"Is this necessary Asha?"
Yes.
"Is this really necessary?"
Enough, keep going!
They jogged up the many stairs to the ramparts, leaving a trail of clouds as they puffed, reaching the top and travelling along the upper circuit of Skyhold. The sun was only just beginning to crane its neck over the horizon, and Asha had been physically training Knowledge for the past week, not without objections though. She had unsurprisingly found that motivating a spirit to do physical exercise was like pulling teeth. Asha had a strict routine, and landing in Thedas in the heart of winter without control over her own body did not mean she would let the spirit keep to the libraries and warm halls and let her hard work go to waste. She despised the cold, at its ability to make her toes and fingers so numb she would fumble over her hot cups of coffee back when she had access to caffeine, and though Knowledge did not seem as affected by the climate, the spirit was most definitely intrigued, and then bothered about physical exertion. Asha was constantly reminding the spirit to add extra layers on their apprentice robes before they left the Tower each day, and was keen to start running again as soon as possible to increase her level of warmth as well as continue her marathon work.
It took two weeks before the guards decided to venture off in the early morning, and Knowledge/Asha would attend their training with Solas after every breakfast – sometimes in his study, other times to the gates of Skyhold where they would trek across the ominously high bridge to an area of rock and dirt in sight of the castle. It was far enough to train privately without damaging valuables or the Inquisitor's garden, but close enough to return if anything should occur.
Asha had been urging Knowledge to train her body within a week of being in Skyhold; between their magic training, escorted library visits and meals, they were 'requested' to remain in their room. The human did not enjoy remaining in her room. Squats were achievable in their trivial chamber, as were stretches of sorts. But not push ups. The ramparts were an excellent open-air gym – freezing, but provided the space and edgings for more strength workouts. However, it was hard to utilise any open space with the stigma surrounding Knowledge and Asha since their arrival at the castle, not to mention their constant guard attention. Now, being trusted to attend their sessions with their elven instructor, they took advantage of this early morning freedom. Or rather, Asha did, for the spirit was quite content to not jog every morning.
As they reached the next tower and turned around to repeat the route they had created between the Mage Tower, down to the Blacksmith's building and up again to the next empty tower, Knowledge turned to watch the sunrise in full, slowing only a little.
See, you're hardly huffing now, Asha encouraged. We should do an extra lap so you do.
"No – thank you," Knowledge replied instantly, staggering her steps to slow down near the low battlements, already starting their leg stretches. Then the spirit paused halfway through, their senses alert and their leg in their brown breeches still raised to hip height on the wall's edge. She turned their head to see Commander Cullen in his black fur cloak.
"Are you meant to be here?" He asked, a note of suspicion in his tone.
Knowledge slowly put their leg down, feeling awkward at being caught in such a pose. She straightened their shirts and replied, "We are training."
"Really? I've never seen a mage running around Skyhold before, let alone anywhere else," he said without the trace of a smile.
Knowledge tucked their hair in. "Did no mage ever physically train in the circles you attended?"
"Not really," he said, walking a little closer. "Are your guards aware you are training out here?"
"There are no guards in the morning," Knowledge replied, and Asha wanted to slap herself. Their hand twitched and Knowledge looked at it, startled.
"I was unaware of that," Cullen replied quietly. For a few moments as the commander contemplated this information, the sun shone over the battlements, lighting his blonde hair into a brilliant glow. As he said nothing, Knowledge crossed their arms tucking them tightly into their elbows, and Asha enjoyed inspecting his face in detail – though unshaven and scarred over the years, his resigned eyes were easy to read like an open book.
"Carry on then," he finally said, and turned, hastily striding towards the southern-most tower that Asha ensured Knowledge avoided in their cardio routine. Apparently, they weren't the only thing on his mind, and Knowledge quickly returned to the warmth of the Tower in the opposite direction.
