Who: Anders, Leliana, Zatanna, Cassandra Pentaghast What: Getting rid of Justice When: Yesterday, after this log Where: The Magic Guild Warnings/Ratings: Highish. Fire and possession and arrows, oh my. Status: Complete
Anders was a mess. He’d been feeling paranoid for weeks, ever since he’d dreamed of killing that poor mage girl under the Gallows, though perhaps not as paranoid as he thought since it turned out he had been being followed. He’d been planning on leaving the country after he’d killed the poor man. Packing his bags and flying somewhere secluded, where he could work in peace and hopefully not kill anyone else. Tink had come home in the middle of packing his things though, and he’d - no, Justice - had lashed out and attacked her.
Justice had to go. He knew that now. He wasn’t entirely sure how. He’d dreamed of helping save Feynriel from possession by going into the Fade, but with Justice it was different. With most abominations, the demon was still physically in the Fade, their only tie to the human world being the mind of the mage they’d possessed. But Justice had been physically in the real world when he and Anders had merged. Going into the Fade simply meant that Justice was in control of Anders, it did not separate them like it would a normal abomination. Leliana, however, had assured him not long ago that there were people who could help him, so he’d called her up and agreed to meet her at the magic guild.
Which was where he was now, pacing and trying very hard to keep Justice in check. The spirit - demon? - was not pleased with this turn of events, and it was taking most of the concentration that Anders had to make sure that Justice wouldn’t seize control and start attacking everyone.
Leliana needed a drink. Not her typical prissy glass of wine or fruit-mixed cocktail, but a drink. Alcohol straight from the bottle with not even a cube of ice to water it down. Unfortunately situations like this - in which one of her very, very few trusted agents was killed because someone willingly hosted a volatile spirit within their physical body, and now that someone wanted said spirit permanently removed - required the utmost level of sobriety.
It was unfortunate that it had taken someone’s life for Anders to realize Justice needed to be removed. In her dream sequences he’d been killed for his actions, and the last thing Leliana wanted (even if she was feeling very sour in regards to these circumstances) was for history to repeat itself. Today, she arrived dressed in light armor - her Spymaster robes, to be precise, woven with lavender thread and hooded, Marjolaine’s recurve on her back. Darkspawn, abominations, shades - she could recall fighting them all, it’d be as if she were re-learning how to ride a bike. If things went very south, she needed the protection. Nightingale didn’t have the gift of magic.
“You will pace a trench in the middle of the room,” she deadpanned, arms crossed, leaning against the wall in the corner darkened by shadows. “I recommend you take a seat and breathe.”
Anders was a good man, that Zatanna knew. She wasn’t quite sure about Justice, but hearing that he had taken over and killed someone cinched her opinion - when Leliana first told her about this situation, Zee hadn’t liked even then how a spirit had merged with a human like it was a pottery vessel, cracks forming, because that’s what was happening. Things were leaking through. Anders was becoming Justice more and more with each and every passing day, and they had to put a stop to it.
Not for the first time, or second time, or third time, she wished that Constantine was here. He conveniently never was, however, when she needed him.
Perhaps she was not the expert he was, at taming demons, but she had researched his particular brand of magic - dusty books in her library, calling upon her memories, searching elsewhere - to be able to hobble together something that would be strong, and that would work. Sealing, binding, and immobilizing a spirit - all without not only hurting Anders, but without allowing things to snowball so that the spirit became something much worse than disgruntled. This preparation began with drawing sigils on their space, sigils John himself knew - these would be used to protect all of them, should Justice break free. This would also ensure that the spirit wouldn’t return, wouldn’t latch itself to Anders’ soul because it would be hidden from this force hellbent on finding a host body. Placing this particular sigil on his soul would be the last part of her spell.
She drew carefully, consulting her books and sketches on occasion. “Leliana is right. You must remember to breathe. This will all be over before you know it.”
This was going to end in abominations and screaming. Of this, Cassandra was certain. Anything involving the combination of spirits (or demons, or whatever one called them )and mages tended to do inevitably lead down that path. She was too cynical to not come prepared. Seeker armor, sword and shield, and the full gamut of her abilities at the tip of her fingertips.
