Vesryn liked to think he knew pain pretty well. It was easy for him to identify how much pain Stel was in.
She carried it admirably, probably better than he did, but it still slipped through cracks like the light escaping from her marked hand. The two were related, of course, but there was more than just physical pain for her to deal with. This business with the Exalted Council was complicated enough without outside interference. Now of all things they had Qunari to deal with, and by the looks of it... Harellan, and possibly Cyrus, too. It was impossible to know what to make out of it, when all they had was a dead Qunari soldier and an eluvian to go off of, but if one thing was painfully obvious, it was that they needed to take action.
"You're sure about this, Skygirl?" He paused, waiting for her response before donning his helmet. The eluvian awaited them, ready to put them on a trail that would take them to parts unknown. Astraia had insisted on going with them, and busied herself fastening leather bracers.
"I'm sure. If they're somewhere through the mirror, I'm going to help you find them." Her expression hardened at Vesryn's concern. "You don't have to look out for me, Ves. I'll be fine." He supposed she had a point. Dragon-rider that she was.
They wouldn't be going alone, though. The Lord Inquisitor had escaped his meeting to join them. The talks had been inconclusive anyway and would resume later. Hopefully they would have this resolved before their absence became conspicuous. Leon would be joining Vesryn at the front of any conflict they ran into, and Asala could contribute her magic from afar. They had no idea what they would encounter, but with luck they'd be ready for anything.
"How're you two holding up?" he asked of the Inquisitors. Romulus was clearly in just as much physical pain as Stel was dealing with. It had the effect of hardening his face into even grumpier lines than usual.
"Fine," Romulus answered. Vesryn had a feeling he wasn't going to get any more than that from him.
"Stel?"
"It's getting bigger." Stel had paused in the act of sliding on the thick leather glove that customarily hid her mark, but now she was staring down at her palm, anxiety marring her features. "An inch or two, maybe, but... it's definitely bigger than it was this morning." She tilted her hand so he could see it, too. The Anchor, the glowing green scar that had been there for as long as he'd known her, was indeed longer than it had been last he saw it, cutting down into the heel of her hand towards her wrist.
Stel pushed out a breath, grimacing and drawing the glove the rest of the way over her hand. "We've other things to worry about. This first." She didn't say it, but it wasn't hard to imagine that she hoped both problems could be solved the same way. Finding Cyrus and Harellan would also be finding the two people most likely to be able to do something about the Anchors.
It seemed that for now, that would be the last word on the subject, and everyone finished gearing up swiftly. For all they knew, their quarry was long gone by now, and it was hard to know what to expect with the Qunari in the mix.
The mirror itself was freestanding just to his left, against the wall in a room apparently dedicated to spare furniture, which at once made sense and was sort of ridiculous, considering just how different the shimmering portal was from any mere looking-glass.
Stepping through the eluvian whited out his vision for a moment, but on the other side, the Crossroads looked essentially as it always did. Saturated color, as far as the eye could see, pathways made of jagged volcanic stone climbing, crossing, and breaking apart seemingly at random. They must have found a rather remote corner of it, though: the path they stood on seemed to proceed straight forward, and then fork once. The left side ascended, high enough that Vesryn couldn't see where the path eventually led. But the right fork remained mostly level, and bore the signs of recent use. There was another eluvian at the end of it, but Vesryn could tell immediately that something was off about it: the surface had a flat, dark red color to it, lacking the light even now shining at their backs.
Beside him, Romulus made a quiet noise of discomfort. Vesryn imagined that in addition to the physical pain of the mark he was dealing, he was now also dealing with the effects of lacking elf-blood and existing in the Crossroads, which was a unique sort of unpleasant, as far as he understood. No doubt Leon and Asala were going through the same, though the latter of those two had at least made this sort of journey once before.
"Best to follow the trail of activity, I think." Vesryn led the way forward, walking alongside the steady bloodstains spaced out along the right path. Astraia followed in his wake, her staff always held in both hands.
"That eluvian doesn't look like the others we've seen. I don't know if it's safe to pass through... or if we even can."