That was lucky, Asha said as Knowledge washed them quickly with the tiniest amount of water so the human didn't complain about the cold further, speedily pulling their clothes on with their plain robes over the top. It was lucky indeed that they had hurried, for when they entered the empty study on their level intent on resuming their lesson on learning how to read Thedosian writing before it was mealtime, they did not expect their mentor to be waiting there flicking through their books they had left on the smooth table.
"Good morning," he said without looking up, finishing the line from the tome before carefully closing 'Tales of the Destruction of Thedas'. "We are summoned to the War Table."
"Why?" asked Knowledge grabbing their extra cloak as she followed the elf downstairs. His steps were long and quick, and she matched easily, Asha enjoying the warmth of the sun between the towers as they crossed the ramparts to the tower Cullen had disappeared into. It connected to the upper parts of Skyhold's main hall.
"The Inquisitor's command can sometimes be unknown, though I suspect it is regarding our next move with Corypheus. Or else something regarding yourself."
They passed through the open doorway, breezing through a well-lit office with open windows, a cool breeze filing through flicking up corners of pages on the large desk. The Commander was nowhere to be seen. Entering the library from the sunlit battlements, theirs eyes took their time to adjust to the interior lit by candles. The pair headed towards the next set of stairs and a man sat up from a cushioned seat as they passed.
"Solas! I've never seen you up so early. Good morning ah, Knowledge. And Asha," Dorian said cheerfully as he stumbled with addressing the possessed human.
"Good morning," Knowledge replied, but did not stop following the elf.
"Another time, Dorian." Solas did not even look at the mage as he continued downstairs, and he grandly opened the doors of the War Room down a hall that they had never been through before. The mages entered.
It was as impressive a table as she had envisioned, a table for a giant with a map to match it. Asha eyed the mammoth cartography that covered the extensive surface, matching up areas she had been learning of in tomes and overheard conversations of towns and settlements. Leaning over it in discussion that didn't break upon their entry were Cassandra and Sariel, only looking at them upon arrival and finishing their discussion. Surprisingly, Cullen was in the room too, his coat of furs still on and cheeks coloured from his morning stride. He only nodded at them without mention of their morning's interaction, and Leliana was listening to the discussion intensely. Varric stood closest to the door side of the table, without his usual roguish grin and Vivienne majestically turned to swirl a hand of welcome at them.
Approaching the War Table, Knowledge and Asha listened as the advisors pored over a parchment in front of them, the Inquisitor moving little markers along the map over an area near the Storm Coast.
"You cannot travel to Crestwood and attend the Empress' Ball within fourteen days," Cassandra was saying.
"No I cannot, but I can find this Warden and possibly stop Corypheus without even needing to attend this Ball," Sariel replied, scoffing at the last word. He looked at Cullen, who nodded support.
"It would be wise to find this Warden as soon as possible. He may not want to deal with ordinary Inquisitor scouts if he is in hiding from the others." He stepped up to the table, pointing from Skyhold. "We could be there in six days, maybe less if we left now."
"And the Empress would be dead before you returned," Vivienne maintained. "Ensuring the stability of Orlais and Ferelden is not a waste of time, Inquisitor," she said delicately, her hand resting on the edge of the table. "We cannot afford to refuse this invitation, especially as Empress Celene and her - advisor - have already heard of our new arrival."
All eyes turned to Knowledge and Asha but the intensity of their gaze didn't weigh on them for long. The doors opened again, and a welcome distraction entered, announcing, "Sorry I'm late boss."
The Iron Bull stepped into the War Room and Knowledge gasped, though not of her own accord. Asha had read about Qunari, seen the sketches in the tomes and heard there was one in the Inquisitor's ranks – she was not prepared for the vastness of his height and breadth of his shoulders that went for miles, the stately curve of his horns from his head. Nor was she prepared for his cavernous voice, a richness to his manner, and a sharp eye, only one as the other was covered by a black patch. For a moment Asha wondered how this man was not the Inquisitor, who in comparison was slight in build and a head shorter to the walking mass of brawn. Bull's eye turned directly to Knowledge/Asha's.
