horn design to solid greaves over its boots. The sword it held bore no such rust, and glimmered faintly with the light of some magic or enchantment. The blade was bright, but with a patina of almost eerie deep green. Not the same color as the rift, but closer to black. It noticed the moment they entered, turning slowly towards them and hefting the blade on both hands.
Khari charged it, leaping the stone railing at waist-height and landing hard on the recessed ground about six feet below. Pushing off from her landing, she made a beeline for the creature, feeling the Haze descend over her senses. From behind her, Vareth launched some kind of spell. The Revenant went to move sideways, but found itself temporarily locked in place by stone crawling up its legs. The rock had progressed to its waist, and Khari almost arrived, when it broke free with a burst of telekinetic force. The shockwave sent pieces of rock flying, and Khari along with them. She hit the ground on her shoulder and rolled several times before she could regain her feet, but by the time she'd even gotten her hands under her, the Revenant was already there, bearing down on her with the sword it carried.
Leon, clearly having followed her pretty closely, intervened, at least as well as he could, lowering his shoulder and ramming the Revenant in the side. It was enough to knock the sword off its trajectory, but the creature itself was hardly moved. It had only been a glancing hit, but still the Revenant recovered more swiftly than Leon, bringing its sword up and around as if to cleave straight through his armor.
Raising both arms to block, Leon grunted at the impact. This close, Khari could hear a dull snapâit sounded like the effort had actually broken one of his arms. From the way he backed off immediately and dropped his left to his side, tucking it somewhat behind his body, that was exactly what had happened.
Rom had been forced to veer around to the flank to avoid the wave that knocked Khari back, and the subsequent clash between the undead and Leon. Once the Commander was driven back, he dove in on the Revenant's side, plunging his blade in deep in a gap beneath the creature's arm. It would easily have killed a normal man where it struck, but if the Revenant felt any of the damage, it didn't show it, instead soundlessly turning its aggression on the attacker. Rom ducked down and sideways just in time to avoid being beheaded by the green-hued blade.
There was no time to even attempt more strikes, and Rom clearly wasn't going to try to block any of its attacks, seeing what had happened to Leon. He dodged once, twice, each swing threatening death if not seen correctly. After a third swift miss the Revenant stepped in and smashed across Rom's jaw with an armored elbow, throwing him back. Some sort of magic was behind the blow, judging by the perceptible boom that accompanied the hit.
An iridescent green barrier was the next foe to fall upon the Revenant, typical of Asala's dispelling method. The woman herself soon came into view, panting but her hands wreathed in the fade all of the same. Apparently, she had a little trouble keeping up with the others. The Revenant took only a glance at the barrier closing in around it, and reared back with its sword. It cleaved through the shield with only a small amount of effort, and the backlash forced Asala a step backward.
She refocused soon after, surging forward with another barrier, her stereotypical blue. This one managed to strike its target, forcing the Revenant off balance for a moment. Only for a moment, as it soon cleaved through that barrier as well, leaving Asala to expel an agitated groan. Instead of sending out even more ineffective barriers, she turned instead to Leon, and cast a spell in his direction. What seemed like a healing spell wreathed him, though his arm would still likely require more focused attention later. Afterward, she went to Rom, probably in an attempt to do the same for him.
Three arrows thunked off the Revenantâs crooked pauldron and clattered at its feet. Ineffective. It swung around to face its attacker, lips peeling back into a toothless scowl. Another arrow, glowing with residual energy, found its mark in the middle of its exposed chest. The flanged tip of the arrow bit into flesh, and sunk halfway down the shaft. Clawed fingers ripped it out a moment later. If itâd felt it at all, the Revenant certainly wasnât showing it.
A roar rippled out of Zahraâs mouth as she flung herself past Asala and Romârapiers singing free from their scabbards as she hurtled forward. Bright-eyed and bristling with anger. Perhaps, at seeing her friends being so casually tossed aside. She swept her blades sidelong across the creatureâs blade, which it had swung to meet hers. The sheer force of his blade knocked her back a few paces, though she allowed its momentum to careen off the tips of her bending blades, and dipped around to jam one of her rapiers into its exposed midsection.
It sunk halfway. No blood. No sound beyond the droning growl above her. Under any other circumstance, their size difference would have been laughable. While she was attempting to spin around and drag her blade back out, the back of the Revenantâs gauntleted hand struck her across the face, loosing her grip on the protruding blade, and sending her tumbling off to the side. She landed much less gracefully on her back. A moment later and there was a ragged intake of breath. A good indication that she was fine. As fine as any of them were.
The sound of dragging limbs against the floor marked her attempt to regain her feet. It took her a couple attempts with the help of a nearby pillar, but she was already bringing her bow back into her hands.
By that point, Khari was already trying to find a weak spot again. Unfortunately, in addition to being very strong, the Revenant was also quite quick, meaning that every time she thought she'd spotted a place to strike, it was there, parrying her and knocking her sword away with a strength she could not hope to match. On the third, she didn't recover fast enough, and it kicked her in the chest.
Khari was picked off her feet and thrown back, crashing onto stone. Her head snapped back, colliding hard with the ground, and for a moment she saw stars, even through the fuzziness of the Haze. It wasn't often pain made it through to her in this state, but it definitely had. She groaned, rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself up with her arms.