"It doesn't seem broken," Leon said, squinting at it with an uncomfortable grimace. "Though I admit everything's a little blurry. Some of these are keyed to passwords, aren't they?"
Estella hummed, taking a few steps forward and placing her hand flat on the glass. It didn't give. She studied it, brushing her fingers along the length until she could look behind as well. "I've never seen a red one like this, but... I think you're right. It's not broken, just inoperable. Clearly our unfortunate soldier came through it from the other side, so it has to work for something." No doubt hers and Asala's understanding of Qunlat would not be much help; not until they had a better idea of who'd set the password.
"I suppose we head up the other way then. If these are really a network, it's possible there's some workaround."
There was only one way to go for now, which simplified things nicely. The ascending path was a little less stable than the other, large chunks of it missing and forcing the group to proceed single-file in places. Much better not to look down, too—there was nothing below but empty space as far as Vesryn could see, the only hint at other pieces of the network vague shadows too far in the distance to pinpoint.
The eluvian at the end of the left-hand path was alight, though, as bright and clear as the one in the Winter Palace. With little else to try, they stepped through it.
The mirror put them out on a grand, stone bridge, smooth near-white cobbles yellowed with age and dirt, but still fitted firmly to one another. The width and length of the passage put Skyhold's to shame, but it seemed only barely adequate for the structure to which it led. Rising from the landscape in front of them was a sundered castle, once no doubt a magnificent edifice larger than any the Inquisition had yet ventured to, spires coiling upwards to pierce the clouds overhead. Though it was massive in scale, there was a lightness to it, a grace more welcoming than imposing, more warm than icy.
Now it was half-ruined, the bones of it still grasping for the sky. Some walls had collapsed; the silhouette suggested several missing towers, and the entire western edge had been shorn off, exposing the inside to wind and weather coming in off a natural cliff. It was hard to say where they were, exactly, except that it still felt like the Crossroads, but the air had grown warmer by a generous margin. More humid, too.
From their vantage, they could see a group of Qunari at the other side of the bridge, gathered in an armed circle around... something. Just blue light, from this distance.
"What do we do?" Astraia asked, looking around for direction. Vesryn squinted through the slit of his helm at the Qunari on the far side of the bridge, trying to make out what they were circling, to no avail. They didn't seem to have spotted them yet, but that would undoubtedly change soon.
"Not sure how comfortable I am attacking the Antaam unprovoked," he admitted. There were few enemies the Inquisition could make as powerful as the Qunari, and even if their base of power was far away, they had proof right before their eyes that they were capable of great reach. "Think we try the peaceful approach?"
"If you expect them to explain why they're here," Romulus said, "you're going to be disappointed."
"We could always try," Asala replied, though even she sounded doubtful. "It does not look like we have many other options available," she added. It was either forward toward the Qunari, or back the way they came, and of those two, forward was their best options to figure out what was going on. "I can translate," she said, glancing between Leon and Romulus, before she thought about it for a moment and inclined her head. "If they feel like speaking, I mean," she said with a shrug. It looked like she grasped the idea that not many groups they came into contact with like this were on speaking terms with them.
"I'm not comfortable attacking unprovoked either. Whatever quarrel they have with Cy and Harellan doesn't necessarily have to be ours." Stel's expression was grim, but it was clear that she didn't mean to turn around now. "One way or another, we have to get into that castle. Perhaps they won't mind. Just... don't get caught off-guard if they do."
Having so said, she stood, making her way towards the bridge with both hands out to the side, clearly unarmed. Of course, she could draw the sword at her side very quickly if the situation called for it. "Shanedan!" she called, followed by a string of words in Qunlat that Vesryn did not know. It wasn't hard to guess from the tone, though—she was making some kind of diplomatic overture.
Her appearance drew the attention of a few of the closer Qunari, who visibly squinted down the bridge. There were a lot more words after that, but the shout of Inquisition! followed by the immediate drawing of weapons didn't need any translating.
"Dammit," Stel murmured. With a sigh, she drew her blade, bracing it in both hands. The Qunari were swift across the bridge; whatever had them so occupied on the other side did not seem to be mobile. The first, a charging spearman, just barely missed a chance to impale her when she shifted aside, cutting across his back in retaliation. Though it left a bloody line, the wound was not enough to drop him, and his momentum carried him further into their formation.
