The next thing Talyn knew, Solas, Dorian, Stroud, Hawke, Fenris, Bull, and herself were falling into what looked like a canyon carved out of ebony rocks. The sky above them was an emerald green, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Tall midnight mountains jabbed at the sky, and a bright light shone in the distance.
Solas helped her to her feet.
"Where are we?" Hawke asked.
"We're in the Fade." Solas responded.
"What? How is that possible?" Dorian was shocked.
Talyn looked down at her hand, at the Anchor that she was so used to she had forgotten it even existed. It was shining the way her tattoos did, it's light warm and soothing now that it was where it belonged.
"My Anchor. You guys fell in here with me, so I guess it's protecting you as well." Talyn explained.
"That's… that's insane. This isn't possible." Fenris protested.
She sighed. "Welcome to my life."
"Well… what should we do?" Stroud asked.
"We start walking." Solas answered.
He started to walk down the path, and Talyn followed him. The others hesitated for a minute, and then followed as well.
"We fell into a rift… and ended up in the Fade." Bull repeated slowly, as if he was having trouble understanding it.
"Yes, love, it seems that that is indeed the case here." Dorian responded to him.
"Boss, do you know how to get us out of the Fade?"
"I'm assuming that at the end of this path is our exit." Solas answered Bull for her.
Talyn held onto her knives. She was down to two, since she kept throwing them at her attackers. And her sword had been abandoned at Weisshaupt. She had plenty of arrows for her bow, however.
She was nervous. There was something wrong with this place. Something sinister lurked in the shadows, she could feel it breathe down the back of her neck. She gripped her knives until her knuckles started to turn white.
Solas noticed her chewing on her lip, and asked her, "what is it?"
"I don't like this place." She replied in a whisper, so the others couldn't hear her. "Something is wrong. Very, very wrong."
Solas took one of her knives out of her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "You need to relax, Talyn. I think I know where we are."
"Where?" She demanded.
"We're in a fear demon's lair." He said. "You're a beacon for demons, Talyn. If your tattoos start to light up, we'll be seen. So you need to keep calm."
She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb while they walked, and she was certain he was using a soothing spell to keep her calm.
They walked in silence for a while, each of them on the look out for demons.
Up ahead, there was an older woman that wore the red and white robes of the Chantry. She was faded, and shining, two clear signs of a spirit. When they got closer, Stroud and Hawke gasped.
"Revered Mother." They said simultaneously, putting their fists over their hearts and kneeling before the spirit.
Talyn frowned, and then looked back at the elderly woman.
Then she gasped. "Oh, Creators, is that Divine Justinia?"
Solas was studying the spirit. "Not likely. More like a spirit imitating her."
"Is she… well, is she good?" Bull asked.
Solas nodded. "This is a spirit, not a demon. She does not wish to lead us to our deaths, but rather to guide us."
The spirit didn't walk, but rather floated towards Talyn. Everyone was tense, their hands on their weapons, including Talyn.
But the spirit stopped and spoke with the accent of an Orlesian, "walk the Path of Nightmares and kill everything will be revealed."
"Kill who?" Talyn asked.
The spirit pointed a finger towards the light at the end of the canyon. "Draga'Mora."
"Draga'Mora? That doesn't sound good." Bull muttered.
"He's an ancient fear demon." Solas explained. "It's not good that we're in his lair."
"The only way out is in the light." The spirit of Divine Justinia said.
"What will be re-" Talyn turned back to the spirit, but she was gone.
She frowned. "That was strange."
"She came to warn us. I'm glad she did." Solas
Talyn put her knives away and pulled out her bow, the familiar feel of the wood keeping her calm.
Kill him, and everything will be revealed. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
It felt like they had been walking for an eternity in silence, and the closer they got to the light in the distance, the more Talyn felt dread in the pit of her stomach. It made her hands shake, and she dropped the arrow she had in her bow multiple times.
She didn't know why she was so afraid. She could feel the darkness, the evil that surrounded this place. But that shouldn't make her as nervous as she was. Talyn had fought worse foes than a fear demon.
"This Path of Nightmares is rather cheery, isn't it?" Dorian broke the silence.
"It's about as cheery as Fenris." Hawke responded.
"I can be… cheery." Fenris defended himself.
"I can count how many times I've-"
There was a loud, inhuman screech. A spider the size of a dragon came into view, it's black body blocking out the light. Talyn looked behind her and saw that Stroud was frozen, his face white as snow and his mouth hanging open.
They took care of the giant spider quickly, while Stroud stood there motionless.
"Spiders, Stroud? Seriously?" Bull huffed.
"I had a rather unfortunate encounter with some in the Deep Roads. Damn things are scarier than a darkspawn." He explained once he realized the thing was dead.
They started to walk again. They didn't speak, because they all had an overwhelming sensation that they were not alone. Solas wouldn't let go of Talyn, as if he was afraid she was going to float away into the Fade.
She knew they were close when an oily voice was carried on the wind.
"I've scented you, Elf. You smell of sunlight."
"What the fuck was that?!" Bull exclaimed.
"I feel your power. Have you returned for what is yours?" That voice said.
The voice laughed eerily. "It is mine now."