"Khari!" Vareth was slinging ice at the Revenant now, trying to slow it down on its way towards her. Without so much as a warning, it whirled, turning on the ranged fighters in the room. Letting go of its sword with one hand, it closed its other into a fist. Khari felt a lurch in her stomach, and a force like... sideways gravity, almost, pulled her towards the Revenant, her armor scraping over the floor. It wasn't too unlike the time she'd nearly been pulled into Rom's rift, except faster. It picked up Vareth, Asala, and Zee as well, hauling them over the stone railing with no regard for the safety of their limbs, should any fail to clear the obstacle.
Vareth at least managed to pull his legs up under him to avoid breaking them, and was the fastest to his feet when they were dropped. He swept forward with his staff, trying to trip the creature on its way to Asala, but its center of balance was simply too solid, and it weathered the blow with little interruption, swinging next for the Qunari.
Asala had not been as agile, and had chosen instead to just weather it by encasing herself in a tight barrier. Her bottom half had still struck the railing, chipping it and and haphazardly dumping her on her shoulders. She groaned painfully and was slow to turn over on all fours, but by then, the Revenant was on top of her. It was perhaps only quick thinking that saved her life, as the moment she looked up to see the blade raised above her head, her form shifted with fade energy, and she shot forward like Khari had seen Cyrus do a few times before.
She was gone when the blade bit into the stone, though the spell was hardly refined. It gave out some distance behind the Revenant, dumping her out of the Fade, but with enough moment to keep her skidding across the stones. When she finally lifted her, her chin, nose, and part of her forehead, not to mention her hands and forearms were bleeding from having it dragged across the ground. In one last effort, Asala flipped to a seated position and thrust forward with both hands. A low barrier formed and careened horizontally toward the back of the Revenant's knees.
It didn't seem to do much, but it must have been enough. The Revenant was forced to take a moment to steady itself, and in that moment, Leon stepped in, lashing out with an armored leg and connecting with the Revenant's waist, just where its chestplate ended. It doubled over, and he slammed his elbow into the back of its helmet with a clanging rapport. It stumbled away, still quick but clearly disoriented from the blow.
Rom latched onto the Revenant from behind, grabbing the neck of its breastplate with his marked hand and holding tight. The mark crackled loudly for a second before it unleashed a concentrated burst of energy, momentarily lighting up the space with a green and white flash. With the sound of shattering metal, the Revenant's breastplate sloughed off in pieces, a few smaller ones embedded in its pale flesh underneath. Rom jumped away before it could make a retaliatory strike. The creature was slowed now, and vulnerable to a killing blow without its armor.
âVareth!" Khari hauled herself to her feet, sword in tow, and sprinted towards the Revenant.
He seemed to know what she meant. From the ground around it erupted vines, thickening and tangling the creature's legs. Flexible in a way stone was not, they weathered the blast it issued with their pliability rather than sheer strength, absorbing the force and clambering further up the Revenant's body. It went to hack at them with its sword, but Khari had planned for that. The awkward angle it had to use was the only weakness she needed, and she struck hard, bringing her own blade around to its shoulder, biting into the flesh Rom had exposed by cracking off the armor around its torso.
Her sword severed a tendon, and the entire arm went slack as a result, its enchanted blade clattering to the ground from numb fingers. The next burst of magic was aimed for Khari, knocking her away before she could finish the blow. She tumbled into a heap before reaching a stop, able to see Zee upside-down in her field of vision. âZee! Shoot it while he's got it held!" Maybe that was obvious, but she wasn't sure how much longer Vareth's vines would last.
Zahra didnât need to be told twice. Not for something like this. Sheâd already planted one of her feet atop the remnants of a fallen stone pillar. Her shoulders bunched. Deft fingers pulled the string of her bow back behind her ear while the vines twitched and gnarled themselves around the Revenantâs legs, and torso. There was a sound that only the nearest heard. Fibers snapping. The notched arrow fizzled a faint white; a pearl hue, before she finally released it. It sliced through the air, leaving a trail in its wake, and slipped straight into the creatureâs eye socket.
It hissed through and clattered against the far wall. Her bow, unfortunately, hadnât fared so well. She was left holding two pieces of wood and shredded stringâas well as an expression that belied confusion and surprise⊠as if she hadnât quite expected that to happen.
The Revenant fell, hitting the ground with the insensate solidity of actually-dead weight. Khari pushed herself back to her feet for what felt like the hundredth time but was really only the third or so, sheathing her sword on her back. The rift remained, but she was sure Rom could take care of that, easy. Vareth stood near the body, picking up the sword the creature had wielded with a thoughtful frown on his face.
âThat the artifact?" Khari jerked her chin at the blade.
He nodded. "It seems to be. Perhaps the Keeper will know more about it; I suspect the Revenant was from the lower levels, but I can't be sure without looking, and... I think there are more important things to do."
Khari grimaced. He'd need to get the bodies back to the clan, if possible, and no doubt tell the Keeper that the ritual or whatever he thought they could do to put the dead back to rest could go forward now. She didn't envy him the task, honestly, butâ
"Kharisanna." He said her full name quite intentionally, she thought; Khari scowled at him. It wasn't enough to make him back down, though, not like before. "Help me do it. Please."
She shook her head. âOh no." Khari crossed her arms over her chest. âDon't get me wrong, Vareth, I'm sorry you have to do this, but I'm not going back there for any reason. I can't." Her fingers tightened around her armored upper arms.