"Ah, I've heard of you. The Chargers are rounded and ready." He turned to Sariel who gave him a quizzical look, but waited for the giant to explain.
"Surely the Chargers aren't coming to the Winter Palace?" Vivienne disputed, turning to the larger man. "We will have ample men and women of the Inquisition plus a few more," she commented, looking at Solas' pupil.
"Oh no, no," Bull shook his hands at her. "They're going to Crestwood. Find your Warden you're looking for. Bring him in. That sort of thing." Leliana raised her brows at him and Cullen furrowed his, mapping out the logistics on the table with crossed arms.
"How did you – never mind," Cassandra huffed at the grinning Qunari. "That is not actually a bad idea. Inquisitor?"
Sariel continued to look from Bull to the map, then his shoulders shook with a silent laugh, throwing his hands up. "Could you do all the War Table planning for me, Bull?"
"I don't think you'd appreciate the choices I'd make for the Inquisition," he replied slyly.
"We do already have scouts located outside of Crestwood – it would certainly save you the effort and attend Celene's Ball. Which is imperative that we do." It wasn't clear whether Sariel had rolled his eyes at Leliana's words, or simply blinked, but by Solas' quiet breath of a laugh, Asha was sure it was the former.
"Fine. Bull, thank you for ruining my plans with a better one. Since the matter of this Warden ally is settled, we have one more to discuss. Solas, here," Sariel handed the parchment to the other elf who skimmed it in breath and handed it to Knowledge.
The spirit read it aloud for Asha's sake, "'There are stories of a being in your company – of human and spirit. I would like to meet them as well as yourself, Inquisitor. Morrigan.' Who is Morrigan?"
"She is the Empress', consultant of sorts regarding all things magical," Leliana explained. "I would say she would be an ally if I wasn't so unsure of her…personal motivations. Also, it is strange she has heard of Asha but does not refer to Cole."
"Cole can make people forget him," Cullen said pointedly.
"She is most definitely not to be trusted; a licentious and intolerable being," Vivienne hissed, and looked down at Knowledge and Asha. "If she is so interested in you, we must make sure you are prepared for her for whatever interest she has; it will not be a passing one. How goes your training? I trust Solas has been sufficient in teaching you to defend yourself against the likes of her."
"Solas has already discussed her progress, which is another reason why I've asked you here." Sariel looked from Vivienne to The Iron Bull and then Cassandra. "We are all going to Halamshiral, however, Cassandra, Solas and Varric; I will have you on-hand if we are to sort out any…conflict. I will also have you assist Solas with further training as Asha and Knowledge will be with us. Vivienne and Bull – I would appreciate your readings into the court while we are there as well as to assist further with this as well." He indicated to the possessed human and mixed reactions displayed across their faces. Varric who had been silent the whole time lightened from his mood, however Cassandra and Vivienne were less than impressed. It was Bull who turned to Knowledge/Asha – who though only just shy of Solas' height felt like a dwarf to him – and the crane of his neck and intensity of his mass made their chest tighten.
"How do you feel about being thrown at a bunch of Red Templars, blazing fire everywhere?"
"Asha doesn't like being picked up by anyone," Knowledge replied curtly up at him.
"We can work on that."
"Also, veilfire doesn't count in a fight," warned Vivienne. "I do hope you have begun offensive training."
The glance between Sariel and Vivienne confirmed her suspicions, and she sighed. She propped herself straighter, holding her illustrious staff before her. "Very well, we must work very hard. And it will not all be pleasant. Now the next real question is: do you have a dress, dear?"
