#daady au

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It’s time. Time to take out an Archdemon and maybe make some progress in this stupid fight. 

The smell of bog with the undertone of Blight surrounds Jerran as he stands in a huddle of Grey Wardens at the edge of Lavendel, listening to Sergeant Jin. His heartbeat pounds in his ears as he shifts the sword and larger shield in his hands. His training paid off, he’s been assigned to more of a Warrior type position today rather than the usual archer.

 This… this is different; sure he's fought in battles where the Archdemons were present, but the monsters were distant, fighting *somewhere* beyond where he’d been stationed.

The knowledge that a Grey Warden sacrificed his soul, his very essence, to kill an Archdemon had been abstract up until now. Back then…. It seemed somewhat like a fairytale.

Now, it’s disturbingly close.

A slender hand rests on his arm, shaking him out of his thoughts. “Vhenan? Are you all right?”

This time, he’s not alone. Jerran glances down to see his beloved Eleanor’s face, her lavender blue eyes worried in the dim light. “Sorry. Just thinking.” Taking out a lyrium potion, he downs the bottle and reflexively grimaces at the sickly sweet flavor. 

His veins hum as the Strength and Endurance runes inserted at the base of his neck and lower back absorb the artificially-created mana pool. One small blessing from being experimented on, I guess. 

Eleanor leans her head against his shoulder, the gold coins around her waist gently clinking against his armor. “We’re fighting together, vhenan. I promise you won’t be alone,” she says softly.

Trying to talk her into staying in a safer area was impossible. “We won’t be alone,” he promises.  Shifting the sword and shield to the side, he wrapped an arm around her. 

“Baby Warden Jerran Thorne, are you paying attention?” Morella’s voice cuts through their conversation. “Or do I need to send you back to the Lighthouse so Eleanor can tuck you in with a bedtime story?”

Snickers run around the group as Eleanor’s face turns pink. Lil’lath smiles at him and pats his bac while Zae elbows him in the side from the other side. Jerran straightens. “No, Lieutenant Thorne. I mean, yes, I’m paying attention. No, I don’t need a bedtime story.” 

After one last glare, his aunt turns back to the debrief: there will be two squadrons working together  – one regular group led by Lil’lath and other Senior Wardens. The other, the Inglorious Wardens, an elite group led by Sarge and Lieutenant Morella Thorne.  They’ll be stationed in the Pit, ready to assist when needed.

Sarge dismisses the group and Jerran turns to leave. 

“Hey.” Morella stops him, her usually sharp eyes softening momentarily. “Don’t fuck up. I mean it. No ogres, no being stupid. Got that?” Concern lances her voice beneath the harsh words. Her gaze turns to Eleanor. “That goes for you too.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Eleanor says softly.

“You know us, auntie.” Morella would frown at hugging openly in front of the others, so Jerran gives her a cheeky grin and a wink. “Too stubborn and good-looking to die.”

A momentary smirk lifts her lips before they settle back into her usual scowl. “Don’t get cocky, baby warden,” she mutters as she turns back to get in position.

—--

 Jerran and Eleanor, along with most of the Veilguard wait below the crumbling tower where the Archdemon was said to have been resting as backup. 

“Jerran.” Kaed’s voice sounds just slightly behind him. Beside him, a smaller Warden with dark hair and facepaint – M something? Matilde? Maeve, Mavis, that was it – smiles at both of them as she adjusts the bow in her hand.

Jerran quells the slight feeling of guilt and unease that always rises at the sound of the taller Warden’s voice. “Kaed.”

“Just like old times?” Kaed’s slight quaver in his voice tells Jerran that he’s thinking the same thing: the last time they’d fought together, they’d almost killed each other.

“Yeah.” Jerran blows out his breath. “Like old times.”  He wished Zae was next to him, even now. But the archer is positioned in another spot in the battlefield, hopefully with his husband Alec. 

Jerran looks up as two figures – one tall with qunari horns and dripping with Rivani gold, the other armored and difficult to make out – hike their way up to the Archdemon’s makeshift prison, accompanied by a thick long bolt that gleamed in the moonlight as Wardens insert it into a waiting ballista. The Dragon Hunter and the other must be the mysterious Rook.

With merely a thought, Jerran activates the runes. Warmth fills him as the Endurance rune energizes his body to fight longer; the Strength rune vibrates as his armor and weapons suddenly feel lighter. Cracking his neck, he loosens up his stance and blows out a breath, ignoring the stench of bog and Blight.

The Dragon Expert enters the Tower and the world holds its breath.

A horn blast.

Nothing.

Beside him, Eleanor grips her staff, her face settling into grim determination. Jerran keeps his eyes on the Tower.

Then —

A column of fire rises from the center of the ruined building, accompanied by a dragon’s roar. Jerran tenses. SHIT.

The dragon bursts from the tower in a thundering wave of flames and fury, scattering Grey Wardens like toy soldiers; Jerran flinches and he hears Eleanor gasp as several of his fellow Wardens run screaming with their armor on fire. Several fall to the pit below where the Veilguard waits.

*Shit, shit, shit —* 

The dragon makes a valiant attempt to flee; other Wardens assigned to tackle the Archdemon approach the beast. “Hold your ground!” Jin shouts before the Inglorious Wardens charge.