He sighed through his nose. "Just one night." He pursed his lips. "They know you're alive, Khari, but they don't..." He flinched, as though struggling mightily to find the words he wanted. "Some things must be seen with one's own eyes. This is one of them." She opened her mouth to protest, but the look on his face forestalled her a moment too long, and he tried again. "I know you might not believe me, but... we miss you. The Keeper never laughs. Barely even smiles, and hasn't since you disappeared. Enania doesn't talk to anyoneâthey're hardly even married anymore. The whole clan misses you." He glanced down, shaking his head faintly, then raised his eyes back to hers.
"I'm not asking you to return. I know you won't. But I'm asking you to prove to them that you really are alive. They might not... we might not deserve it. But you're good enough to do it anyway. And to help me return the others for proper rites. I know you are."
Khari gritted her teeth. Manipulative little fucker. She huffed a sharp breath out of her nose. âWe're in a tomb, Vareth. They can get rites here." The protest was weak, and she knew it from the slightly-disappointed way he looked at her. Damn it all. âFine. One night, and only one night. And I'm bringing a friend. You don't get to say no to that."
He smiled broadly, apparently entirely unconcerned with her caveat. "Of course. I'll go... get things ready, and meet you back outside." Still carrying the artifact, he made his way back towards the entrance.
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at herself, Khari approached the others. It looked like Rom had just finished with the rift, and Asala was still seeing to everyone's injuries. âUh, so." She drew their attention, recrossing her arms and immediately feeling uncomfortable again. âVareth wants me to go spend a night with my clan. I, uh... told him I would, but only if I could bring someone. So... can I borrow the Inquisitor until tomorrow?" She phrased it in the more official way, glancing at Leon, but it was Rom her eyes settled on.
âIf it's okay with you, I mean." Vareth might have been unfair in his persuasion, but... that didn't mean he was wrong. She still remembered what Rom and the others had said the first time about it. About letting her clan think she was dead. She wasn't sure what she thought about it anymore, but the more she did think, the more she thought she might need this.
That didn't mean she was brave enough to face it down alone, though.
Rom watched Vareth go for a second, holding a hand to his jaw before he let it fall away. "Yeah," he said, his tone easy but still quiet. Maybe the grim location had something to do with it. "It's fine."
âI've no objections," Leon added, lifting his shoulders. âThe rest of us will see you back at camp tomorrow morning."
Zahra rounded up beside Rom and totted both pieces of her bow at Khari, âWeâll be here when you get back.â
Khari nodded, feeling a little of her tension ease, but not enough to allow any kind of smile. âOkay. We'll see you then."
Biting into her bread crust, Khari sighed through her nose. It had occurred to her that if Ser Durand were still here, he'd have been the one doing that job. They'd sent him to Ser Drakon; perhaps the presence of his mercenaries here meant he'd received the message about how badly the region needed competent help. Maybe they were just here because of the Civil War. She didn't know. Wasn't important enough to tell, either, probably. No one looked to her for orders or guidance or information, which was probably a good thingâshe still needed a lot of those things herself. But someday, maybe...
She shifted in her seat, her mouth twisting into a grimace at the oddly-balanced weight on her back. The Lions had been more than willing to lend her a sword. They really traveled prepared, to have an extra laying around. She was grateful to have something to fight with, but it just didn't feel right. Intercessor, that stupid old piece of junk, was in her tent, but she wished it was at her back. She'd learned to fight with that graceless hunk of metal in her hands, from the very first day Ser Durand had woken her up at the fucking crack of dawn to put her through her paces. She'd barely been able to lift it for any length of time, having only ever held the lighter blades of her clan's make. Khari wasn't sure anything else would ever feel quite the same, now.
She was making her way over to the stewpot for seconds when a small disturbance from the front of the camp caught her attention. She doubted it was anything the Lions couldn't deal with, but it wasn't that far away, anyhow, so she set her dishes down where she'd been sitting and headed over, unfamiliar sword awkwardly shuffling against her armored back with each step.
It didn't take long to identify the issue: a large, dark brown riding halla stood just outside the bounds of the camp. Most people would probably mistake it for an elk, but the horns, black and shiny, were different, curling in the particular way that only halla had. She groaned under her breath. Just dismounting the creature was Vareth, face drawn. He did not seem to have noticed her, and Khari hung back uncertainly. What was he doing here, and alone at that? Normally Elasha or one of the other hunters at minimum would go somewhere with the First, just like Shae had been responsible for protecting Zeth while he moved around and did incredibly stupid things.
Vareth turned dark eyes upon the Lions standing at the front of the camp, still apparently unaware of her presence. Khari decided to keep it that way, for now, and tracked his progress with her eyes, remaining silent.
"Excuse me." He met with the mercenary on watch, pausing a polite distance and smiling thinly at her. "I have heard the Inquisition camps here, at the moment. If... there is a chance that the Lord or Lady Inquisitor is present, I would request an audience with them." He blinked, apparently realizing that he'd failed to introduce himself, and amended. "Ah... please tell them that my name is Vareth Saras, of Clan Genardalia. Kharisanna's clan."
Khari's lips pursed. She didn't know what the hell he thought he was doing, but she was damn well going to find out. âVareth!" She drew his attention on purpose, stomping over to him even as the Lion left to retrieve... someone, she supposed. Maybe Rom, maybe just the lieutenant in charge of her squad. âWhat are you doing here?" She couldn't help the accusatory note that entered her tone. Old bitterness and distrust, creeping back in.
His eyes widened; he seemed genuinely surprised to find her there. The expression vanished a moment later, followed by a tentative smile. Khari grit her teeth and tried not to hold it against him. "KharisaâKhari." He cleared his throat, the smile falling. "It's not, ah, how do I explain?" Vareth sighed. "As happy as I am to see you again so soon, I'm here about something unrelated. Yourâahem. The Keeper has a request to make of the Inquisition. Specifically an Inquisitor."