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Training with other people was unlike any training with Solas they had undertaken. For one, Solas took the time to explain how and why a casting would work. At times Asha felt she was only managing to grasp the explanations of the Fade and absorbing and dispersing its energy in measured amounts, while other times it made complete sense before the practical application. The spirit and Solas sometimes spoke in Elven to each other, in which the translations were around stance exactness and multitasking exerting and drawing energy simultaneously. Asha enjoyed these moments the most; the languid expression as each word flowed together, a harmony of sounds without a harsh syllable, especially hearing it from her own mouth. She was never exceptional at picking up other languages, even only knowing some of her own indigenous words – growing up without hearing it meant a lifetime of answering questions bordering on insolence about why she couldn't speak in full Mir. Sometimes she was unsure if the headaches they were having were from the lack of caffeine her body was receiving, the amount of new information and language she was trying to learn, or both. During these sessions, it was obviously quite different to exert energy in the Fade as opposed to reality, as Knowledge would comment on how pitiful their castings were in comparison.
Knowledge may have had reservations about running, but the spirit was glad for it when it came to training with Vivienne. She was harsh. After discovering Knowledge could easily create a barrier and manipulate its shape, Madame De Fer spent her time airily shooting lightning and ice at their hearts, pushing the possessed human to attack her. But Knowledge would not: they ran, their plain staff in one hand and a barrier held up by the other. A few times Knowledge redirected the fire expulsions back at Vivienne by batting them like a ball after the human's constant badgering to do something to her. This however did not work with lighting and as the jolt of weak electricity caught them Knowledge screamed in pain falling to their knees but then shoved their staff in front of them, pushing up to stand, their robes scorched and smoking. The spirit swiped another fireball away but the second electric charge was constant this time, forcing her to the ground as their bones seared in agony. They faintly heard a yell, and as soon as it was over Knowledge rolled to her hands and knees and gasped, wiping the saliva from their mouth and still feeling jolts of currents through their veins. Before Asha could coax the spirit to set up their barrier again, Knowledge turned to see Vivienne smiling down at them, and unexpectedly, the spirit cast at the ground before her, an explosion of white that made Madame de Fer soar backwards across the courtyard, hitting the opposite wall of the gardens. Knowledge fell back, out of breath and hurting as Asha cheered the spirit on. The pleasantries were gone from her face when Vivienne reappeared, however Solas called a break.
"You are quite resistant to receiving healing, aren't you?" Vivienne observed, massaging her side. "Strange, it doesn't seem so with anything else cast at you." As Solas tried to send healing magic through the possessed human's back, it did not penetrate the invisible aura around the human and the spirit.
"This has happened before, though I thought it may have been because you were unconscious," Solas muttered as he focussed on trying to push energy through, but to no avail. Knowledge sipped on a potion of healing instead, baulking at its bitter taste and Asha said, We better learn some more attacks. She wasn't even trying.
"She was toying with us," the spirit murmured back, but Solas made no comment, instead passing her another potion to tie into her belt.
"You may need this with The Iron Bull."
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Training with the Qunari was more tactical discussion than with Vivienne at first. The elven mage had taught Knowledge how to use their staff for external focussing of their power as it was possible without, but more erratic in its dispersion. They learnt how to spin and swish it to create certain shapes for different elements, although the closest successful elemental cast was an ice barrier erupting before them from the ground, and the weakest projection of an ice shard that would fall limply on the hardened ground. But when it came to dispellings and barriers, Knowledge was confident in their constructs.
"You're one of those stand back and help out types of mages, right?" said Bull as they walked into the training area on the western side of the fortress. Cassandra was unpadding her target dummy she had been practising with, but took her time to undo the last straps as Knowledge/Asha, Bull and Solas entered the training zone.
"At some point or other, you'll be a target. You're the one protecting and healing the others so if they can take you out, there's your healer gone. That's what Solas does for us. You've also got everyone's lives depending on you getting to them quickly. But you have to defend yourself as well. So how do you both help people and defend yourself against attacks?"
"Stay out of the way," Knowledge relayed for Asha.
"Yes, but you've been spotted; now what?"
"Turn invisible? Hmm, I'm unsure of the dynamics of this magic," Knowledge thought aloud.
"That would be the best thing you could do. If not, move really quickly. We're starting – let's go!" Suddenly, for a being of his size, Bull launched at them, a basic stick in hand and his voice booming across the yard.