Pain explodes behind his temple as a masked monster bursts from the ground, snatching Grey Wardens – with horror, he recognizes a Warden Vaughn from a past expedition fall limply in her grasp. Some she rips to shreds; others, launch straight into the dragon’s mouth. A deep, female voice almost as familiar as the Song roars above them. 

*Ghilan’ain.* 

“Wardens! You defied me at Weisshaupt. Stole my archdemon.” The monster’s multiple arms glow red and he winces as the headache increases. 

Beside him, Mavis screams as Ghilan’ain’s tentacles lift and stabs a large horned quanri. “AGOST!”

Slinging her bow around her shoulders, she scrambles forward, ignoring Jerran’s shout of alarm. Kaed curses and follows her, running toward the goddess writhing above them. 

“I will have blood for that.”

The Blight in Jerran’s veins surges, giving him just enough warning to yank Eleanor toward him as a Blight pool oozes where she’d just been standing. Instinctively, he hacks at the snarling Darkspawn emerging from the bloody depths. 

One appears just in front of Mavis and a spindly hand grasps her arm before she can even blink or scream. In a quick twist, the newborn Darkspawn dislocates her shoulder only to get frozen in place by a well-placed ice spell from Kaed. 

Jerran blocks the next wave with his shield. “Get her to the healers,” he shouts above the screams.

The taller mage scoops his beloved up as Eleanor carves a way for him with an ice blast to slow the horde. Jerran barely gives them another thought.

—----

The battle continues and time seems to slow. Jerran and Eleanor stand back to back, her ice and necrotic energy snapping and sparking in time with other mages' lightning and fire. In the blur, he manages to catch glimpses of other Veilguard members – Kayden, standing tall with his large sword and shield with Kalais at his side; Keion zipping across the field with Fadestep; Beryl roaring and leaping at an Emissary. 

It's the first time Jerran's fought with the runes in a true, chaotic battle – small skirmishes in the Crossroads and Venatori in Minrathous never lasted long enough. Before, Jerran always held back during training and sparring matches. One wrong snap and —

Here, there’s no need to hold back; he can release the frenzy that’s been building since he returned to the Lighthouse. Jerran grabs a genlock, thrusts his blade into its chest, twists, and lets the body fall. It’s too easy, like slicing through straw and burlap rather than flesh and bone. 

Another Darkspawn ventures a little too closely to Eleanor’s blindspot, fingers nearly brushing her hair. Jerran’s shield caves in the creature’s skull with little force.

The Song, the roar and groans of battle, and clashing of armor ring in Jerran’s ears. It’s almost… euphoric.

But there's a price.

Jerran downs the second lyrium bottle and chucks it at the nearest Darkspawn. His leg aches from a lucky strike between the plates from a wickedly sharp dagger. The rejuvenation rune burns in his lower back as it kicks in to heal the wound. 

It’s a delicate balance – not enough lyrium, and the runes siphon off his own lifeforce. Drink it too quickly, and he runs out before the battle is over. 

He turns to check on Eleanor who gives him a determined nod, her eyes focused as she creates ice spikes to impale the next wave approaching. 

“KID!” A shout from the side brings him back to Thedas. Gregory – no, Tarian – his pupils wide with fear and adrenaline, points to a blue-haired woman leaping toward a fucking ogre with nothing but her battle axe.

Jerran’s stomach lurches at the sight. Sarge. “Godsfucking dammit!” Getting Eleanor’s attention, he points to the sight and charges after Tarian. “SARGE!”  

Helplessly, almost in slow motion, he watches the ogre scoop Sarge up by one leg, twisting mercilessly. Jin screams and the monster flings her as carelessly as a bored child with an unwanted toy. She slams into the ground and lays terribly still.

Dropping to one knee, Jerran quickly assesses her condition, aware of Eleanor’s hands glowing with a healing spell as she works to slow the bleeding along with a second mage that joins them. Sarge’s leg…. 

Can’t think about it now. Roughly scooping Jin up over his shoulder, Jerran shouts to the others, “Let’s go,” before  sprinting across the field, slipping on gore. Mud created from spilled blood, Blight, and dirt clings to his boots. Distantly, he sees redness bloom across Tarian’s shoulder as the Warden helps clear the way; the man hisses and stabs the Darkspawn that was stupid enough to get in their path. 

After depositing Jin in the hands of the healers, Jerran and Eleanor return to the battlefield, pulling wounded Wardens to safety when they can, killing more Darkspawn. They assist Tish and several others to take down a raging ogre. When the creature is downed, the dwarf gives Jerran and Eleanor a cheerful thumb’s up. 

Wiping sweat and blood from his forehead, Jerran glances at Eleanor, noting the weary stance and blood matting her hair. “Ellie, do you need a lyrium or a health potion —” 

A bright flash of light – so bright that for a moment, Jerran’s blinded – accompanied by smoke rises in the sky along with the acrid smell of burning flesh and Blight. Blinking, he raises his hand to shield his eyes and he turns to see her. 