Khari felt herself relax just fractionally at that. The less this had to do with her, the better. Though she still wasn't happy that her clan had crossed her path twice more in the last year than it had in the seven or so that came before. Still... this was within their roaming area. Perhaps it was to be expected.
It didn't take long for the Inquisitor Vareth sought to arrive. The camp wasn't that big, after all, and they were sticking close for the most part. Rom looked to have been roused from a nap, or at least a bit of rest; he was throwing on a few pieces of gear and armor he'd removed. Hacking down undead was strenuous work, and it wasn't unusual to see him a bit more tired when the effects of those tonics of his wore off. He looked alert enough now, though, if a bit unsure at seeing who Khari was with. He obviously recognized him.
"Vareth, isn't it?" he glanced between him and Khari repeatedly, though he seemed to be trying to stop and focus on the First. Maybe checking to see if Khari intended to be as hostile towards him as last time. "I'm Romulus. Uh. Inquisitor." He held out a hand a little awkwardly. The not-marked hand.
Vareth's brows arched slightly, but he nodded, taking Rom's hand without any hesitation and clasping it firmly. "I'm glad to meet you, Inquisitor. In a more proper fashion than last time, anyway." He politely dropped his hand and stepped away, glancing at Khari almost as if seeking her permission to continue.
She heaved a sigh, nodding reluctantly. It really seemed like he hadn't known she was here or anything, which meant he probably really did need Rom for something important. Vareth was a lot of things, but he wasn't petty or frivolous. She could say that much in his favor. He looked relieved for a moment, but seemed conscious of the fact that he was using up their time, so quickly returned to the matter at hand.
"It hasn't escaped notice that the Inquisition was willing to help the humans here, when they required it. My clan was hoping that you would also be willing to help the elves, though we have nothing to offer in return." He shifted his weight, the ironbark staff on his back producing a faint clink as the bone charms tied to it knocked together on their strings. Khari knew the soundâand was surprised to still be hearing it. "About a month ago, our scouts reported strange activity near Var Bellanaris. Some of our warriors were sent to investigateâit would not have been the first time looters or bandits had tried to desecrate that place."
He pursed his lips, and Khari felt her expression shifting to match. "But it wasn't bandits. Elasha was the only one to make it back alive, and even then, she... a day later, she was gone. She managed to tell us of a shifting green light within Var Bellanaris, and some kind of creature that had confronted them there. The Keeper and I sealed the necropolis, but there is no telling how long it will hold. We were debating sending a message to the Inquisition, in hopes that you would help, but... there was little optimism. So when we saw the chance to ask in person, well. It seemed worth taking."
Rom had crossed his arms while Vareth relayed the information, but his stance was more a thoughtful one than anything defensive or combative. It didn't take him long to answer. "If there's another rift there, then we should close it." He made it sound like a simple choice, and maybe it was. "How far is this place? Var Bellanaris?"
Khari felt an immediate sense of relief. This... this was something they could do. Something she could do. âProbably a couple hours, riding." She glanced at the halla. Clearly they wouldn't need to provide anything additional in that respect, anyway. âI take it you're coming with us, Vareth?" She managed not to sound angry about it, more resigned than anything. She couldn't really blame himâit was the duty of the First to do things like this. To be the extended reach of the Keeper when necessary. She knew he took it extremely seriously, and Var Bellanaris important to the clan. To the People.
"I would be, yes. If something from the Fade has disturbed the dead who rest there, I must strengthen the protections again afterwards. Besides... I suspect I will be necessary to undo the seal." He paused a moment, then turned to address Rom again. "Thank you, Inquisitor. I do not think that many in your position would bother."
Rom looked as though he might say something in return, but decided against it. He nodded to Khari. "I'll see if the others are up for the ride."
It didn't take long before they were once more on the road. Marcy had stayed behind in the Citadelle with her father, Mick, and all the chevaliers there. Though at any other time she would have been quite interested in hanging around herself, Khari knew well enough when it was better to not make a nuisance of herself, and she figured she probably preferred camping with the Lions anyway. There'd been a lot of questions about how Stel was doing; it was actually kind of nice. It must be, to have someplace to return to someday, like that.
Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she turned her eyes to Vareth for a moment. He led, though not by too far, remaining well within sight and earshot of the Inquisition he was escorting. Khari was still a little suspicious, though, and ventured the question she'd been trying to swallow for the better part of an hour. âHow come you're alone?" She knew Elasha had always served as his primary guardian, but if she'd... died, then they'd have surely appointed someone else almost immediately. When his face shifted slightly, her suspicion only grew. âDid the Keeper even actually sanction this visit?"
He sighed. "He agreed that it would be prudent to seek the Inquisition's assistance. He... may not know that the Inquisition is actually here, yet."
Khari snorted. âYeah? Doesn't seem much like you, Vareth, doing anything the old man might not like." Khari eased her feet from the stirrups of her saddle and let them dangle instead, settling into the motion of her horse. She still needed to name him eventually.
A trace of humor entered his expression. "Everyone changes, Khari. Perhaps I have, too."
âThis... creature, inside of the burial ground," Leon broke into the conversation with a mild tone. He'd forgone the helmet for now, but it was tied to his saddle. âIs there anything else you can tell us about it?" The introductions had been taken care of before they left, and he'd seemed quite willing to go along for this, once he'd learned what Vareth was asking for. But details had been sparing thus far, and Khari knew he tended to prefer to be armed with information as well as his fists.