In the dreams, she would have suggested they kill him. It would be a mercy. The alternative was Tranquility, and even Cassandra knew that was a fate worse than death. Better to end it all then to leave a man to suffer.
But in the waking world, the rules were different. They had access to people and knowledge that didn't exist in Thedas. It was worth a shot. Still, Cassandra made an imposing figure, standing there with a hand on the hilt of her sword and scowling. "This is going to end in people screaming, I just know it."
Staying calm was easy for them to say. They hadn’t just killed someone, and then attacked the loves of their lives, all because they had decided to play host to one of their friends only to find out that their own anger had turned their friends into some sort of blood thirsty vengeance demon. He knew he had to calm down - when one’s thoughts were in disarray it was that much easier for Justice to get control - but he was finding it difficult. Especially with what lay ahead of him.
“That’s very reassuring, Cassandra, thanks. I’m glad I inspire such faith,” Anders muttered, stopping the pacing and running both his hands through his hair. “This isn’t going to hurt Justice, is it?” Anders asked. “He’s still my friend. If we could just send him back to the Fade…” He’d done nothing but fail Justice ever since the spirit had joined him, and he didn’t want to fail him again. He didn’t know if sending him back to the Fade was possible though. He was the only person in Orange County with any significant connection to the Fade - Dorian, perhaps, though as far as Anders knew, Dorian still only had a tenuous connection to the Fade, if he had one at all.
Murder had also always been her ‘go to’ solution as well but Anders was a friend. A friend with questionable judgment, but she hoped ridding him of Justice would clear his mind - make him realize that even if the spirit was destroyed, vengeance wouldn’t a possible course of action, and no one else would be in danger.
“Would you offer a human being such mercy if they had done those very exact actions?” Leliana did her best to bite back a scowl, though those shadows - cast by the curve of her hood - made those porcelain features sharp, fierce, maybe edged in icy anger. Shadow of the Sunburst Throne, personified. It was best to keep quiet, however. She had plenty of things to say, none that would actually ease the mage.
Zatanna lifted an eyebrow, and she had many things to say as well - mainly to ask why the person who should have been the closest to Anders thought it was a good idea to let him harbor a ticking time bomb of a spirit for so long, but that wasn’t her business. She would simply focus on the task at hand here, which was not hurting either of them - or anyone else in the room, if she could help it.
Though she thought Cassandra’s concerns were valid. They had all...experienced this, in the ravaged war-torn landscape of their dreamworld. Zatanna was an outsider, using a completely different brand of magic, but perhaps that would be why this would work. “I will do the best I can, Anders,” she promised him, lifting her chin. Now that her sigils were done, she dusted off her hands, chalk residue settling. “For both you and Justice. Alright then, everyone take your place - in the circle here, we will begin.”
She had the spots outlined too, and she trusted that there was enough backup if something went awry - but that would hopefully not occur. The prepared demon blood talismans Lina had given her for the ritual would add an oomph to Zatanna’s spellcasting, and they glowed subtly.
Anders was one of them and she felt a strange sense of protection, like she felt with Cole. She'd learned to respect Cole, even care about like him. If there could be a spirit like Cole, perhaps this Justice was similar. But Cole had tried to learn, tried to be more human. Justice... did not seem so interested in that. There was a fine line between demon and spirit, and she didn't know which side he stood upon.
But it was that memory of Cole that had brought her here. Even if she still thought that it would end in screaming. "I've faith in you. I've less faith in this Justice. But I knew another spirit once, and he changed my opinion. I hope the same can be happen here."
She moved to her place in the circle, balling her hands up and then forcing herself to relax. Just not too much.
“I would if they were my friend,” Anders said, though there was a part of him that refuted that. If a friend had done something that deserved retribution, then he’d have no choice but the dispense justice. However, Anders still had work to do and it wasn’t the time for him to face justice just yet. Besides, of the two men Anders had killed, they had both deserved it. The man in Germany for attacking a girl, and the man who had been following him for following him. The only person who had truly been innocent had been Tink, and hadn’t Anders done nothing but warn her against him anyway?
