Into Sol Sanctum!

[venusadept_2]

The door from Milliways opens into a small room, fairly plain except for a statue at the opposite end. The walls and ceiling are made from a bluish stone, while the floor is brown and speckled with some kind of glowing lichen. The light is bright enough to see fine, although you wouldn't want to read by it.

The room's one significant feature is a statue, about eight feet tall, depicting what appears to be a man with a lion's head, holding a sword with the point between his feet. It stands against the far wall.

Once the group is through, Felix gestures around. "This is the room where I think the door is. At this point, our best bet would probably be to close our eyes and feel along the walls for either an opening or some kind of button." He pauses, then adds, "The statue won't move for my magic, so it might well be hiding the door itself."

Comments

[venusadept_2]

By this point, everyone's pretty banged up. Felix glances around and decides he'd do better patching up his allies than trying to hurt the Dullahan further. He's barely conscious of deciding whom to help first, but it's Varric who gets the earth energies working their way through him. His arm isn't totally fixed up, but it's in considerably better shape than it was a moment ago.

The Dullahan doesn't seem to like being shot with bolts, either. Its shield's eyes flash again, this time at Varric, and another ring of little flames circles his head. They don't actually touch anything, or get in the way, but they do make themselves noticeable. The armor gestures again and the purple smoke is back, just as before. When it dissipates this time, though, one of the faces is left behind, swooping around and around Felix.

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate pushes herself up, gritting her teeth against the pain. Goddamn, that — that was her good hat.

Everything is a haze of magic around this mortal woman. There's one 'cursed' gun at the small of her back. Another, forged by a god, in her hand. But she holsters it. She starts forward with hellfire in her eyes, jaw set, moving right on past Felix and Varric. Maybe it's foolishness, or maybe it's the anklet at work, but she's just about had enough of this.

Pulling her Bowie knife from her hip, she makes a run for the Dullahan as soon as the purple haze clears. It didn't much seem to like it when she shot at its armpit, so that's her goal. If it swings that sword or casts another spell, all the better. She's unencumbered and lithe, and all she needs is for it to give her one opening.

(And then she'll pray to God she's quick enough to outrun the repercussions.)

"Hope y'ain't ticklish," she grunts, swinging with all of her might.

[igetthatalot]

The dwarves of Thedas are known for an innate resistance to magic, which is probably why Varric's arm isn't nearly as healed as a human's would be. On the other hand, his head's not on fire, and that's a good thing.

Also he still has that specially modified exploding arrow he picked up a while back. That Dullahan's about to get hit with a lot more force than usual.

[venusadept_2]

As luck would have it, Varric's and Kate's attacks hit at almost exactly the same time. The Dullahan reels for a moment (a moment Felix takes to heal himself), and seems to flicker slightly blue. Then it spreads its arms and each of the fighters feels slightly weakened.

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate puts some distance between her and the Dullahan, leaving her Bowie knife embedded in its side. She staggers to the closest wall, and leans against it to catch her breath.

[igetthatalot]

Varric scowls. "Okay, now you made me mad," he says as he slaps his next arrow into place. "Bianca, old girl, I'm not feeling so great, so you're going to have to smash this thing up for me."

Thoqq! And the arrow scythes across the open space between Varric and the Dullahan...

[venusadept_2]

...Striking it dead center in the breastplate, and leaving a dent. The suit of armor actually staggers slightly.

That's all the opening Felix needs. He levels his sword at the Dullahan, concentrating. Two spectral blades fly out of nowhere, slamming into it at oblique angles. A considerably larger sword of light forms around the blade Felix is holding, and he charges at the now-battered foe. As the outer sword touches the Dullahan it shatters, its momentum sending dozens of magical shards into and through the armor.

Said armor slowly collapses forward, taking no action of its own, until it comes to rest on one knee. It doesn't move.

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate has Milliways to thank for not being shell-shocked by everything she's just seen. After Felix's attack, she moves away from the wall, gun in hand. Her eyes are trained on the Dullahan, waiting for any small movement before she starts shooting.

[igetthatalot]

Varric readies another arrow and says, "That thing had better be dead. Care to make sure, Felix?"

[venusadept_2]

Felix nods. This isn't quite the way it happened the last time he fought a Dullahan. He slowly steps toward it, sword at the ready.

Before he gets more than a couple of steps, the Dullahan raises a hand. The same voice from before speaks to their minds again. You have passed the challenges, and done well in so doing, it says. I will now give you knowledge of the Light beyond Alchemy. Its use now rests in your hands.

The armor's sword and shield drop to the floor as it slowly stands, turning toward Felix.

[ikissdhimbck]

Ever wanted to know how it feels to have a strange voice inside your head? Unpleasant. Kate can't honestly recommend it.

"What's that mean?"

She keeps her gun trained on the Dullahan as it stands. It may have dropped its sword, but that doesn't mean it can't still use that powerful magic if it feels so inclined.

[igetthatalot]

"No clue," says Varric. "It'd better be something good, though. I don't have a lot left."

[venusadept_2]

Felix is nearly as confused as the others, but he doesn't say anything before the Dullahan reaches him. It lays its hands on his head, and both figures briefly shimmer purple.

Felix opens his mouth in startlement. It's a little bit like being part of a Mind Read, but both broader and deeper. There's suddenly a large chunk of information in his brain that wasn't there before.

The Dullahan, along with its discarded armaments, fades away into thin air. Felix shakes his head and looks toward the others. "I believe I just got what we came for."

[ikissdhimbck]

She sighs with relief.

"You all right, then?"

Her eyes flick to Varric, a slight nod in his direction conveying the same question.

For her part, she's sagging and breathing a little hard, but other than that she seems to be okay. She opens the loading gate and starts to reload her Colt before anything else has a chance to jump out at them.

[igetthatalot]

"I'll manage," says Varric. "How about yourself? Need any healing potions?"