"Not much." Vareth admitted it readily, though not exactly lightly. Elasha had been his friend since they were children, after all, though she'd never had much time for Khari. He was probably still dealing with what had happened to the warriors. Everyone probably still was. Khari glanced away, hearing the rest of his words without watching him say them. "It was apparently in possession of some kind of artifact that it was using, but... there are so many pieces of history in that grotto I wouldn't be surprised. That we hadn't already recovered it or looters already stolen it suggests that it was buried with someone, perhaps the creature itself. And that means..."
âRevenant." Khari finished the declaration with a grimace. âFuck." Her clan had stories about those things, the possessed bodies of powerful warriors, animated by mighty demons of pride or desire. And with some kind of artifact at its disposal, there was no telling what it might be capable of. She really hoped Vareth knew what the hell he was doing. If he was leading her friends into some kind of trap or something, she was going toâ
"Aptly-put." Vareth sighed. "Which means we ought to expect combat magic and a great deal of power, I'm afraid. In addition to whatever else that rift is doing. That is what they're called, yes?"
Nearby Khari heard Asala sigh, though afterward she cautiously glanced around, perhaps in hopes that nobody had heard her.
Rom grunted softly in the affirmative. His hand had gone down to a pouch on his belt as soon as he'd heard what they would be facing. Thinking for a moment, he looked dissatisfied and settled on one of a light orange color. Stamina draught of some kind, Khari had seen him take it a number of times before or during his workouts. He downed it with his usual speed, and reacted in the usual way to its taste, but soon had put it behind him.
A sigh deliberated itself from Zahraâs lips as they spokeâthough she had no qualms about trying to keep it quiet. There was a pinched look to her brows as she scuffed her boot in the dirt and glanced around at the others. Sheâd kept relatively quiet when they arrived, and it didnât seem as if she had anything to contribute. Perhaps, it was all the death theyâd faced up until this point. Or the general misery that hung down over their shoulders, like a gray smog. From what Khari could tell, she didnât look all too surprised by the news that there was something much worse to face in these parts, âJust another thing to bury, right?â
The question sounded rhetorical.
It wasn't much longer after that when they came upon the entrance to Var Bellanaris. The area was indeed blockedâthick, impassable brambles had grown high on all sides of what had once been the stone arches that divided it off in front from the outside. The rest, Khari knew, was backed up against stone, the terrain inside pitted with hills, hardy trees, and ruin-gravel, as well as ancient tombstones, and a few much more recent ones. But from this angle, it just appeared to be encased in a living sphere of protection.
Khari exhaled. Even if the Keeper had done some of this, Vareth's magic had clearly improved by leaps and bounds since she'd last been around. Maybe to be expected, but as usual, her own progress felt dwarfed by it. She tried not to think about itâhe did what he did for the People, and no doubt he'd studied just as long and hard as she'd trained to reach something like this.
He stopped them in front of it, dismounting his halla and waiting for them to do the same. "The outer portion was clear when we sealed it, but... that was a month ago. I'm not entirely sure what's happened since then, so please be wary as I take this down." Vareth gave them all several moments to prepare themselves, in which Khari slid from her horse and drew the borrowed sword from her back. Vareth glanced at it, specifically down near her hands, before averting his eyes, something like disappointment passing briefly over his face.
Advancing towards the entrance, he drew a small knife from his belt, sliding the blade over his wrist perpendicular to the length of his arm. The motion was controlled, careful, and practiced. Blood welled to the surface of the wound immediately, and he tilted his arm so that it all ran towards the ground the same way, sheathing the knife. She tensed for a moment, remembering quite vividly her last encounter with blood magic, but nothing else changed. His eyes retained the warm, dark color they'd always had, and he took his staff in his free hand, propping it against the ground and activating the spell.
With a great creaking of wood and the rustle of leaves, the half-sphere of plants over Var Bellanaris began to recede. At the very top of the dome, the leaves turned bright orange, until they were only light, and then dissolved, fragments of them floating upwards towards the sky. The decay of the spell spread, sweeping outwards to vanish the rest of the dome at an even pace, but rapidly. It was actually, she had to admit, beautiful to watch.
When the seal was gone, the white stone arches with their deliberate gap inwards remained, like a skeleton bereft of all its flesh. But the graveyard seemed... quiet.
Leon had looked prepared to be faced down with a very large number of demons. But considering that the area seemed to be empty, he relaxed somewhat, his head turning towards Vareth, if the angle of his helm was any indication. âThe light... was it inside the grotto?" They could see that now, a closed stone building a fair distance in.
Vareth hummed. "Elasha did not specify. Perhaps so. Follow me, if you would... and please try not to touch anything if you can avoid it. We walk on sacred ground."
Khari certainly knew better. Though her clan's dead were sometimes buried here, if they could manage it, the older sites dated back hundreds of years at least, maybe more. The Keeper thought they might go all the way back to the age of Arlathan, at least within parts of the grotto itself. It probably didn't really matterâthe site was important anyway. She might not care as much about the past as Vareth did, but she didn't go wantonly disrespecting it, either. Not when she could avoid it.
The air here was especially fresh-smelling, which shouldn't have been the case for a graveyard. Likely it had something to do with all the flowers growing, and the spell that had protected it for a month. It must have let enough sunlight in to sustain the plant life. Their feet crunched softly over the main path, laden with small bits of the white stone edifice. Her clan had repurposed the ruined parts this way, to keep it neat and tidy. None of them were capable of rebuilding the structures, so they had to make do.