He was caught for a brief moment between turning his spear to attack Stel again, or charging into the others, and that brief hesitation was all it took for Romulus to slip inside the reach of his spear, blade flashing upwards to slice open his throat. He didn't stop there, ramming the rim of his shield across the Qunari's jaw and making several more quick stabs to vital points, ensuring that the soldier died swiftly. More to ensure he was no longer a threat than to spare him pain, Vesryn knew. Qunari soldiers were notorious for their endurance and dedication to the cause. They were not easily dealt with.
For his part he rushed to the fore to keep Stel's flank covered, intercepting the second of two Antaam soldiers that closed in on her. They collided roughly, Vesryn's axehead finding the soldier's side and opening a bloody wound, but the Qunari elbowed him in the helmet, a jarring blow. Should've seen that coming. He'd been training harder than ever before since Corypheus's defeat, but he still struggled without Saraya. Ripping the axe free from the Qunari's side was enough to do some more damage, but he had to brace himself to block the next downward swing of his two-handed blade.
Another came for his right side, but he found his legs encased in stone before he could reach Vesryn. Astraia's doing, no doubt. She still hadn't quite worked her way up to attacking other people without necessity, but that didn't mean she couldn't contribute, or do it if she absolutely needed to. The Qunari did not like seeing magic used in front of them; their spear-throwers to the rear of the group clearly aimed their shots for the back line, hoping to remove Asala and Astraia from the equation.
One of the spears flew, but never made it to its destination. Leon snapped both arms up and caught it by the shaft as it passed by, shifting his grip quickly and hurling it right back at the Qunari who'd thrown it. The spear pierced his vitaar and skin both, right below the sternum, and he toppled backwards. A retaliatory blow from one of his comrades clanged off the Commander's gauntlet, forcing him a step back and off-balance.
Stel slipped in before it became a worse error, her sword cutting one leg out from underneath the Qunari mace-wielder. He went to a knee with a hard thud, only for Leon to grip him by the horns and drive his own knee up into the soldier's face: once, twice, three times. It was enough to make a bloody mess of his face and at least knock him out; Stel's dagger ensured that his death was quick thereafter.
The rest of the spears didn't seem to frighten Asala overly much, instead a tight frown formed on her lips. She took a quick sidestep closer to Astraia, and summoned a barrier above them both. The spears struck it harmlessly and clattered uselessly to the ground, where she dispelled the shield as quickly as she summoned it. Taking a step, she bent and plucked a spear from the ground and spun it, using it to focus the direction of her next spell.
A convex barrier sprung to life where she pointed and struck one of the Qunari nearest to the edge of the bridge with enough force to slam him against the railing. She spun around and loosed another, this one higher which caused him to flip over it, but fortunately for him he was quick enough to grab the edge before falling to his doom, where Asala ultimately left him.
The last Qunari was deadlocked with Leon, both having discarded any weapons but their bare hands. It seemed that the Commander was not the only one who preferred it, either—his opponent was giving him some trouble. Judging from the armor, he was in charge of this group, and his awareness of space was enough that even Stel's attempts to get in from the side were rebuffed. If she tried any more aggressively, she was in danger of being in Leon's way, so it was hardly a surprise when Vesryn could hear the telltale crack of her preparing for a jump.
More surprising was the much deeper boom that followed. He could just register the bare surprise on Stel's face before she was violently thrown from her feet, slamming into one of the edges of the bridge and dropping her sword with a clatter. Worse, the stone lip didn't quite stop her, and she disappeared over the edge with a flutter of dark hair in her wake.
"Stel!" Vesryn wrenched his axe free from his slain opponent, breaking into a sprint for the side of the bridge. Romulus weaved around him to aid Leon in bringing down the group's leader, but Vesryn could hardly be bothered to notice. He skidded to a halt where her sword had fallen, looking over the edge to find her hanging on with one hand, the unmarked one. Worse still, the Qunari that Asala had sent over the edge hung just below her, now reaching to grab her by the belt with his free hand. Whether he meant to secure his own position or pull her down with him, Vesryn didn't intend to find out.