Kyra stands knee-deep in a pool of Blight, seemingly unaffected by the chaos and screaming around her. Sunset crimson hair –  streaked with blood, gore, and the dark ichor of Blight –  curls loose around her face, recognizable even now. Her small but upturned nose drips thick dark mucus, large eyes now bleeding black and glowing with red fervor, softly rounded cheeks infected with rot…. all familiar despite the differences.

A Warden attempts to attack; Kyra raises a hand, and a Darkspawn lackey intercepts the unsuspecting warrior. With barely a scream, the helmeted Warden sinks beneath the creature’s teeth and claws.

Jerran’s stomach lurches as she turns and her gaze is fixed on him for a brief moment. Then her blighted gaze slides to somewhere behind him. 

“Vhenan?” Eleanor’s voice, from behind. “Is that. ….”

No, not now. Please, Maker. Jerran swallows. “It is,” he says hoarsely. 

Kyra’s eyes snap back to Jerran’s and she smiles that same smile that he once found so winsome and charming. No, not quite the same; the teeth now black and sharp, rotting from Blight. 

Kill her. Save others.

He hesitates.

An Emissary chooses that time to attack; only Eleanor’s warning and a streak of Necrotic energy shooting over his shoulder snaps Jerran out of his stupor and he raises his shield in time to defend himself. By the time the Darkspawn is dispatched, Kyra is gone.

“Jerran!” Zae charges over the field, panting heavily. “Was that –”

Jerran nods as he pulls his sword free from the Emissary’s twitching body. “She saw Eleanor – watch for her.” 

Distantly, he hears a roar and someone shouts about enchanted balistas. It’s almost over. 

—--- 

The rest of the battle is a blur of darkness, marked by red glowing eyes and dark blood under the stars. Later, Kayden tells him that Rook managed to wound Ghilly-mane; rumors abound that Elgar-dud showed up and rescued her. But no one’s completely sure. Godsdamned…. gods.

Two things Jerran knows –  the fucking dragons are dead. And he and Eleanor are safe.

Afterwards, he barely manages to stumble back to the Lighthouse, passing by the unconscious and wounded. Tamrain groans as the healers work to repair a broken leg; Alaine lays unconscious on a passing cot. 

Every muscle screams in agony, his body shakes as he comes down from the high of battle and the runes siphon off his own life force. 

After enduring the usual Blight cleansing – can’t have it back at the Lighthouse– Jerran waves off the healers before making it back to the small apartment with Eleanor's help. They silently pull off their filthy clothing, leaving it piled on the mudroom floor, before retiring to the washroom to scrub away the dirt. 

Clean clothes have never felt so good.

Downstairs, he pulls out several lyrium and health potion and sets them on the coffee table before collapsing on their sofa. Handing one to Eleanor, he downs it and shudders as the runes greedily consume the mana. 

Eleanor, her face weary but unharmed, sits next to him and places her head against his shoulder. With some effort, he wraps an arm around her. No words are needed.

The forest is lively as Kalais strolls through the trees, hand in hand with Beck, with Nyx on their other side. The trio follows behind Vena as she forges ahead through the trees, waving around Kalais’ prototype, listening to the tone to find a suitable spot. Today they plan to test the device’s capacity for measuring the Veil with leylines, rather than ambient magic. Tests at the Necropolis proved it could detect nearby stationary lines at a fixed crossing. Now it is time to see if it could pick up any in a location where the lines might be in flux.

“Are you sure it was a good idea to let her handle that?” Beck leans down to quietly ask. 

Kalais nods in response. “Yes. I trust her, and I have faith in my work to stabilize it. Any volatile spirit energy should be diffused or redirected through to prevent any kind of explosion.”

“That’s sweet that you thought about that for her.”

“It’s not just for her,” they admit. “If it’s going to measure Veil strength, it needs to handle being near all kinds of spirits for places where the Veil is very thin. I…well I did some testing on my own to make sure it could do that.”

Nyx raises a brow at that, glancing sidelong at them. “On your own? You mean alone?”

Kalais’ face turns a little red. Technically, they had originally planned so, but had run into Jerran along the way. “I didn’t do the experiment by myself. Jerran was with me in case anything went wrong.” They don’t mention how it almost did go wrong, and that voice they heard during it. It isn't important. The important part is that no one was hurt and the device survived. 

Since then, Kalais has continued the work on the device, taking breaks as needed (often determined by Beck, or Nyx, or Vena), and had spoken to others who suggested ways in which it could be fixed. Desi suggested a larger battery, a fix which has yet to be tried unfortunately as Desi was focused on his grove, but Kalais feels would be the best option. Ezra suggested eliminating some efficiencies to force the device to use more of what is drawn in. It required some re-wiring and re-directing of how energy flowed through the prototype, but Kalais believes they have accomplished it. They did a brief test in the Lighthouse with some success. Now they are out here and so far it seems to be working, though its just on its most basic function. Once a suitable spot is found, they will set it up and run the device through the next activation steps, hoping it will read the leylines again. And if that works, they will finish the steps to generate the field. All in all, both steps should only need to be active for a few seconds to tell if they have done it correctly. Once that is determined, they can deactivate it and prepare it for a larger battery.