The door to the grotto was somewhat ajar, a smear of old blood spread over the stone, ending in what looked very much like a handprint. Small, but with a noticeable scar on the palm. Elasha's hand had left it. Khari still remembered giving her the scar, accident though it had been. She swallowed, tightening her grip on her sword. Vareth led the way in, but she went right behind him.
It took her eyes a moment to adjust before an orange light flickered to life overhead, illuminating the dark grotto. The walls were lined with mosaics depicting familiar themes of Falon'din, the god of death. Several stone sarcophagi stood open, their lids cracked and pitted, the engraving upon them ruined by their occupants' hasty exits in undeath. The fresh smell from outside was gone, the scent of putrefaction hitting her like a wall as soon as she stepped inside. Vareth sucked in a breath through his teeth.
"The warriors." Peering around him, Khari bit down on her tongue. Felan and Mahiri were both there, along with another person she didn't recognize. She hoped that was because he was a stranger to her, and not because whatever was here had mauled him so badly he was nigh unrecognizable anyway. Their bodies bore heavy slash marks; Mahiri had nearly been cleaved in two, the wound edged with oddly-blackened flesh. Not burns, but something not totally unlike them.
She'd expected... Khari didn't know what she'd expected. But certainly not the numbness that swept over her. Certainly not the sudden recollection that Mahiri had been about to have a child when she left, nor that Felan liked to sing to the halla when he'd had too much to drink. Suddenly, the blade felt heavy in her hands. Almost as heavy as the air felt in her lungs.
She felt a hand on her shoulder as Leon stepped in behind her. He gave her a firm squeeze and the smallest of shakes, a bracing gesture more than anything else. âI'm sorry, Khari," he said, the words so quiet they almost got lost in the rumble of his bass itself. The rest, he left to implication, and his hand fell away. Rom added no words to that, instead stopping close enough on her other side for his presence to be felt. He remained ready to fight at a moment's notice. Zahraâs footsteps halted behind them. A soft exhale followed. As good as any indication that she, too, was present. For her.
Leon's implication was one she understood, and Khari pulled in a breath, doing her best to ignore how bad it smelled. Her grip firmed back up, and she nodded once to Vareth, whose eyes were too solemn. He returned it, and led them deeper.
The grotto was a large space, and opened up almost like a cavern. Though it appeared from the outside to be a structure with at least three aboveground stories, there was in fact only oneâthe ceiling was that high. She'd never been this far inside before, but had heard there were further levels underground. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to enter one: the green light they were looking for shone from an adjacent chamber to the one they entered. The door was a low arch, forcing them to pass through in single file, but the room with the rift in it was likewise quite spacious.
The rift itself was near the center, shifting in the almost indolent way they had, the green crystal structure suspended in midair in a way that made no sense. Standing just beneath it, face upturned as though to bask in the light, was a Revenant.
At least, Khari assumed that was what it had to be. It wore armor, rusted but clearly once of finer make than most things she'd ever seen, from a helm with a backswept horn design to solid greaves over its boots. The sword it held bore no such rust, and glimmered faintly with the light of some magic or enchantment. The blade was bright, but with a patina of almost eerie deep green. Not the same color as the rift, but closer to black. It noticed the moment they entered, turning slowly towards them and hefting the blade on both hands.
Khari charged it, leaping the stone railing at waist-height and landing hard on the recessed ground about six feet below. Pushing off from her landing, she made a beeline for the creature, feeling the Haze descend over her senses. From behind her, Vareth launched some kind of spell. The Revenant went to move sideways, but found itself temporarily locked in place by stone crawling up its legs. The rock had progressed to its waist, and Khari almost arrived, when it broke free with a burst of telekinetic force. The shockwave sent pieces of rock flying, and Khari along with them. She hit the ground on her shoulder and rolled several times before she could regain her feet, but by the time she'd even gotten her hands under her, the Revenant was already there, bearing down on her with the sword it carried.
Leon, clearly having followed her pretty closely, intervened, at least as well as he could, lowering his shoulder and ramming the Revenant in the side. It was enough to knock the sword off its trajectory, but the creature itself was hardly moved. It had only been a glancing hit, but still the Revenant recovered more swiftly than Leon, bringing its sword up and around as if to cleave straight through his armor.
Raising both arms to block, Leon grunted at the impact. This close, Khari could hear a dull snapâit sounded like the effort had actually broken one of his arms. From the way he backed off immediately and dropped his left to his side, tucking it somewhat behind his body, that was exactly what had happened.
Rom had been forced to veer around to the flank to avoid the wave that knocked Khari back, and the subsequent clash between the undead and Leon. Once the Commander was driven back, he dove in on the Revenant's side, plunging his blade in deep in a gap beneath the creature's arm. It would easily have killed a normal man where it struck, but if the Revenant felt any of the damage, it didn't show it, instead soundlessly turning its aggression on the attacker. Rom ducked down and sideways just in time to avoid being beheaded by the green-hued blade.
There was no time to even attempt more strikes, and Rom clearly wasn't going to try to block any of its attacks, seeing what had happened to Leon. He dodged once, twice, each swing threatening death if not seen correctly. After a third swift miss the Revenant stepped in and smashed across Rom's jaw with an armored elbow, throwing him back. Some sort of magic was behind the blow, judging by the perceptible boom that accompanied the hit.