He took a breath and calmed himself before stepping into the circle. He hadn’t expected the Seeker to have faith in him, but it, along with Zee’s saying she’d try her best to not harm Justice, helped put him a little more at ease. If there was any chance of this succeeding, he’d have to calm himself and make sure he was in complete control. He couldn’t dwell on the actions of the past. All he could do now was focus on making amends, and the first step of that was to get rid of Justice.
Leliana bit her tongue. Best to hold in every little comment she wanted to spew; it wouldn’t do any of them any good, they weren’t here to make Anders feel guilty for his initial decision of letting Justice camp out in his head (even if she still had quite a bit to say), so it was best to settle this once and for all. Nodding, she took her position, arm craned back for her fingers to brush along the curve of the bow - a bittersweet reminder of protection, nevermind the original owner.
“I’m ready,” she echoed, briefly glancing at Cassandra. How fitting, to have both Hands of the Divine in this, but she was aware of the silent agreement. Do what must be done, if this did not work. Anders was one of theirs. They’d put him down if they had to.
The circle formed, Zatanna began to weave the magic - it was complicated magic, an intricate tapestry, but she called upon the power from the demon blood talismans, and her own reserves. It was a breeze, a slight rush of wind, the scent of ozone and earth infiltrating their space; she wished to first speak to the spirit who had taken the reins on Anders. Call him forth. It would be easier that way, when it came time to banish him safely, rather than rooting around searching.
She did not know what possessed (no pun intended) Anders to give his body willingly, to use as an avatar, but from her vantage point now she could tell the connection was strong between them - a bad break could be dangerous. “Justice,” she called for him, for this spirit. “I wish to speak to you.”
A slight tug, on the strings she weaved, magic sizzling like static in the air - just to give him that nudge. He could speak peacefully, or he could attack them - either way, they were ready.
Cassandra's hand tightened on the hilt of her sword. She was prepared to sever Anders' head from his body. That was the most humane option of all the options available to the, should Zatanna fail.
The hackles on the back of her neck rose as the other woman weaved her spell.
Justice readily rose to Zatanna’s call, taking control of Anders’ body. His skin seemed to crack, lines of blue fire shining through, and his eyes glowed with the same blue intensity, turning his gaze entirely toward the woman, though he made sure to keep Leliana and the Seeker in his sights in case they tried anything. If all she wanted to do was talk, then Justice was willing to speak with her.
“Why do you persist in this foolishness?” he asked, his two distinct voices coming from his lips - Anders’ and Justice’s - as he spoke.
Because you’re absolutely mad, did you not know? It was difficult to not draw her arrows and bow then and there. The stance would be a threatening one, though she was certain Justice had already realized this wasn’t a social call for tea and cookies (as pleasant as that sounded). Leliana’s eyes went past the spirit’s host, towards Zee, concerned.
They didn’t know what to expect, not really. Adding different magic to what came from their world could either have the best results, or the most disastrous - but from friend to friend, she mouthed be careful. Ms. Zatara knew what she was doing best out of all of them, of course, but this exorcism (no other word for it) was probably not going to be the easiest of tasks.
It was fascinating, really - Zatanna was intrigued, but she also wasn’t going to play games. Justice wasn’t a demon, Leliana had made that clear when she first shared news of this situation - he was not some hissing creature from the depths of Hell, and because of it she felt as if there was no reason to be rude when having discussions and dealing with a power such as this. More flies with honey, you know.
“I’m sorry,” she told him sympathetically - the entity who was using Anders’ body, lit from within - and her eyes glowed cobalt, nearly the same shade. “But you can’t have him.”
She relied on the people near her, and the protective salt of their circle, to keep a modicum of safety here. Because as much as it was a first for them, it was for her too - she had to mix and match her magic, not using solely her own. But trying her hand at the type Constantine wielded effortlessly; for her, not so much, yet she had to attempt it.
“....assist us now, excuse this spirit from this place, cleanse their soul of grime and trouble, send guidance to where it may reside in peace and grace - ” Flames from the candles she lit flickered from the chill, the breeze picking up, and she glanced at the two other women in the room, “Don’t break the circle.”