Talyn squared her shoulders and pulled back on her bowstring. She turned around the corner of ebony rock to face the largest demon she had ever seen.
He was a big mass of shadowy beast, with the head of a bull and the body of a man. His nose was bleeding, his eyes gouged out and oozing green goo. He stood higher than a pride demon, his hands like the claws of a crab.
He turned his eyeless gaze on Talyn and shouted an animalistic war cry.
It was the sort of sound that froze the blood in her veins. It hit her harder than the roar of a dragon, than the sight of seeing Solas with a knife sticking out of his chest. Every minor fear, every anxiety induced terror crashed into her like waves crashing onto a rocky shore. Her tattoos lit up, her arrow lit with her lyrium's fire as she let go of the bowstring.
For the first time since she could remember, her arrow missed its mark. It embedded itself into the demon's shoulder, which angered him more than anything. The bull demon charged, his hoofed feet making cracks and indents in the rocky ground.
All around them, the quiet world of the Fade exploded. Talyn was shining was so bright with her terror that she couldn't see her arms, just that blue light. Demons started to pour from the corners of the area, shrieking and heading straight for Talyn.
Solas lifted his staff, and the jewel started to glow. A giant wall of ice shrouded them from the demons, but she could see their silhouettes, and their inhuman hands banging on the ice.
"Shit! Knock it off, Inquisitor, we need to see!" Hawke snapped at her.
That dark laugh could be heard even from behind the thick wall of ice.
"Ma thirnna ma elana dirna ash?"
You think you can save her now?
"Ma bered to dirna ash i've."
You promised to save her before.
Talyn turned to Solas. "What does he mean?"
"Ignore him, vhenan." Solas urged. "He's trying to pray on your fear. You need to calm yourself."
"Ga ma lathem emen ea em s ver sha or ast o ma, Elfen. Ma elana't rime mar Foerier Melin!"
Everything you loved has been taken from you, Elfen, You can't even remember your True Name!
Talyn blinked, the demon's words only making her frantic pulse worse. Her head started to ache.
"My True Name?"
"Who cares what he says? He's a fucking demon! Pull your shit together!" Fenris snapped at her, completely without mercy.
"Solas, my True Name. What does he mean by that?"
For the first time, Solas was at a loss for words. She could see it on his face.
"Boss!" Bull interrupted. "We really don't have time for this!"
The ice began to crack underneath the numerous fists that were hitting it.
"Fenhedis!" Solas cursed.
Talyn knew they were running out of time, and focused.
"Get ready." She warned.
Her light faded so it wasn't so blinding, and Talyn slammed the hilt of her dagger into the ice, making it shatter.
Then they fought for their lives.
These demons were different, their power felt more… ancient, although Talyn couldn't figure out why. It was as if they had been here thousands of years before them, before even Elvhenan. Even the rage demons that spit their molten fire seemed to be more a deep red than the bright color of lava they usually were. When one of them was touched by a shade, it left a sticky residue on their armor.
Draga'Mora was standing in the middle of the crowd of demons, watching th
"Dornan asha eoalasa, Fen?"
Does she know, Wolf?
"Dornan asha eoalasa mar imor sola?"
Does she know your greatest sin?
"What is that thing saying?!" Dorian shouted.
Talyn started to make her way to the fear demon, cutting a line through the monsters that kept pouring into the area. She didn't even see which creatures she was killing, her eyes never strayed from Draga'Mora.
Kill him, and everything will be revealed.
She heard an explosion and felt intense heat at her back. The only thing that protected her from the ocean of burning demons was Solas' barrier that he had still kept firmly in place. She could feel Solas' ice magic aimed towards those who had been immune to the blast of fire, and everyone else started to make their way towards Draga'Mora was well.
"You will never see your sister again, Champion of Kirkwall." That voice slick with nightmares addressed Hawke. "I will rip your spine from your body. She will never know what happened to you."
"Bethany died in the Deep Roads, demon. But nice try!" Hawke shouted before he drove his sword into one of the demon's legs.
He screamed with pain and swung one of his massive crab claws. Stroud and Bull went flying in the air.
"Keep him distracted." She told them, and then she weaved her way through the burning demon corpses.
"You're not a very good fear demon, Drag!" Dorian taunted him.
Dorian and Solas were shooting spells at him, while the others kept his attention off of Talyn, who was circling around the demon.
Quickly, she grabbed a hold of one of his claws and ran up his arm. She narrowly avoided being crushed by his other claw. She jumped and grabbed a hold of one of his horns just in time for him to bring his claw down on his shoulder.
Draga'Mora shook his head, and her body started to swing back and forth violently. She pulled herself on top of his head, and she started to drive her burning blades into his head. Draga'Mora started to roar, and reached to grab her.
"You. Will. Tell. Me," she enunciated each word with each quick, enraged stab, "who. I. AM!"
The last word came out as a scream, and the last thing she saw was a field of blue fire.
Mischief Lavellan pointed out to me that I got the wrong fortress, that the one in the Western Approach is actually Adamant, NOT Weisshuapt. Thank you for telling me, I apologize and will eventually fix it, lol.
and OMG YOU GUYS QUICK GET TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!