An iridescent green barrier was the next foe to fall upon the Revenant, typical of Asala's dispelling method. The woman herself soon came into view, panting but her hands wreathed in the fade all of the same. Apparently, she had a little trouble keeping up with the others. The Revenant took only a glance at the barrier closing in around it, and reared back with its sword. It cleaved through the shield with only a small amount of effort, and the backlash forced Asala a step backward.
She refocused soon after, surging forward with another barrier, her stereotypical blue. This one managed to strike its target, forcing the Revenant off balance for a moment. Only for a moment, as it soon cleaved through that barrier as well, leaving Asala to expel an agitated groan. Instead of sending out even more ineffective barriers, she turned instead to Leon, and cast a spell in his direction. What seemed like a healing spell wreathed him, though his arm would still likely require more focused attention later. Afterward, she went to Rom, probably in an attempt to do the same for him.
Three arrows thunked off the Revenantâs crooked pauldron and clattered at its feet. Ineffective. It swung around to face its attacker, lips peeling back into a toothless scowl. Another arrow, glowing with residual energy, found its mark in the middle of its exposed chest. The flanged tip of the arrow bit into flesh, and sunk halfway down the shaft. Clawed fingers ripped it out a moment later. If itâd felt it at all, the Revenant certainly wasnât showing it.
A roar rippled out of Zahraâs mouth as she flung herself past Asala and Romârapiers singing free from their scabbards as she hurtled forward. Bright-eyed and bristling with anger. Perhaps, at seeing her friends being so casually tossed aside. She swept her blades sidelong across the creatureâs blade, which it had swung to meet hers. The sheer force of his blade knocked her back a few paces, though she allowed its momentum to careen off the tips of her bending blades, and dipped around to jam one of her rapiers into its exposed midsection.
It sunk halfway. No blood. No sound beyond the droning growl above her. Under any other circumstance, their size difference would have been laughable. While she was attempting to spin around and drag her blade back out, the back of the Revenantâs gauntleted hand struck her across the face, loosing her grip on the protruding blade, and sending her tumbling off to the side. She landed much less gracefully on her back. A moment later and there was a ragged intake of breath. A good indication that she was fine. As fine as any of them were.
The sound of dragging limbs against the floor marked her attempt to regain her feet. It took her a couple attempts with the help of a nearby pillar, but she was already bringing her bow back into her hands.
By that point, Khari was already trying to find a weak spot again. Unfortunately, in addition to being very strong, the Revenant was also quite quick, meaning that every time she thought she'd spotted a place to strike, it was there, parrying her and knocking her sword away with a strength she could not hope to match. On the third, she didn't recover fast enough, and it kicked her in the chest.
Khari was picked off her feet and thrown back, crashing onto stone. Her head snapped back, colliding hard with the ground, and for a moment she saw stars, even through the fuzziness of the Haze. It wasn't often pain made it through to her in this state, but it definitely had. She groaned, rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself up with her arms.
"Khari!" Vareth was slinging ice at the Revenant now, trying to slow it down on its way towards her. Without so much as a warning, it whirled, turning on the ranged fighters in the room. Letting go of its sword with one hand, it closed its other into a fist. Khari felt a lurch in her stomach, and a force like... sideways gravity, almost, pulled her towards the Revenant, her armor scraping over the floor. It wasn't too unlike the time she'd nearly been pulled into Rom's rift, except faster. It picked up Vareth, Asala, and Zee as well, hauling them over the stone railing with no regard for the safety of their limbs, should any fail to clear the obstacle.
Vareth at least managed to pull his legs up under him to avoid breaking them, and was the fastest to his feet when they were dropped. He swept forward with his staff, trying to trip the creature on its way to Asala, but its center of balance was simply too solid, and it weathered the blow with little interruption, swinging next for the Qunari.
Asala had not been as agile, and had chosen instead to just weather it by encasing herself in a tight barrier. Her bottom half had still struck the railing, chipping it and and haphazardly dumping her on her shoulders. She groaned painfully and was slow to turn over on all fours, but by then, the Revenant was on top of her. It was perhaps only quick thinking that saved her life, as the moment she looked up to see the blade raised above her head, her form shifted with fade energy, and she shot forward like Khari had seen Cyrus do a few times before.
She was gone when the blade bit into the stone, though the spell was hardly refined. It gave out some distance behind the Revenant, dumping her out of the Fade, but with enough moment to keep her skidding across the stones. When she finally lifted her, her chin, nose, and part of her forehead, not to mention her hands and forearms were bleeding from having it dragged across the ground. In one last effort, Asala flipped to a seated position and thrust forward with both hands. A low barrier formed and careened horizontally toward the back of the Revenant's knees.
It didn't seem to do much, but it must have been enough. The Revenant was forced to take a moment to steady itself, and in that moment, Leon stepped in, lashing out with an armored leg and connecting with the Revenant's waist, just where its chestplate ended. It doubled over, and he slammed his elbow into the back of its helmet with a clanging rapport. It stumbled away, still quick but clearly disoriented from the blow.
Rom latched onto the Revenant from behind, grabbing the neck of its breastplate with his marked hand and holding tight. The mark crackled loudly for a second before it unleashed a concentrated burst of energy, momentarily lighting up the space with a green and white flash. With the sound of shattering metal, the Revenant's breastplate sloughed off in pieces, a few smaller ones embedded in its pale flesh underneath. Rom jumped away before it could make a retaliatory strike. The creature was slowed now, and vulnerable to a killing blow without its armor.