The group continues forward, chatting idly. Kalais asks after Nyx's new paramour, gently teasing but sincere in their interest, causing Nyx to blush when they respond. Vena races through the trees, stopping just long enough for the others to catch up, and once they're in sight again, she's off once more, disappearing between branches. Kalais tries to keep an ear out for her to keep tabs on where she is, in order to follow after her yes, but also with concern for safety. They know Nyx is surely doing similarly, keeping a spectral eye following the younger elf. All in all, Kalais enjoys the time spent with part of their family.

At some point though, something begins to feel off. Kalais stops joining the conversation, slowing down and listening. No birdsong. No small animals rustling in the leaves. The forest is too quiet. Both Beck and Nyx notice, though Beck is the first to check on them. "Is everything alright, vhenan?"

Kalais shakes their head slightly. "I don't know. It's too still. Just wind." They have learned from years in the forest, when everything is quiet, something is about to happen. Usually something bad.

They start moving again, then Nyx freezes up, all eyes wide, and wings popping out. Kalais' heart plummets into their stomach. "Vena. This way!" Nyx takes off immediately. Kalais and Beck follow after, with Kalais grateful Nyx didn't just teleport. If they had, Kalais is uncertain if they would be able to find where Vena had gone. Thankfully, she isn't far.

They find Vena in a small clearing, but she is not alone. Six Venatori are in the space as well. One holds Vena in his grasp, holding her arms tightly behind her as she struggles weakly against his grip. Parts of his robes look singed. She had clearly tried to escape herself. The Venatori must have done something or given her something to keep her in their hold. Four of the Venatori stand behind, knives and swords out and ready, looking to the one in command for instruction.

The final one, the one leading this group, stands in front, holding the device in his hand, inspecting it. "Well isn't this interesting?" He looks at Kalais, Nyx, and Beck. "What a fascinating instrument. Something extra to bring with us." He looks back towards his compatriots. "Take the elves, kill the qunari."

A bolt of necrotic magic whizzes past his head and slams into a tree behind the group, splintering bark from the trunk. "You're not taking anyone," Kalais says firmly, hand still outstretched after casting. "That was a warning. Let her go." On either side of them, Beck and Nyx stand with their own weapons out and ready.

The leader smirks while some of the others laugh. "No, we won't. And you know what else, we'll take this thing she was carrying as well, when we grab you all. Maybe it will help in the upcoming event." He looks over the device as he muses about it. "Of course, we'll need to figure out what it does." He glances at the trio. "Would one of you care to enlighten us before we gag you all?"

Kalais glares at him. Beck shifts slightly beside them. Nyx is motionless. But then tension is palpable.

"Very well." The Venatori reaches for the switches on the device.

"Don't do that." Kalais takes a step toward him. He stops and looks at them with a brow raised. "If you activate it wrong, it could be disasterous."

"Then, maybe, you should tell me what it does."

"Let us all go. I'll tell you what it does and you can have it—"

Beck looks at them incredulously. "Kalais—" she whispers.

Kalais puts a hand out to their side to stop her. "—You can have it, as long as you let us all go, including her." They hold their hand out toward Vena.

Without taking their gaze from the one holding Vena, Nyx whispers to Kalais. "You can't trust them." Kalais glances at them out of the corner of their eye. They know they can't trust them. But they have to try, if it gets them all away and to safety without injury.

The Venatori stares at them, then smiles. "What does it do?"

Kalais looks between Vena and the venatori. "Let her go first."

"What does it do?" he snarls.

They glare at him, jaw clenching. "It measures the Veil," they answer, tone tense and words clipped. "Finds places where its thin."

"Was that so hard?" His smile is back. "Of course, you could be lying so just to make certain-" He activates the device before Kalas can say anything else, flipping each switch in quick succession.

The artifact begins to glow and hum a loud high pitched tone. Kalais moves, dashing towards Vena. Several names are shouted, and Kalais hears their own and Vena’s from both Beck and Nyx. The artifact builds up energy, the excess crackling and shooting off bolts into the air. Kalais reaches Vena, placing their hand upon the arm of the venatori restraining her, focusing their magic on that connection point and pulling life force from him, inflicting necrosis that spreads up the venatori's arm. He screams in pain and releases Vena, and Kalais pulls her to them. The artifact sparks even more and with a loud crack, the energy explodes outward. Kalais wraps themself around Vena, summoning a shield around the two of them, hoping its enough. They feel a blanket of warmth settle around them, as Nyx's protection shelters them from the outburst of energy. The Venatori all scream.

Kalais' hair whips around their face in a way it shouldn't in this part of Arlathan. They glance over their shoulder. The burst of energy ripped a tear in the Veil. The venatori are all dead, having been too close when it happened. They're certain the only reason they survived, both Vena and themself, is due to Nyx. Kalais looks around, searching for Nyx and Beck. Both of them took cover a little ways away it seemed, as Kalais spies the two of them several meters away. Beck's mouth moves but Kalais can't hear her over the sound of the wind and pure magic. Signs that the tear is unstable.

"Da'len."

Their eyes widen and they slowly look back over their shoulder. Their hold on Vena loosens, and the shield drops.

"Mir enansal. Come here." Over the roar of magic and wind, soft and gentle tones call to them. Memories of what she looked like were long gone, but Kalais would never forget her voice. They still hear her in the lullabies they hum to themself some nights.