"I've got you, hold on!" He dropped his axe and reached down, latching onto her forearm with his hands, but there wasn't going to be any pulling her up while the hefty Qunari soldier was attached, and whatever Stel's mark had done to her hadn't left her in the best shape to fight him off bare-handed.
A bladed staff appeared on Vesryn's right, the miniscule elf holding it visible soon after. Astraia angled the blade down and lunged, stabbing down at the Qunari's face. She struck him near the eye, eliciting an agonized cry from the soldier. His grip on Stel faltered, and then he fell away entirely, roaring until he hit the ground far below with a distant thud.
Vesryn was able to pull her up now, sliding his other arm under her as soon as he was able, and setting her down slowly against the stone lip. He checked briefly to confirm that the others had dealt with the rest of the threat before he knelt down and removed his helmet. "Are you all right? That was..." Uncharacteristic of her, for one. It almost seemed like she'd accidentally performed a much stronger version of what Romulus used his mark for. "What was that?"
She groaned softly, squeezing the wrist of her marked hand with the other, shaking her head slightly and tugging the glove off. Alarmingly, the green gash was past her hand now, just barely cutting into her forearm. She coughed, pulling in an unsteady breath. "I don't—I was just trying to jump like usual. But then something went—it felt wrong. The next thing I knew, I was in the air."
Stel leaned heavily against the stone, her head falling back against the edge. "Thank you. For a minute I thought I—well." It was a sentence that hardly needed finishing. With a thin smile for both Vesryn and Astraia, she offered her unmarked hand towards him. "I think I can stand. We should keep going, but... maybe not use the Anchors anymore."
"Noted." Romulus appeared to not to be wounded, but still in a significant amount of pain. And he hadn't even used his mark. "The way is clear now."
"For the moment." Vesryn helped Stel up and handed her sword back to her, making sure she was steady before he turned his attention to Astraia. Her attention was still fixed on the side of the bridge. She lowered her staff, and magically wiped away the blood staining the blade. Her expression was hard to read. "You did well, Astraia," he assured her.
She nodded and turned towards the path ahead. "Let's go."
She carried it admirably, probably better than he did, but it still slipped through cracks like the light escaping from her marked hand. The two were related, of course, but there was more than just physical pain for her to deal with. This business with the Exalted Council was complicated enough without outside interference. Now of all things they had Qunari to deal with, and by the looks of it... Harellan, and possibly Cyrus, too. It was impossible to know what to make out of it, when all they had was a dead Qunari soldier and an eluvian to go off of, but if one thing was painfully obvious, it was that they needed to take action.
"You're sure about this, Skygirl?" He paused, waiting for her response before donning his helmet. The eluvian awaited them, ready to put them on a trail that would take them to parts unknown. Astraia had insisted on going with them, and busied herself fastening leather bracers.
"I'm sure. If they're somewhere through the mirror, I'm going to help you find them." Her expression hardened at Vesryn's concern. "You don't have to look out for me, Ves. I'll be fine." He supposed she had a point. Dragon-rider that she was.
They wouldn't be going alone, though. The Lord Inquisitor had escaped his meeting to join them. The talks had been inconclusive anyway and would resume later. Hopefully they would have this resolved before their absence became conspicuous. Leon would be joining Vesryn at the front of any conflict they ran into, and Asala could contribute her magic from afar. They had no idea what they would encounter, but with luck they'd be ready for anything.
"How're you two holding up?" he asked of the Inquisitors. Romulus was clearly in just as much physical pain as Stel was dealing with. It had the effect of hardening his face into even grumpier lines than usual.
"Fine," Romulus answered. Vesryn had a feeling he wasn't going to get any more than that from him.
"Stel?"
"It's getting bigger." Stel had paused in the act of sliding on the thick leather glove that customarily hid her mark, but now she was staring down at her palm, anxiety marring her features. "An inch or two, maybe, but... it's definitely bigger than it was this morning." She tilted her hand so he could see it, too. The Anchor, the glowing green scar that had been there for as long as he'd known her, was indeed longer than it had been last he saw it, cutting down into the heel of her hand towards her wrist.
