Cassandra watched as Solas and Shartan stood passing a flask back and forth between the two, Cassandra watched as Cullen stormed over to them. Cullen wrenched his helm off, Cassandra saw he was highly enraged at the two elves.
"What are you two doing, drinking before a battle?" Cullen snarled at them, they both looked at with matching annoyed looks.
"Commander, we are drinking so that we don't collapse screaming, the amount of demons and spirits suffering nearby is great. For dreamers as powerful and Fenny and I, it can easily be compared to having a ice spike driven through our skulls." Shartan snarled right back, Cassandra reached out and snagged the flask from Solas.
"Thank you, Cassandra… what are you doing?" Cullen yelled the last part as she took a swig herself.
"I can feel the headache through my bond. As weak as it must be in comparison, I need a drink to stave it of." Cassandra explained and Solas chuckled, while Shartan kissed her on the lips while stealing the flask.
Cullen growled and stormed off, as the battle continued the inner circle readied themselves. When the doors were breached, Shartan led the charge in with his select team. Cassandra, Solas and Sera ran beside Shartan as they advanced. It did not take long for them to reach the main area, while they were fighting their there, the rest of the inner circle was focused on the ramparts.
The magister barely got a word out before, Shartan threw flasks at the feet of the warden mages. With a quick chant, the wardens dropped to their knees for a moment before turning and glaring at the magister. Hawke arrived with Merrill just in time for the blighted dragon to arrive, the magister called a demon out of the rift and ran with the warden commander and the group not far behind.
Carrell killed the magister just seconds before the dragon crashed into the rampart, knocking the group into the air and killing the warden commander instantly. Cassandra screamed as they plummeted, a brief heartbeat before they smashed into the ground the world turned green.
Shartan felt the hum of his power fully returned, and the air around him hummed with energy. The fade swirled around him, like an eager puppy at its master return. Shartan reached out with his mind and felt the presence of the other in his group, with a simple thought he sent a healing pulse through them all.
Solas was the first to wake up. "The fade, I never dreamed that I would walk the dreaming's roads while the veil remained." Solas breathed.
"I know, even when I fade stepped it was only skimming the surface, to feel my power again after so long." Shartan sighed reviling in the power coursing through his veins.
"Shitballs, Fuck, Crap, shite, fade, shit, arse, demons, crap!" Sera ranted as she looked on the verge of tears.
"Calm yourself Sera, I doubt we are in any true danger here." Cassandra soothed, Sera whirled and glared before yelling.
"Not in danger? We're trapped in the bloody shitballs fade! How are we not it in danger!" Sera screamed.
"Because we have Shartan and Solas here, both of whom have great power in the fade. Remember Shartan alone once held the title of strongest mage in the elven kingdom, I doubt the fade holds anything that could harm him." She argued.
"She's not wrong, I even recognize this area. It is not mine but we should be able to move quickly." Shartan said, Hawke looked at them from his floating rock with Merrill by his side.
"Then how about we get moving before something tries to make us lunch?" Thorns asked, Shartan nodded and with Loghain collected from his floating rock they set off.
It was not long until they crossed paths with something strange, the divine greeted them. "Greeting inquisitor."
"Divine Justina!" Cassandra gasped, Shartan reached out with his power and saw it for what it really was.
"Faith that took the form of its favored human, I am not surprised that Justina attracted such a spirit." Shartan remarked, the false divine looked at him.
"Then I shall greet you properly my lord, it has been some time since one of your kind walked this plane." Justina remarked.
"True, do you know where my memories are, and did the divine have any messages I can carry for her. The old crone gave my love purpose so it is the least I can do." The divine smiled at him, after giving him the message and telling him where his memories where she vanished.
"Well that happened." Thorn remarked, Merrill giggled at him.
**Do you really think any of you can escape? ** A deep rumbling voice echoed through the fade, everyone but Shartan and Solas froze at the sound.
[Fear, so you dare to strike at me?] Shartan called out in elven, everyone felt the air shift.
**So, you still live BlackHart? Do you think that you can beat me when you could not protect your own soulmates? ** Fear taunted, Everyone saw something cross over Shartan's face making Solas step back in fear.
[Did you forget already what happened to deceit when it challenged me? I guess you must have fear, otherwise you would have angered me!] Shartan snarled, and his black magic seeped out of his pores forming armor.
Cassandra watched as the black smoke turned solid, becoming his ancient elven armor. When it was complete Shartan stepped forward, with a single gesture the fade warped around them. When it settled, they stood before the rift, Fear screamed at them in its giant spider form.
Cassandra watched Shartan glance at Solas before stepping forward, Solas raised a barrier around them and the rift as black mist started swirl around Shartan. Merrill edged forward to watch, Thorn simply watched from the back with Cassandra.
The black mist swallowed Shartan and kept growing until it was nearly the size of the fear demon, then it began consolidating into a giant coal black hart with gleaming horns. It screamed a challenge that seemed to shake the fade.
"Fear made a very grave error bringing up Shartan's Soulmates, and it is about to pay for it." Solas remarked, Merrill looked at him.
"What did Shartan mean when he talked about Deceit?" Merrill asked, Solas looked at her.
"Your myths are not wrong about Dirthamen having to spirit pets, however when Ghilan'nain was murdered Shartan rampaged." Merrill frowned but Cassandra was already beginning to see where this was going.
"When Ghilan'nain's forces attacked the other temples in revenge, Deceit challenge Shartan to stop him. Where the dust settled Shartan had ripped the demon to pieces, destroying it completely." Just as Merrill was about to respond the hart impaled the demon with it's horns.
In a few seconds the fight was over, the demon had languished and lost much of its combative skill. Where Shartan had only trained harder than ever with every dead soulmate, so in no time at all the demon was gone and they stepped through the rift.