Despite every warning sign, despite Ezra's warning as well, Kalais turns and faces the rift. There is something, someone on the other side. Ezra warned them, reminded them of the danger, but they also said there was a chance. Kalais needs to know. "Mamae?"

"I'm here. You won't be alone anymore."

“Kal?” Vena’s shaky voice reaches their ears. “Kalais?” 

They answer without looking at her. “It's my mom.” As Kalais stands there staring into the tear, they see her, a light shining through, a hand reaching out to them. 

“Look at how you've grown! I'm so proud of you!” 

Kalais smiles, eyes tearing up. It's all they've wanted to hear from a parent. "I've missed you. I've missed you so much!"

"Mirnehn, come here. Take my hand and we can be together again. Forever."

They take a step closer, hand half raised toward the rift and their mother. A different hand grabs their other, stopping them in their tracks. "Kalais, don't do this." Their name jolts them back into some focus. They haven't been Mirnehn for a long time. She doesn't exist anymore. But their mother wouldn't know that. Kalais can forgive her that.

"Together?" they ask the spirit.

"Yes. You will never be alone and never forgotten with me."

Never alone, never forgotten, together with their mother forever. If it's their mother. Kalais' grip tightens on whoever's hand holds theirs. The offer is tempting, but it sounds lonely. Even with all their fears and worries—maybe the reason those anxieties exist—Kalais isn't lonely anymore. They have love, family and friends they have found and surrounded themself with. "I can't leave my family. They need me," they say quietly. The wind whips harshly around them. In the back of their mind, they vaguely recall that as a sign the rift is becoming more unstable.

"I am your family!" The words are harsher. A tone of voice their mother never used with them. "Don't you want to see me again? Don't you want to spend more time with your mamae?"

They do. Kalais must admit to that. They always wished they had more time with her; wished that she had not become sick, that she had lived and they never transferred clans, never met their father, and lived a good life full of love. But that's not what happened; and as awful as their lonely upbringing was, Kalais would live it all over again knowing the love that waited for them.

Kalais steps closer to the rift, their hand slipping from their sister's grasp. The wind whips wildly around them, almost dragging them toward the tear at times and they plant their feet firmly to fight against the pull. "You can't give me that," they say, feeling tears fall down their cheeks. "You're not her, as much as you sound like her, as much as you pretend to be her. You can't be her."

The form of the entity flashes and snarls. The rift grows more and more unstable. Kalais recognizes the beginnings of a collapse, the Veil's attempt at fixing and righting itself after a violent tear. They need to break away soon or they won't be able to get far enough away to avoid serious harm. They focus back on the entity, who screeches and tries to lunge for them. Kalais stands tall and faces it for a final declaration.

"You're not my mom."

Kalais breaks away, cuts off the connection, just as a strong arm grabs them and pulls them away. The tear collapses in on itself, as the Veil rights itself with a final expulsion of energy in the area. The wave of it knocks Kalais and their protector to the ground, as a protective aura envelops both of them once again, keeping them safe from additional harm.

When the air calms, the arm around Kalais lets go. "Kalais, vhenan, are you okay?" Beck's shaky voice reaches them, as she looks over them.

Kalais sits up, gently pushing away her hands, wiping tears from their face. "I'm fine." They glance around the area, looking for Vena. Their sister stands next to Nyx, wide eyes watching. Nyx's arm holds her close as they, too, watch Kalais, worry evident, but Kalais is uncertain if its for them or Vena. "Vena…" their voice shakes.

"Kal…" Kalais cannot decipher the look on their sister's face as she grabs Nyx's clothes.

"I'm sorry," they say, trembling. They know they made a mistake, believing even for a second that they could trust whatever that was, and they all saw it. It was a mistake to even bring them out here, to put them in danger like that. "I'm sorry," Kalais repeats again, glancing up at Nyx. "This shouldn't have happened. I didn't mean- the Venatori and- it was activated too quickly- and the spirit-" They have trouble breathing as they try to explain. "I didn't think- I didn't know- I'm sorry."

Beck's arm wraps around them, pulling Kalais against her. Her hand gently grabs their chin, turning them to look at her. "You didn't know, and that's okay. We're all alive. No one is injured besides some scarps and bruises." She kisses their head as Kalais clutches at her armor and clothes, trying to calm their breathing and focus on her words. Her presence, the gentle pressure of her arm holding them, helps ground Kalais, and even after a short moment, they already feel calmer.

They take a deeper breath and look up at Beck. "Thank you, vhenan. You can let go, now. I would like to stand." Beck nods and helps Kalais to their feet. Once they're steady, Kalais turns their attention back to Vena, taking a small step towards her. Beck had said there were only minor injuries, but that might not account for everything the Venatori could have done. "Are you alright, Vena? Did they hurt you? Do anything to you?"

Vena looks over them with that same indecipherable look, then takes a hesitant half step towards Kalais, though still loosely holding onto Nyx's arm. "Is it you, Kalais? You're still you?"

They nod. "Yes. Yes, I'm still me, Ven."

"You rejected it? The spirit and what she offered? You're staying?"