Stel pushed out a breath, grimacing and drawing the glove the rest of the way over her hand. "We've other things to worry about. This first." She didn't say it, but it wasn't hard to imagine that she hoped both problems could be solved the same way. Finding Cyrus and Harellan would also be finding the two people most likely to be able to do something about the Anchors.
It seemed that for now, that would be the last word on the subject, and everyone finished gearing up swiftly. For all they knew, their quarry was long gone by now, and it was hard to know what to expect with the Qunari in the mix.
The mirror itself was freestanding just to his left, against the wall in a room apparently dedicated to spare furniture, which at once made sense and was sort of ridiculous, considering just how different the shimmering portal was from any mere looking-glass.
Stepping through the eluvian whited out his vision for a moment, but on the other side, the Crossroads looked essentially as it always did. Saturated color, as far as the eye could see, pathways made of jagged volcanic stone climbing, crossing, and breaking apart seemingly at random. They must have found a rather remote corner of it, though: the path they stood on seemed to proceed straight forward, and then fork once. The left side ascended, high enough that Vesryn couldn't see where the path eventually led. But the right fork remained mostly level, and bore the signs of recent use. There was another eluvian at the end of it, but Vesryn could tell immediately that something was off about it: the surface had a flat, dark red color to it, lacking the light even now shining at their backs.
Beside him, Romulus made a quiet noise of discomfort. Vesryn imagined that in addition to the physical pain of the mark he was dealing, he was now also dealing with the effects of lacking elf-blood and existing in the Crossroads, which was a unique sort of unpleasant, as far as he understood. No doubt Leon and Asala were going through the same, though the latter of those two had at least made this sort of journey once before.
"Best to follow the trail of activity, I think." Vesryn led the way forward, walking alongside the steady bloodstains spaced out along the right path. Astraia followed in his wake, her staff always held in both hands.
"That eluvian doesn't look like the others we've seen. I don't know if it's safe to pass through... or if we even can."
"It doesn't seem broken," Leon said, squinting at it with an uncomfortable grimace. "Though I admit everything's a little blurry. Some of these are keyed to passwords, aren't they?"
Estella hummed, taking a few steps forward and placing her hand flat on the glass. It didn't give. She studied it, brushing her fingers along the length until she could look behind as well. "I've never seen a red one like this, but... I think you're right. It's not broken, just inoperable. Clearly our unfortunate soldier came through it from the other side, so it has to work for something." No doubt hers and Asala's understanding of Qunlat would not be much help; not until they had a better idea of who'd set the password.
"I suppose we head up the other way then. If these are really a network, it's possible there's some workaround."
There was only one way to go for now, which simplified things nicely. The ascending path was a little less stable than the other, large chunks of it missing and forcing the group to proceed single-file in places. Much better not to look down, too—there was nothing below but empty space as far as Vesryn could see, the only hint at other pieces of the network vague shadows too far in the distance to pinpoint.
The eluvian at the end of the left-hand path was alight, though, as bright and clear as the one in the Winter Palace. With little else to try, they stepped through it.
The mirror put them out on a grand, stone bridge, smooth near-white cobbles yellowed with age and dirt, but still fitted firmly to one another. The width and length of the passage put Skyhold's to shame, but it seemed only barely adequate for the structure to which it led. Rising from the landscape in front of them was a sundered castle, once no doubt a magnificent edifice larger than any the Inquisition had yet ventured to, spires coiling upwards to pierce the clouds overhead. Though it was massive in scale, there was a lightness to it, a grace more welcoming than imposing, more warm than icy.
Now it was half-ruined, the bones of it still grasping for the sky. Some walls had collapsed; the silhouette suggested several missing towers, and the entire western edge had been shorn off, exposing the inside to wind and weather coming in off a natural cliff. It was hard to say where they were, exactly, except that it still felt like the Crossroads, but the air had grown warmer by a generous margin. More humid, too.
From their vantage, they could see a group of Qunari at the other side of the bridge, gathered in an armed circle around... something. Just blue light, from this distance.