Knowledge leapt to the side, rolling forward and into a run as practiced, her hand already up with her barrier, weaving through the other stands and dummies in place. They didn't foresee Bull ripping one out of the ground and throwing it ahead of them, splintering into a thousand pieces that disintegrated as they hit their ghostly shield.
Drenched in sweat and sleeves rolled up, Bull and Knowledge worked on physical evasion over the hour until something happened. The Qunari had directed her to react with more magic as warriors like him were usually at a loss with mages without their real weapons. He was quicker than them at times; with a sudden sprint he pounded the ground towards them panicking Asha, and they froze.
"Asha! Asha stop it!" Knowledge was yelling, but all the human could see in her exhaustion was Bull's mass and horns upon them. Then suddenly, Knowledge's will took over. Their legs moved, Bull was raising his stick over his head about to bring it down on them, and Asha screamed on the inside. They were propelled forward in a haze of blue, Knowledge stealing through the blur that was Bull and the sound of shattering ice trailing behind them. The spirit tried to stop themselves, but they continued dodging a wooden stand, the tree Solas was sitting under and skidded to a heart-stopping halt right before the wall of the Tavern – the grain of the brickwork magnified before their eyes. Knowledge finally took a shaky breath after what seemed an eternity of staring at the wall as Asha was muttering, Shit, shit, shit, over and over.
Slowly turning, they saw the trail of melting ice they had taken, haphazardly winding throughout the training ground, narrowly missing the shady tree and leading to their boots. Back where their trail started The Iron Bull was punching his fist in the air with Solas standing next to him. Trying to walk back after with shaky legs was a feat of its own, and they collapsed in exhaustion under the tree.
"You can't stop now! You've got to try some more after that!" Bull grinned down at the possessed human.
"That one does take a lot of practice. You did well not to run into anything," Solas said, his grey eyes crinkling from his smile, and indicated to his pockets, pointing at hers. Knowledge huffed a laugh back as Asha grinned from ear to ear on the inside, and they took a swig of their potion instantly entering a coughing fit, making her trainers chuckle more.
"Yeah, now maybe that's something you could work on too. Make it taste like wine and I'll make sure you never have to worry in a fight," Bull said flexing his arms at them.
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Varric Tethras' training style was quite straightforward in comparison to the previous trainers.
"I've actually done this to you before," he admitted, loading his crossbow and walking away from Knowledge as she stood in-between the archery targets. "But I don't know if you remember the Hissing Wastes?"
"We do not. It seems we don't remember a lot of things from then."
"Good. Anyway, I'm going to shoot over your shoulder and you're going to work on stopping it. However you like. But if you don't stop it just make sure you don't stick your hand up in the way or anything. Archers can come out of nowhere and most of them shoot to just scare you off, but if you don't notice one, and they've got their aim on you –" he slid his finger across his throat, "-you're dead. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Okay, first go!" He released the bolt and it thwacked into the target next to Knowledge. "Okay, whenever you're ready!" He called, reloading.
By the end of the first hour, the possessed human had managed to redirect a couple and the rest disintegrated on their barrier, although they noticed if they didn't add more willpower into it before the bolt reached sometimes a portion of it continued like her wilted ice projections, and they caught two of them in their hands during the session, knocking the rest that partially disintegrated away with their staff.
"Not bad," Varric said as they collected the remaining bolts. "I'll need to get more made, but not bad."
"My apologies," Knowledge replied, picking up the few remaining around the outer edges of the range that she had cast far away from her standing point.
"It's not training if nothing gets damage," the dwarf jested as he filled his bag with the remaining bolts. "Okay, this next one's going to be trickier and I might get Chuckles to help you out a bit."
Upon hearing his mention, Solas stretched and stood from where Varric had been shooting Knowledge from. They were told to stand with their backs to Varric now, in the middle of the archery range. Solas stood near the targets, with Varric on the opposite side of the range so that Knowledge was directly in the middle of them.
"This will be tricky, but handy for you mages. Uh, Chuckles, you can explain the magic stuff."