Kalais nods again with a small smile. "Of course I'm staying. We're family," they say, motioning between themself and Vena, but also to Nyx and Beck. "You don't abandon family."

Their sister smiles widely and runs toward them, wrapping her arms around Kalais in a tight hug. "I was so worried, Kal," she confesses, voice slightly muffled as she buries her face into Kalais shoulder. "You said it was your mom and I was so scared you would leave."

Kalais returns her embrace, holding her just as tightly and resting their cheek on her head, closing their eyes for a moment. "Never. Never by my choice am I leaving."

A hand settles on their shoulder, and Kalais opens their eyes to see Nyx with a soft smile on their face. "We stick together and rely on each other." Kalais nods to them as well, wrapping an arm around Nyx and pulling them into the hug. "I don't know if that entity was attached to you or the artifact, but it is gone now, at least for now. Please, let us know if it comes back," Nyx says, pressing a kiss to Kalais' temple.

"I will. I promise," Kalais replies. They hope whatever it was doesn't come back. Resisting the temptation once doesn't mean they could succeed a second attempt. They will be vigilant for any sign of reappearance, and inform someone the moment it does. Kalais' hold on their siblings tightens as they bury their face against Vena's hair and the fabric of Nyx's clothes.

Behind them, Beck speaks up gently. "Kalais…the artifact…" They release their siblings and turn toward her, spending a moment just gazing at her with love, until they see the device in her hands. She holds it carefully in her hands as she brings it to them. "I'm sorry, vhenan. It's…broken." She holds it out to Kalais, who gingerly takes it. The dark stone orb is detached from the base, and a few of the thin metal plates swing loosely in directions they shouldn't. "I couldn't…there wasn't enough time to grab it and you." She tucks a strand of hair behind their ear, which flicks slightly as her fingers brush over it. "You are my priority."

Kalais nods, still looking down at the artifact in their hands. It looks bad, but the more they look over it, the more they already see opportunities to improve it as they rebuild. Like everything, it will just take time. "I know. I'm not upset about that. People are always more important than things." They look up at her with a small smile. "Thank you." They gently pull her in for a small gentle kiss. "It's not beyond fixing. Just a little more work."

Beck cradles their cheek, thumb brushing over their skin, admiration in her eyes as she gazes back down at them. "If there is anything I can do to help, just say the word."

They lean into her touch. "Having your love is already enough." They take a deep breath and step back, looking around at all of them. "Um…I suppose we should head back. This…was unexpected and I don't think it very safe for us to continue, and we should inform others."

"I've never seen them in such numbers in the forest," Vena says, shifting from foot to foot. "And he said something about an event."

Nyx places a comforting hand on her shoulder, and looks to Kalais. "I agree with Kalais, we should head back. We can inform the leader of the Veil Jumpers at the camp before we head through the eluvian. We will make sure others are informed to be even more cautious if they must visit Arlathan and to never go alone."

Beck gently takes Kalais' hand. "Then we shouldn't stay here. The longer we delay, talking about this, more people might be sent out without knowing how dangerous it is."

"Then let's go," Kalais says as they begin moving. "I know the quickest way back. We stay together, within clear eyesight at all times." They fall back onto the same rules they've had with teams on expeditions before, stepping easily back into that lead role.

Together the group moves, weaving through the trees, careful and cautious of any other threats, keeping an eye on each other. Kalais constantly looks back, checking that everyone is still following and no one has fallen behind. Eventually, the camp comes into sight and Kalais breathes a little easier. They allow their family a moment of calm and rest as Kalais informs Strife of their encounter, though deciding to omit the rift and the spirit. After, they regroup in front of the eluvian and step through, the group heading home to rejoin the Veilguard and the rest of their family.

"Shit, this is a mess." Zayn rubs the back of his neck, looking out at the marshlands that iced over and aflame in equal measure. 

A mess indeed. When Lailani said she needed them, Nadas didn't think it'd be a war zone. Darkspawn spilling out everywhere. And then there's the Blighted dragons, thankfully in the distance. But doesn't mean they'll stay that way with them hopping around like that. 

"We need to help hold the tide." Velimir says seriously, the tall Avvar looking out over the mess with a grim expression on his eyes. He thinks for a moment of the Grey Warden he recently met... Is this what he faces often? Brave man, to look at this and not flinch. Velimir turns to his crew. "Siro." He says warningly, noting the demon poking at a Blight vein with a stick.

Siro snaps his gaze up, eyes flickering with an unearthly light. "I'm behaving." He can behave. He has promises to keep, and Ser Candance to return to, he will not ruin anything here. Not if it puts those promises at risk. 

Nae bounces on her toes. "Come on, come on, I'm ready! Let's do this thing." Nae's blades are drawn, sharp and eager at her side.

Zayn's eyes gleam for just a moment as red as the pulse in the Blight veins. His chest aches, and his knuckles burn. Fuck, the Blight. Zayn rubs over his chest. "Maker, though the darkness comes upon me, I shall embrace the Light, I shall weather the storm." He murmurs the Chant. The red recedes as a faint aura of white surrounds him. Faith cloaking him in protection. "Ready when you are, Velimir."

