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offbranddragon · 1 month ago

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Set after rook gets imprisoned, right after, readmore to make it neat. Gender neutral rook, romanced Taash.

Everything had gone by too fast. There was so much just everything. Dark spawn after darkspawn. And then they got crystalled and everything started going to even more shit. Then there was a moment of clarity, a cruel pause. They had been half way across the tight battle field as the first tentacle pierced Lace, Davrin had grabbed them by the time the second had. They were in the most piss poor attempt at a head lock, Davrin being too short but still strong enough to restrain them, by the time she fell. Something about not needing more lives to be lost, that Harding knew what she was doing, noises lost to the screams.

And then the blight bitch fell. She fucking fell and everything shook as she screamed loud enough to pierce the veil. The dark spawn stopped coming, it was still chaos but there was a moment of pause. Then, as Davrin helped them and Neve to their feet, Taash frantically looked for a person, their person. Instead there was this bald fuck. Solas giving some speech or something, their ears were ringing and their muscles hurt so bad they couldn't hear and could hardly see. And then he was gone and so was Rook.

"We need to leave!" Emmrich yelled from spirits knew where. "Rooks gone! Hardings gone! We NEED to leave before they regroup!"

"We have to look for them!" It was impossible to tell who was speaking, Lucanis and Spite's voice meshing into one, both equally angry and frantic. Looking at him, them?, he wasn't putting weight on his right leg. It was broken, it had to be, there was a wince as a purple energy tried so desperately to walk before collapsing into Davrin who sat waiting with open arms.

"There have to be bodies, something, there can't be nothing Emmrich. We can't leave more people behind." Neve sounded to tears as she tried to use her ice to break up the blister of blight that had seemingly swallowed their pucky scout.

Taash's brain felt empty but also too loud. They couldn't panic, Rook wouldn't want them panicking, but where were they?! A wet growl emerged past the wall of blight, followed by a roar; there were still enemies, more than they could handle and they were pissed their goddess was dead. Their arm hooked around Neve acting on its own, her protesting and grabbing at Lace's disgarded bow.

"Taash-"

"We have to leave," Neve looked at them, absolutely broken as their voice shook with poorly squashed tears. "There's too much. Emmrich's right."

"I've already looked, there's nothing." Emmrich winced, leaning on his staff as he guided them to an opening in the blight and stone. "Solas was preaching about sacrifice, how Rook had done something noble like it was meant to inspire. After all we've seen there has to be more but we can't find it here, not now."

Taash let Neve go so she could help Emmrich while they led the charge, Assan watching the rear. Most of the hoard that remained seemed daze, any Antaam this far forward had fallen back, all they had to do was keep cutting the blight so everyone could get through. Some wardens should still be near by, they'd have to work their way out of the blight and to them then to what ever eluvian they could find. They couldn't think, they couldn't afford to. Everyone was depending on everyone and if one of them faltered now it'd be like loosing a limb. Davrin was carrying Lucanis, Neve was supporting most of Emmrichs weight, if anything happened Taash had to be ready since they were the only able bodied and free one. Their throat hurt worse than it ever had but they could draw more fire if needed, they had to. They could make up for what they lacked, what they'd lost. No, no. Taash couldn't think about them. Not Bellara, or Lace, or Rook. They had to keep going, they had to.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Once back at the lighthouse it had been confirmed Lucanis had fractured his leg, Emmrich setting him up in his study. Emmrich himself just had a sprain, Davrin and Neve both checked to make sure he wasn't down playing his injuries. Outside of some much more minor injuries the other three of them were fine. Right as rain. But there was still three large gaping wounds in the group.

"Where did they drag Rook and Bellara?!" Taash yelled as they paced in their little meeting room. Assan pitifully squawked at the mention of their unaccounted for crew. Despite not wanting to they'd all swallowed that they'd lost Lace. Even if she survived she was far too injured to stay that way for long and that's if the blight didn't eat her right up. It felt better thinking she died standing on that stone, bow still in hand, the scout she was rather than the mess of holes she became. Fuck it made them feel gross to think that way. What would they tell her mom? What would they tell the inquisitor?? Lace had so many people but also so few and the only people who knew she died stood in this building. Solas apparently didn't even mention her, the bastard. The woman who had swallowed her anger and moved on. Who held so close to her memory of Solas as this apostate she met what felt like forever ago. One of the only people who knew him as more than a god and he didn't even seem to care about her sacrifice. Her little life that was cut short far too soon. All that gave Taash peace was that the stone probably had her, it had to, and if that giant statue lady was anything to go by it meant Lace was still out there somewhere in mind if not body.

"Elgar'nan took Bellara," Neve said as she pulled her knees to her chest. She had already said how many times it should have been her, how she should have been on guard, how Bel didn't deserve this. "Solas did something to rook, I'm sure of it. Emmrich is too. We just don't know what."