"What do we do?" Astraia asked, looking around for direction. Vesryn squinted through the slit of his helm at the Qunari on the far side of the bridge, trying to make out what they were circling, to no avail. They didn't seem to have spotted them yet, but that would undoubtedly change soon.
"Not sure how comfortable I am attacking the Antaam unprovoked," he admitted. There were few enemies the Inquisition could make as powerful as the Qunari, and even if their base of power was far away, they had proof right before their eyes that they were capable of great reach. "Think we try the peaceful approach?"
"If you expect them to explain why they're here," Romulus said, "you're going to be disappointed."
"We could always try," Asala replied, though even she sounded doubtful. "It does not look like we have many other options available," she added. It was either forward toward the Qunari, or back the way they came, and of those two, forward was their best options to figure out what was going on. "I can translate," she said, glancing between Leon and Romulus, before she thought about it for a moment and inclined her head. "If they feel like speaking, I mean," she said with a shrug. It looked like she grasped the idea that not many groups they came into contact with like this were on speaking terms with them.
"I'm not comfortable attacking unprovoked either. Whatever quarrel they have with Cy and Harellan doesn't necessarily have to be ours." Stel's expression was grim, but it was clear that she didn't mean to turn around now. "One way or another, we have to get into that castle. Perhaps they won't mind. Just... don't get caught off-guard if they do."
Having so said, she stood, making her way towards the bridge with both hands out to the side, clearly unarmed. Of course, she could draw the sword at her side very quickly if the situation called for it. "Shanedan!" she called, followed by a string of words in Qunlat that Vesryn did not know. It wasn't hard to guess from the tone, though—she was making some kind of diplomatic overture.
Her appearance drew the attention of a few of the closer Qunari, who visibly squinted down the bridge. There were a lot more words after that, but the shout of Inquisition! followed by the immediate drawing of weapons didn't need any translating.
"Dammit," Stel murmured. With a sigh, she drew her blade, bracing it in both hands. The Qunari were swift across the bridge; whatever had them so occupied on the other side did not seem to be mobile. The first, a charging spearman, just barely missed a chance to impale her when she shifted aside, cutting across his back in retaliation. Though it left a bloody line, the wound was not enough to drop him, and his momentum carried him further into their formation.
He was caught for a brief moment between turning his spear to attack Stel again, or charging into the others, and that brief hesitation was all it took for Romulus to slip inside the reach of his spear, blade flashing upwards to slice open his throat. He didn't stop there, ramming the rim of his shield across the Qunari's jaw and making several more quick stabs to vital points, ensuring that the soldier died swiftly. More to ensure he was no longer a threat than to spare him pain, Vesryn knew. Qunari soldiers were notorious for their endurance and dedication to the cause. They were not easily dealt with.
For his part he rushed to the fore to keep Stel's flank covered, intercepting the second of two Antaam soldiers that closed in on her. They collided roughly, Vesryn's axehead finding the soldier's side and opening a bloody wound, but the Qunari elbowed him in the helmet, a jarring blow. Should've seen that coming. He'd been training harder than ever before since Corypheus's defeat, but he still struggled without Saraya. Ripping the axe free from the Qunari's side was enough to do some more damage, but he had to brace himself to block the next downward swing of his two-handed blade.
Another came for his right side, but he found his legs encased in stone before he could reach Vesryn. Astraia's doing, no doubt. She still hadn't quite worked her way up to attacking other people without necessity, but that didn't mean she couldn't contribute, or do it if she absolutely needed to. The Qunari did not like seeing magic used in front of them; their spear-throwers to the rear of the group clearly aimed their shots for the back line, hoping to remove Asala and Astraia from the equation.
One of the spears flew, but never made it to its destination. Leon snapped both arms up and caught it by the shaft as it passed by, shifting his grip quickly and hurling it right back at the Qunari who'd thrown it. The spear pierced his vitaar and skin both, right below the sternum, and he toppled backwards. A retaliatory blow from one of his comrades clanged off the Commander's gauntlet, forcing him a step back and off-balance.
Stel slipped in before it became a worse error, her sword cutting one leg out from underneath the Qunari mace-wielder. He went to a knee with a hard thud, only for Leon to grip him by the horns and drive his own knee up into the soldier's face: once, twice, three times. It was enough to make a bloody mess of his face and at least knock him out; Stel's dagger ensured that his death was quick thereafter.