"Then, we go." Velimir says seriously. They leave the safety of the camp and head for the battlefields. Towards where the Veilguard are holding the line against the Darkspawn.

They dropped into the battlefield right on top of quite the horde of darkspawn. It felt endless. A teeming, writhering mass of monsters making their way across the swamps of the wetlands. Nadas and Nae worked seamlessly together, cutting down enemy after enemy, back to back with each other. Perfectly in sync as twins should be. 

They all work as a unit, weaving in and amount among each other. Supporting and assisting. A well oiled machine. Siro supports from the rear with his magic, weaving protections and decaying darkspawn with curses. Velimir picks them off with bow and arrows as his animal companions run around the field making themselves menaces. Zayn leads the way, cloaked in his Faith, dispeling and displacing mana. 

The dragon soars over head and with a great breath pours ice down on them. Not on purpose, which almost makes it worse. The passing beast only sideswiping them on its way to face Rook and their companions. 

And oh how they are hit. Great jouts of cold breath coming down at them, huge icicles and sheets of ice spreading out on the ground as the crew dives out of the way. 

Zayn gasps as his back hits a wall, the ice forming a wall in front of him. He shudders, pushing at the cold wall, trying to stand but, he's trapped. Like he was before. Cold- 

So cold. He trembled in the dark of the cells and hugged himself. "Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter. Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just." He whispers the benediction over and over under his breath. "Maker, though the darkness comes upon me, I shall embrace the Light. I shall weather the storm. I shall endure." 

His Faith the only warmth in the cold. The only company in the isolation. The only sound in the silence. The glow of red shifting on the stone walls haunt him as he curls in on himself, fighting the malignancy growing inside him with prayer and the Maker's light. Please, Maker, let it be enough. Let it- 

Zayn blinks back to the world in front of them, hearing the roars of dragons in the distance. No- He's not there anymore. He's not trapped. The Maker's light protected him then and it will protect them now. Zayn has too much to lose. He has to get out of here, has to get back to Camris. He promised them forever, he can not allow himself to falter, to cut that promise short. 

Siro chips at the ice that has spread over his legs and locked him on the ground. Siro is trapped, held down. Contained. He can't rot ice. Trembles work up his spine, breath shortening. The glow brightening in his eyes and the thing inside him that aches to Ruin arises anew. He's- 

Chained. They seek to chain him. They have pulled him from the depths of the Fade, the depths of the Sea. Where he had sunk down to hide, to be away from it all. He did not want to be found, and yet they found him. Pulled, kicking and screaming to the surface with their chanting. Pulling, dragging tugging. And he hisses the entire way, yowling and scratching at the bindings of the spell. All of him being compressed into something, into a shell to be hauled away and used. An object for them to play with. He IS RUIN. He will not be contained. He will not be used. These petty mortal mages think they can manage his immensity? He will show them how wrong they are. He will rot their world and consume the moldering ruins. 

No. Siro blinks. He's not that. Or… Not just that. Not anymore. They brought him up as Ruin, but he is also the beginning of the end, the Rebirth from the ashes. He not just spirit, he is a man. With a crew who relies on him, and a partner that he's made promises to. Siro will not rot this world. Lailani offered him a chance, a hand, a reason to be something else, and he will not forsake that. 

The ice has spread over so much. The cold freezing the air, chilling the breath. Velimir, old and battered, and long past his prime, still takes his bow and does his best to jam the end of it against the frozen wall, chipping away at the ice that traps him. He can see his breath and- It fogs the air that morning. Ice crystals taking shape each time he breathes. He feels hot all over even in this icy cold. His hands warm and stained red. His head pulses rhythmically. Where is he? What is-? He looks down at his hands, wondering if it's fox blood. They had been hunting… But, where is his brother? He doesn't remember.Through his blurred vision, he manages to stumble his way further into the den they had claimed for their campsite. The cave meant to protect them from the elements. It was certainly doing it's job as Velimir trips and stumbles over the still warm body of his brother. Dead. Not by claw, or teeth. Those wounds are man made. Sword and arrow. Like his sword and arrow? Velimir drags himself over to his brother and tries to shake him awake. 'Brother!' He calls, over and over. A fool's mission. Dead men don't wake up. 

But… But how? Why? His hands are covered in blood and his weapons missing. 

No. It does not matter anymore. Twenty years past, and there is nothing that Velimir can change about what happened. But he can change now. He has a crew to safe and dates to get to. He will not let the cold get to him. He continues chipping away, working with intent focus to break through the ice wall and get to his crew.

Not fucking again. Nadas pushes at the jagged spear of ice that has tipped over and landed heavily across his legs. His right leg taking the brunt of the weight. He can feel the joints creaking, the metal giving. It burns. He struggles, pushing at the ice ineffectually. "Stop it, you idiot, you're making it worse!" Nae hisses, crouched beside her brother. Her eyes bright with worry. "You want me to bring you back to your dwarf in one piece, don't you?" Nadas blinks at Nae heavily through the pain. Roderick? "Y-Yes?" His tone is mildly confused, uncertain. "Than stop squirming." Nae hisses. "Or you're going to amputate your prosthetics." She focuses intently on the ice, figuring out how she's going to lever it off. She looks around, looking for something to use. Anything- Just like-

It was a beautiful day in Orlais for a carriage ride. Ambre and Arsène had hoped to take a leisurely carriage ride to their cousins house in Halamshiral. Not that their cousins were particularly thrilled to see them. But, family is family, yes? And their father wouldn't hear any bad words about his Elvhen children. 