Cass still didn't know what to think or expect about all of this - there were mornings she looked out the window and expected a green tear in the sky. And now they were dealing with a spirit. A spirit calling itself Justice, though Cassandra thought that 'Vengeance' might be a more appropriate name, from the stories she'd heard. Though, the line between justice and revenge was a thin one.
"I'll stand fast," Cassandra said. The weight of her shield on her back felt suddenly heavier.
Leave it to mortals to say one thing and then do the next. ‘I wish to speak with you’ indeed. It wasn’t as though Justice had been fooled, exactly, but he had been hoping for more from the woman with magic. Why did so many people lack any shred of honesty in this world? “I am him,” Justice bellowed. “You will pay for your deception,” he said, quickly casting Stonefist at Zatanna, and then pivoted so the other two women were more firmly in his sights before he raised his arms in the air and began to cast Firestorm. It required time, more so since it wasn’t a spell he had cast more than a couple of times outside of his dreams, but hopefully it wouldn’t be any longer than the time it took Leliana and Cassandra to prepare themselves for the attack, and by then they’d have to worry about fire raining from above.
“Oh, blood and damnation,” she hissed, that little bit of her Thedosian counterpart so appropriately slipping out. Leliana’s trade was stealth; she was agile and light, the bones of a bird, and her movements away from the raining inferno were, in its way, acrobatic. Didn’t mean there weren’t any embers that caught onto, burning into the robes but she felt mostly the discomfort of suffocating heat all around them, sweat glistening from her brow. Her light armor could only withstand so much (meaning not much at all, when pushed to its limits).
Recurve drawn, arrow pulled from the quiver, the bow was ready to fire and damn it all, that is precisely what she did - let the projectile weapon fly and then prepared another one. Perhaps it’d wound him, perhaps he’d conjure some sort of barrier to protect himself, but if they could draw attention from Zatanna and have him focus on her and Cassandra…
Then maybe they had a chance to do this right.
Leliana had her bow and arrow, Cassandra had her sword - and Zatanna had her calm strength, her steadfast resolve to finish this. But she also her magic, a crackle and sizzle of it clamboring over her skin like vines as she spoke the word backward in a whiplash of angry sound, tsud, and the projectile made of stone poofed into nothingness before it made contact with her - good thing too, because it looked heavy and painful.
The debris mingled with the chalk on the ground, and she steeled herself - her hands made fists, she would continue, because there were three of them and only one of Justice. The Latin prayer, then. The words that would separate Anders and Justice; she had seen John deal with entities like these before, beings so powerful they didn’t believe they could be tricked. Now it was up to her to bring an end to everything.
“Relictum - ” Each word was clipped as she latched onto the connection between Anders and the spirit who lived within him, to carve them apart, the magic of both the mage and Justice coming at her, rushing within like a tidal wave of wildfire, “...spiritum...expurgationis!”
She really hoped that Cass and Leliana could distract him enough, because now she had to slide open a zipper in the fabric of the world and that’s where Justice would go. Unwillingly, perhaps - but it must happen.
Slinging her shield from her back, Cassandra held it over her head to protect herself from the raining fire. Though she had no fear of being possessed (it was impossible for a Seeker), she feared for the others should Justice break free. But if she could draw it's attention and have it focus on her. "I am sorry for what I must do." If there was any Lyrium in Anders blood, it was a simple matter to reach out with her abilities and make it burn.
The only lyrium Anders had received from his dreams was the small lyrium ring that had come for Justice months ago, which Anders often wore. Sometimes they could hear the ring sing and it would calm Justice, though now there wasn’t much that would calm the spirit.
He glanced down at his shoulder where a feathered shaft was sticking out from his shoulder and laughed. “Do you think that you can harm me with your mortal weapons?” he asked. It could have almost been laughable. They hadn’t deceived him, so he could not fault them for that. In a moment of weakness he had been willing to abandon his cause by getting rid of Justice, but he could never let that happen. There was still so much to do. There was a revolution on the horizon. If these people were planning on getting in his way, they too would have to die.
Focusing on the Seeker - with her powers she was more of a threat than the bard or the mage - he prepared an explosive fireball for her. Gathering the magic in his hands always caused his fingers to burn, and perhaps that was what caused the voice in his head to call out Stop this now. He hesitated before he released the spell.