âVareth!" Khari hauled herself to her feet, sword in tow, and sprinted towards the Revenant.
He seemed to know what she meant. From the ground around it erupted vines, thickening and tangling the creature's legs. Flexible in a way stone was not, they weathered the blast it issued with their pliability rather than sheer strength, absorbing the force and clambering further up the Revenant's body. It went to hack at them with its sword, but Khari had planned for that. The awkward angle it had to use was the only weakness she needed, and she struck hard, bringing her own blade around to its shoulder, biting into the flesh Rom had exposed by cracking off the armor around its torso.
Her sword severed a tendon, and the entire arm went slack as a result, its enchanted blade clattering to the ground from numb fingers. The next burst of magic was aimed for Khari, knocking her away before she could finish the blow. She tumbled into a heap before reaching a stop, able to see Zee upside-down in her field of vision. âZee! Shoot it while he's got it held!" Maybe that was obvious, but she wasn't sure how much longer Vareth's vines would last.
Zahra didnât need to be told twice. Not for something like this. Sheâd already planted one of her feet atop the remnants of a fallen stone pillar. Her shoulders bunched. Deft fingers pulled the string of her bow back behind her ear while the vines twitched and gnarled themselves around the Revenantâs legs, and torso. There was a sound that only the nearest heard. Fibers snapping. The notched arrow fizzled a faint white; a pearl hue, before she finally released it. It sliced through the air, leaving a trail in its wake, and slipped straight into the creatureâs eye socket.
It hissed through and clattered against the far wall. Her bow, unfortunately, hadnât fared so well. She was left holding two pieces of wood and shredded stringâas well as an expression that belied confusion and surprise⊠as if she hadnât quite expected that to happen.
The Revenant fell, hitting the ground with the insensate solidity of actually-dead weight. Khari pushed herself back to her feet for what felt like the hundredth time but was really only the third or so, sheathing her sword on her back. The rift remained, but she was sure Rom could take care of that, easy. Vareth stood near the body, picking up the sword the creature had wielded with a thoughtful frown on his face.
âThat the artifact?" Khari jerked her chin at the blade.
He nodded. "It seems to be. Perhaps the Keeper will know more about it; I suspect the Revenant was from the lower levels, but I can't be sure without looking, and... I think there are more important things to do."
Khari grimaced. He'd need to get the bodies back to the clan, if possible, and no doubt tell the Keeper that the ritual or whatever he thought they could do to put the dead back to rest could go forward now. She didn't envy him the task, honestly, butâ
"Kharisanna." He said her full name quite intentionally, she thought; Khari scowled at him. It wasn't enough to make him back down, though, not like before. "Help me do it. Please."
She shook her head. âOh no." Khari crossed her arms over her chest. âDon't get me wrong, Vareth, I'm sorry you have to do this, but I'm not going back there for any reason. I can't." Her fingers tightened around her armored upper arms.
He sighed through his nose. "Just one night." He pursed his lips. "They know you're alive, Khari, but they don't..." He flinched, as though struggling mightily to find the words he wanted. "Some things must be seen with one's own eyes. This is one of them." She opened her mouth to protest, but the look on his face forestalled her a moment too long, and he tried again. "I know you might not believe me, but... we miss you. The Keeper never laughs. Barely even smiles, and hasn't since you disappeared. Enania doesn't talk to anyoneâthey're hardly even married anymore. The whole clan misses you." He glanced down, shaking his head faintly, then raised his eyes back to hers.
"I'm not asking you to return. I know you won't. But I'm asking you to prove to them that you really are alive. They might not... we might not deserve it. But you're good enough to do it anyway. And to help me return the others for proper rites. I know you are."
Khari gritted her teeth. Manipulative little fucker. She huffed a sharp breath out of her nose. âWe're in a tomb, Vareth. They can get rites here." The protest was weak, and she knew it from the slightly-disappointed way he looked at her. Damn it all. âFine. One night, and only one night. And I'm bringing a friend. You don't get to say no to that."
He smiled broadly, apparently entirely unconcerned with her caveat. "Of course. I'll go... get things ready, and meet you back outside." Still carrying the artifact, he made his way back towards the entrance.
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at herself, Khari approached the others. It looked like Rom had just finished with the rift, and Asala was still seeing to everyone's injuries. âUh, so." She drew their attention, recrossing her arms and immediately feeling uncomfortable again. âVareth wants me to go spend a night with my clan. I, uh... told him I would, but only if I could bring someone. So... can I borrow the Inquisitor until tomorrow?" She phrased it in the more official way, glancing at Leon, but it was Rom her eyes settled on.
âIf it's okay with you, I mean." Vareth might have been unfair in his persuasion, but... that didn't mean he was wrong. She still remembered what Rom and the others had said the first time about it. About letting her clan think she was dead. She wasn't sure what she thought about it anymore, but the more she did think, the more she thought she might need this.
That didn't mean she was brave enough to face it down alone, though.
Rom watched Vareth go for a second, holding a hand to his jaw before he let it fall away. "Yeah," he said, his tone easy but still quiet. Maybe the grim location had something to do with it. "It's fine."
âI've no objections," Leon added, lifting his shoulders. âThe rest of us will see you back at camp tomorrow morning."
Zahra rounded up beside Rom and totted both pieces of her bow at Khari, âWeâll be here when you get back.â
Khari nodded, feeling a little of her tension ease, but not enough to allow any kind of smile. âOkay. We'll see you then."