They have passed through this way so many times before to see their cousins, to see their family, that they didn't think much of it. Laughing and chatting as they sat in the driver's seat together. Arsène had hopped off to walk alongside the horses for a bit, stroking along their flank and talking with them. Doofus that he was. 

Ambre doesn't know why she even thought about it. Why that small, faint sound of stone on stone in the distance caught her attention. But her sensitive Elvhen ears twitched and her gaze flicked to the cliffside on their left. Just to see the rocks coming down. "Arsène!" She cries, leaping off of the carriage. Her brother, fool that he was, turned immediately to the carriage, cutting the ropes binding the horses with his sword and smacking their rear to get them running. Thinking of their safety first, fool. She dashes forward, planning- she has no idea what, something, anything- She miscalculated.

Without blinking, Arsène catches her around the waist and shoves her out of the way. Everything goes dark.

She awakens slowly, groaning. Covered head to toe in stone dust, Ambre manages to gingerly sit up. Stone lays all around them, the carriage in ruins. She looks around in a panic, her brother no where to be seen. "Arsène! Arsène!" Ambre struggles to her feet, pushing her way through the wreckage, searching the stone. And then there! There he is. She can see his upper half of his body, but his legs. Maker, the stone is burying him up to his thighs…

Nae cuts the memory off with a fierce shake of her head. No. This is different. Ice instead of stone. And not nearly as much. She isn't going to fuck this up. She looks around for some sort of tool to use to help lever this ice off her brother without causing more harm. And preferably before the dragon comes back around over head. It would suck to be simply collateral damage. 

"Need a hand?" 

Nae turns her head, seeing Velimir standing there. And Zayn breaking through the ice, approaching her. And Siro, eyes burning a little dangerously, but there. With them. Beside them. Her grin widens. "Yes. Here, take this." She hands Velimir the piece of scrap metal and starts directing, getting everyone in place. They work together, the four of them to move the large downed icicle. Levering it off of Nadas and sliding him out carefully. Nae and Zayn both taking an arm to pull him out. "I've got you, brother." Nae hooks Nadas' arm over her shoulders, hefting him up carefully. Wary of the condition of his leg. The left seems easy to repair, but the right… Damn it, she'll have to look at it more carefully somewhere safe. 

Velimir sees that as well, grimacing. "We should fall back. Regroup. The Captain may have new orders for us."

"We're right behind you, Velimir." Zayn says seriously. He slides his shoulder under Nadas' other arm and helps to carry him off the battlefield. The group of them making their way safely away from the ice ruined land.

At the camp, Mikelo grimaces as he finishes patching everyone up. Turning to the others, he shakes his head. "Everything is as good as I'm going to get it. But, I can't do much more for Nadas' right leg. That thing is fried. It needs more work than either I, or Yoko can handle." Yoko nods, tucking her wrench in her belt. "I did what I could, but my engineering is rudimentary at best." She curls an arm around Mikelo's waist and leans against him with a soft sigh. "I am sorry, I can not do more. We need JC." 

"Fucking hell." Nae rubs the bridge of her nose. "You know how hard it is to find that bastard?" She turns to Lailani who's returned to camp as well, claiming the battle is over. They won. Wild to believe Rook actually did it. Actually took down those two fucking monsters. "Do you know where he is, Captain?" Lailani shakes her head. "Last I heard, he was at his mansion. But, you know him. He never stays anywhere long." 

"Knowing him, he left his damn dog there too and forgot to feed him." Nae rolls her eyes. "The man is useless."

"He is the only one though who knows how to repair these legs." Yoko says seriously. She brushes the strands of her grease stained hair back, her hands sticky with the fluids that leaked from Nadas' mechanical leg. She managed to get that under control, but Nadas' leg is still badly damaged. It needs more than Yoko's patchwork attempt at mending it. They need the inventor. 

"Don't worry about it. I'll find him." Nadas groans where he's leaning on the pole tent, having gotten up and limped his way out to find them talking about him. Talking about Jean Claude. "I always do eventually." 

"You can barely walk!" Nae looks worried. "I'll come with you, I can-" 

"No, no need, sister. I know you. You'll wring his neck and he'll get obstinate and you'll butt heads until my leg falls off." Nadas retorts. "I'll go. Take Roderick with me if he's willing to come. I'll figure it out. I promise." He reaches out to hug his sister close. "Thank you." He looks at the rest of his crew, warmth in his eyes. "Thank you, all of you. I don't know what I would have done without you all." 

"We have your back." Velimir says seriously. Zayn huffs. "We're crew. That's what we do. Watch out for each other." 

Siro tilts his head, half staring at the battlefield. Eyes glowing that sickly shade. A twisted delight in his eyes as the rot of the dragon's corpses reach his senses even from here. Decaying, dissolving. Returning to the Earth. His gaze finally returns to Nadas. "It is how it is meant to be."