"Varric is going to shoot at you while you cannot see him. You must sense his presence and the bolt coming towards you to successfully defend yourself," the elf explained.
Like before right? As in, not aiming for our heart or anything? Asha grimaced. She's broken bones before, but receiving a crossbow bolt was more likely in this scenario than the previous one.
As Solas coaxed Knowledge and Asha through the steps of sensing and perceiving objects out of sight, Asha could feel Knowledge growing more and more frustrated as they felt bolts cut past their arms and hair. At one point they thought they did it, feeling a strange disturbance as if they were surrounded by water and a stone was dropped in – but when they turned they were face to face with an arrow slowing moving forward, of which they realised Solas had stopped in time, his elongated fingers pointed at them, eyebrows knitted and lips curled at the dwarf. Holding his hands up in defence, Varric called, "Just trying to help her along you know! Usually speeds things up!"
"We will work on your level of perceiving," the elf muttered to Knowledge as they roamed the area collecting bolts for the last time that day. By then Knowledge and Asha were most definitely exhausted and they nearly fell asleep in their evening meal making a few of the mages in the Tower lighten up around them at the tables as the spirit shook their senses back, their cheeks burning.
The training routine settled in over the week between the dwarf, Madame De Fer and The Iron Bull during the day, and extra sessions with Solas in the evening after their meals. It was laborious to stay awake and get up early, although their room had been miraculously exchanged for another with space for not only a raised bed, but also a petite stand wide enough for their pile of books. Knowledge also tucked extra food away during mealtimes, extremely hungry after their evening sessions with Solas. Though they were the least physically draining, the intensity of focus and manipulation of the Fade's resonance made their stomach groan afterwards as if they hadn't eaten for days.
As each day passed, the exercises intensified, not only in tactics and specific manoeuvres taught from Bull and Solas, but in audiences as well. The Inquisitor watched her latest session with Vivienne from afar as he stood next to Solas, the solemn pair of elves keenly inspecting the ongoing progress. The contrast between them was prominent – Sariel in his gleaming white armour, though not as thick as the one he had worn on his travels, hair pulled back high into his usual bun with a few strands framing his angular face, the lithe lines of his pale Vallaslin branching across his forehead with intricate detail. Solas explained the cultural tattoos seem to be the inspiration for the Fade markings on Asha's face too, which were eerily similar in its natural design of leaves and vines and at times they gleamed like veilfire in the light; though why, both the spirit and the human were still unsure of.
Their mentor on the other hand, was dressed simply, practically and lacking any markings of sorts save a few scars across his skin, and the sprinkle of freckles across his face. Asha was constantly intrigued by his piece of jewellery around his neck, likening it to a rabbit's foot. It seemed typical of someone so experienced in magic to have a talisman of sorts, but in comparison to the other mages, it also set him apart from the group of magic-users who dressed so majestically. Of all the people she had met so far, her elven instructor without a doubt was the most intriguing of all.
After their few sessions with Mistress Vivienne, Knowledge boasted the mastering of their barrier to cause an explosion of energy around herself and liked to surreptitiously set it in front of Vivienne to run into and trigger, hurling back the enchantress and allowing the spirit to sprint in a flash of blue and ice up to her, sliding around the mage to direct another energy burst. But this time the possessed human did not see her surreal blade appear and they narrowly missed its spectral slice as Knowledge dashed to the side, leaving a boulder of ice between themselves and Madame de Fer. Vivienne cut through the see-through wall with ease, her staff a blade of sparkling light. Asha was in awe of this new display, and instantly envious as Knowledge edged around the cleared area for the mages' training.
The guards patrolling the battlements above them had begun to gather, adding to the growing audience of the session, and Asha asked, Could we create something like that?
"No," Knowledge whispered back. "It is a skill that takes a specialist to teach. Solas would not be happy."