"I'm going to let Assan sniff around their room, might calm him down." Davrin excused himself, calling Assan to follow which the little griffin did happily. Taash watched the two as they vanished down the hall they didn't want to be empty. As they heard Rooks door shut they fell to their knees. They were gone. Rook was gone. And they fought. Fuck they fought! Why couldn't they have just given them a hug. Why couldn't they had just told them they loved them! Why did they have to shut them out and basically tell them to fuck off?!? It hurt more than they thought it would. Taash thought that waiting would lift the burden and pain if one of them died. That it'd make everything magically easier to swallow. But it didn't. It hurt so much more. When their Tama died it felt like a chunk of their heart had been ripped out and they'd been left to bled from the void in their life. When they looked and saw Solas standing there, not Rook? It felt like their very being had been sundered. Not a piece of them that wasn't grief was left. All their body wanted, all they longed for, was that little nobody they had grown to view as their world. They wanted more than anything to hear Rooks laugh, to hear them just speak and tell them this was just a bad dream. That this wasn't reality. But it wasn't a dream and this was reality.

"Oh Taash," Neve said softly as she put her knees down and pulled them with all her strength into her lap, their head resting on her thighs.

"They're gone," Taash got out as they broke. Unbound arms wrapped around Neve's waist like a hurt child. Body heaving they wept into the woman they viewed as a sister. Just one of the family they had built that had been fractured. Fuck she was so lucky to still have Lucanis. He'd be dead if it wasn't for Lace. But Taash didn't envy Neve. Taash was also grateful their crow was still with them as well as the demon inside him. They were so thankful for every one that remained and clung to them so tightly. "They can't be gone!"

Neve wrapped her arms around them as best she could, cradling their head against her. Taash's hair was messy, chunks already having slipping out of their braid, so Neve had an easy time combing it back behind their ears.

"They aren't, I can feel it." She sounded so determined, so sure of this fact that was simple dreaming. "We'll get them and Bellara back and we'll make Solas and Elgar'nan pay."

Taash heaved. They were such an ugly crier. They hated crying in front of others too but they were way past the point of keeping it in. They didn't even have anything left of Rook. Nothing to cling to but the people around them. A door opened followed by another. There was a grumble and a familiar hiss. Taash sat up, arms still around Neve, face soaking wet and puffy already. No one would give them shit, they'd all been crying too even if some didn't want to admit it.

Emmrich's face softened as he saw them and Taash gave him the weakest appreciative smile they could. Taash half wanted to scoop him up in a hug.

"I've talked to spite," Emmrich started as Lucanis and Davrin finally made it down the stairs. Neve was just as attentive as Taash, head snapping to look at Emmrich. If Solas did anything with the fade, and since he was there he probably did, Spite would have probably felt it. Spirits and demons were sensitive to that stuff right?? It was their home they had to be!

"He said he didn't feel Rook die like he did with...with Lace." As Emmrich spoke somber looks were exchanged by the group. They knew but it still hurt hearing it. "When Rook vanished he says it felt like they were suddenly gone. Shut away like he is when Lucanis is awake."

"That means Rooks alive?!" Taash exclaimed.

"It certainly gives us hope and right now that's all we could have asked for. If Solas shut Rook away it is very possible he simply used them to replace himself so the veil wouldn't rip open like it had previously. He used our dear friend to patch a hole in other words."

'Well we just have to rip it open again to get them back right?" Emmrich tiredly smiled at Taash, happy seeing his ramblings had sunk in.

"Exactly! Once our wounds are healed and the Wardens finish clearing the dark spawn back we can return to the island to see if I can locate a weak point in the veil, but we would need a new dagger as it seems Solas has taken it and that may be impossible at this point." Emmrich smile fluttered away just as quickly as it had appeared.

"There are other materials that interact with the fade and we still have two mages and a demon between us, there has to be something we can do." Neve said sternly.

"My horn! It's veil quartz! Bellara said it reacts to fade stuff!" A twinge of pain like a needle to the heart shot through them at the mention of her name but they continued. "If it will work you can have it, I can get another later!"

Neve pat their hair and hugged them to her chest, hugging them as if she would lose them.

"Your horn may be too refined but that does give me an idea. It will take time but I'll do what I can to make it go as quickly as possible. I may need someone to give the watchers a visit to get some of my books."

"Assan and I can go, just tell us what we are looking for and who to give us the key." Davrin responded, Assan chirping next to him.

And then they'd formed a plan. Taash gave Emmrich their word they'd contact Isabela and do what ever they had to to get him as much veil quartz as possible, Lucanis agreed to let Spite out as much as was needed to narrow stuff down, and Neve said she would be on stand by and would pump as much magic as she could into this. As they went to part Taash managed to pull Neve to the side.

"Neve I-I know I'm twenty and I'm big and should be able to take care of myself," Neve held their hands, nodding her head to urge them to go on. "But I don't want to be a lone. I can tolerate the wisps if you'll let me set up in your office, I can just sleep on the floor and I'll even help sort papers or something!"

"Your rooms bigger," Neve said softly. "Help me drag my desk and papers over and I will happily keep you company."

They could do that. It was easy, just some carrying and swatting wisps away so they couldn't pull stray pages to the void.

"Oh and Taash," Neve started as they just made it outside. "Thank you for not letting me be alone either, We all need each other now more than ever."

She was certainly right about that. They'd probably pester Davrin about setting up in their room as well. Keep everyone under one roof so they couldn't get lost or be alone with their thoughts too long. Everyone would be going to Emmrich pretty frequently anyway so giving up a bit of their room just made everything easier. Taash wasn't going to chance anything from this point on and the moment they got Rook back they would make sure that extended to them too. No more losing friends, no more losing family.

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