The rest of the spears didn't seem to frighten Asala overly much, instead a tight frown formed on her lips. She took a quick sidestep closer to Astraia, and summoned a barrier above them both. The spears struck it harmlessly and clattered uselessly to the ground, where she dispelled the shield as quickly as she summoned it. Taking a step, she bent and plucked a spear from the ground and spun it, using it to focus the direction of her next spell.
A convex barrier sprung to life where she pointed and struck one of the Qunari nearest to the edge of the bridge with enough force to slam him against the railing. She spun around and loosed another, this one higher which caused him to flip over it, but fortunately for him he was quick enough to grab the edge before falling to his doom, where Asala ultimately left him.
The last Qunari was deadlocked with Leon, both having discarded any weapons but their bare hands. It seemed that the Commander was not the only one who preferred it, either—his opponent was giving him some trouble. Judging from the armor, he was in charge of this group, and his awareness of space was enough that even Stel's attempts to get in from the side were rebuffed. If she tried any more aggressively, she was in danger of being in Leon's way, so it was hardly a surprise when Vesryn could hear the telltale crack of her preparing for a jump.
More surprising was the much deeper boom that followed. He could just register the bare surprise on Stel's face before she was violently thrown from her feet, slamming into one of the edges of the bridge and dropping her sword with a clatter. Worse, the stone lip didn't quite stop her, and she disappeared over the edge with a flutter of dark hair in her wake.
"Stel!" Vesryn wrenched his axe free from his slain opponent, breaking into a sprint for the side of the bridge. Romulus weaved around him to aid Leon in bringing down the group's leader, but Vesryn could hardly be bothered to notice. He skidded to a halt where her sword had fallen, looking over the edge to find her hanging on with one hand, the unmarked one. Worse still, the Qunari that Asala had sent over the edge hung just below her, now reaching to grab her by the belt with his free hand. Whether he meant to secure his own position or pull her down with him, Vesryn didn't intend to find out.
"I've got you, hold on!" He dropped his axe and reached down, latching onto her forearm with his hands, but there wasn't going to be any pulling her up while the hefty Qunari soldier was attached, and whatever Stel's mark had done to her hadn't left her in the best shape to fight him off bare-handed.
A bladed staff appeared on Vesryn's right, the miniscule elf holding it visible soon after. Astraia angled the blade down and lunged, stabbing down at the Qunari's face. She struck him near the eye, eliciting an agonized cry from the soldier. His grip on Stel faltered, and then he fell away entirely, roaring until he hit the ground far below with a distant thud.
Vesryn was able to pull her up now, sliding his other arm under her as soon as he was able, and setting her down slowly against the stone lip. He checked briefly to confirm that the others had dealt with the rest of the threat before he knelt down and removed his helmet. "Are you all right? That was..." Uncharacteristic of her, for one. It almost seemed like she'd accidentally performed a much stronger version of what Romulus used his mark for. "What was that?"
She groaned softly, squeezing the wrist of her marked hand with the other, shaking her head slightly and tugging the glove off. Alarmingly, the green gash was past her hand now, just barely cutting into her forearm. She coughed, pulling in an unsteady breath. "I don't—I was just trying to jump like usual. But then something went—it felt wrong. The next thing I knew, I was in the air."
Stel leaned heavily against the stone, her head falling back against the edge. "Thank you. For a minute I thought I—well." It was a sentence that hardly needed finishing. With a thin smile for both Vesryn and Astraia, she offered her unmarked hand towards him. "I think I can stand. We should keep going, but... maybe not use the Anchors anymore."
"Noted." Romulus appeared to not to be wounded, but still in a significant amount of pain. And he hadn't even used his mark. "The way is clear now."
"For the moment." Vesryn helped Stel up and handed her sword back to her, making sure she was steady before he turned his attention to Astraia. Her attention was still fixed on the side of the bridge. She lowered her staff, and magically wiped away the blood staining the blade. Her expression was hard to read. "You did well, Astraia," he assured her.
She nodded and turned towards the path ahead. "Let's go."