Wanting to see the elf's face but unable to direct it to him, Asha continued to analyse their session as Knowledge created an obstacle course of ice walls and trails, dashing between them and holding up their barrier with their free hand as Vivienne sent multiple electrical bolts towards them that followed no matter which way they turned in their blur of movement across the field. Then the ground erupted into flames that grew high around Knowledge and Asha, biting at their robes that they quickly tightened around themselves, and they burst through the flaming cage in a shield of ice that liquefied almost instantly, the flames licking their breeches and the smell of burnt hair surrounding them.
Knowledge cast at Vivienne, urged by Asha to freeze the enchantress in place but she only dispersed the spell with a wave of her hand, reflecting shots of icicles back, disintegrating on the possessed human's immense barrier that held constantly before them as they skated the ice surrounding Madame de Fer, keeping their distance.
"Let's not be here all day," gloated Vivienne as she twirled her staff swiftly, unleashing lightning everywhere that danced across the ice and grass towards their moving target. Some broke into a shattering of light as Knowledge's traps of energy were triggered, left invisibly behind as they used their speed-altering spell to glide along the ice trails, hindering most of the bolts. Jumping off their track onto the ground, Knowledge sprinted, criss-crossing between their enduring melted walls of ice pursued by the remains of vengeful lightning, so fierce and unpredictable that even their elven onlookers stood behind a barrier of safety as crackles of light flicked the walls of the battlements behind them, sizzling against Solas' spell. The guards on the ramparts had ducked out of sight as small discharges flew up into the air.
They were running of ground, breathless, burnt and cornered between Vivienne and her persistent bolts of light remaining, and Knowledge yelled, "Asha! Ideas!"
Blast everything! The human replied, and without hesitation Knowledge skimmed an ice wall, skidded across the frozen trail and they focussed all their will before them, palm up to the oncoming wave of electrocution, their staff drawn across their arm in the perfect form for a fortified barrier, teeth clenched and legs shaking. But instead of resisting the oncoming assault, they contradicted it – opposed the thought of its existence with an explosion of all the energy and willpower they could summon. The wave of raw power obliterated not only all the forces of lightning unleashed by Madame de Fer, but also every ice trail, frozen wall and dancing fire remaining on the field as their phantom blast was forced in every direction from Knowledge and Asha.
Vivienne withstood the wave; her barrier that was held in place by the focus of her staff began cracking under the untamed mass of power. Solas' however absorbed it, enlarged in force and will, without any further focussing from his hands, staff by his side, ready but not in use. And Sariel impressively watched as Knowledge stood in the centre of the former training ground, nullified of magical effects and the woman let out an unrestrained laugh before collapsing like a house of cards.
The possessed human was still smiling at the sky, eyes scrunched in pain, staff discarded and clutching her burnt arm when Sariel reached her first. Their bronze face glistened with sweat and he noticed a change – a lack of markings on their face. Confused, Sariel was enthralled when their tired eyes opened to show the truest colour of sparkling garnet staring straight into his of blue, held by her intensity. Before she realised what she was doing, Asha squinted a smile at the Inquisitor, and within a moment, the markings returned in hues of green sprouting and darkening like aging leaves, and her eyes – Asha's eyes were engulfed in an entirety of white again, and the smile disappeared. Vivienne gasped as she approached, a pitying look on Solas' face.
As the elves and Madame de Fer traded glances between them, Knowledge muttered something incomprehensible, slowly sitting up and rubbing her head. "Oh, now she's screaming." And the spirit gulped the rest of their potion, trying to dull the physical and mental pain of inhabiting a human host, whispering her apologies to the battling woman inside.
"I'm sorry Asha. I'm sorry."
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Guest reviewer – I am having a lot of trouble with separating paragraphs as uploading to this site removes them! I've tried inserting line breaks in Word and in the uploaded version using FF's editor, putting a few - in between, but they do not show. In this I've tried -0- and X as line breaks, so we will see if that worked. I'd appreciate any help in inserting them so they stay in the uploaded versions! Also, shift-enter is a lie.
I'm trying copying and pasting this into FF rather than an upload, see if that works instead. Please let me know your tips around successful line breaks in FF if this does not work!
Frustratedly,
qwertykay
..