Concern flared, an instinctual feeling towards a friend’s safety now jeopardized tenfold when Justice honed in on Cassandra solely. Another spell of flames contributed to the exhausting heat; even the light armor absorbed some of it and began burning against her skin. Zee was almost there, and if only they could stop -
His hands. A spellcaster’s greatest tool. Bow hoisted up, the smoke burning her eyes but Leliana managed to zone in on her intended target and ziiiiing flew another arrow, ripping through the heat waves. Damage his hands, and maybe it’d keep him from tossing spells left and right. Or at least slow him down for the remainder.
It was getting mighty hot in here, and windy, sweat beading on Zatanna’s brow - it smelled like scorched earth, the singe of smoke, but she was stubborn enough to see this through despite how it was a whole menagerie of arrows flying, blades drawn, and spells thrown like baseballs. Focus, she told herself firmly, standing firm - the chalked markings, the salt, all etched on the ground were spread out but the circle could not break. Almost there.
Leliana let the arrow go, and Zee had noticed the hesitation in Justice before - Anders himself was still there, she just had to pull him forth. The words in Latin (that were often spoken by John, not her, despite her status as an occult expert - she’d look at it as a learning opportunity), the magic that was a sizzling blade wielded to slice the connection between Anders and Justice, she put as much power into it as she had (boosted by the talismans, thankfully) and it was the first presence she latched onto, not the second. To keep him in this world.
“Anders!” she called for him over the din, the whole racket, this fight that was brutal but would end in their favor. Hopefully.
Fire burst around Cassandra's shield, singeing her hair and her hands but Anders' hesitation had given her that extra split second to adjust both the angle of the shield and her own movement. The bulk of the blast deflected upwards and around the Seeker. A light overhead caught fire, smoking and sparking.
Smacking her scorched shield with her sword to try to keep Anders' attention off of the others, she called out. "Whatever it is you are going to do, you best do it faster!"
Then Cassandra began to advance. "Fight this, Anders. We do not wish you harmed but we will do what we must."
Cassandra was clearly made of sterner stuff than the Templars in his dreams. The only times he had come face to face with Seekers had been a couple of times in passing while he had been a prisoner in the Circle, and he had never done combat with them. He should have expected that those who held such lofty titles would be more powerful. His magic was beginning to run low, especially with his efforts to maintain the Firestorm, and he wished that he had thought to grab his staff before leaving his house. It wasn’t as though he had time to stop and catch his breath though, and it was possible he’d still be able to finish them off with the magic he had left.
He’d been preparing a spell for the Seeker as she advanced on him when an arrow lodged itself in his hand and he stared at it for a moment. These mortals were like annoying mosquitoes, capable perhaps of drawing blood but not of actually harming him. He resisted the urge to burn the arrow to ashes - he couldn’t spare the mana for it - but pulled the shaft from his hand with his opposite hand and turned to Leliana.
No. There was a second of struggle as Anders took advantage of Justice’s distraction and attempted to wrest control from Justice when something seemed to snap and as though a blade had severed the strings connecting them, he could no longer feel Justice. The flames above them as well as the flames under Anders skin snuffed out, and he fell to his knees.
Leliana’s eyes snapped over to Cassandra to briefly assess her condition - which was alive and talking, all good things - and readied the recurve for another shot. The air was thick with smell of something burning, lungs beginning to feel that uncomfortable clogging from smoke. A couple coughs helped clear the airways, and she aimed again. This time not at his hands, but the spot between his brows.
His spells had stopped. Whether or not that meant Justice was well and done, who knew, but she was prepared for an unwelcomed surprise. No more games. If he acted up, she had all plans of letting the arrow sing through the air and nail him square in the head. Because she was not losing Zee or Cassandra to a volatile spirit that didn’t belong on this plane of existence.
“Is he gone?” A question to Zatanna with a gaze that continued to sear into Anders.
It ended quickly thereafter, and Zee was thankful for that - fabric of this world opened, a harsh and sharp wind meant to blow the fire-raining spirit off course, then he was gone. Into the tear leading to elsewhere - guidance, to send the entity safely onward. Still, the push and shove of it meant that chunks of the ground were ripped up, a burst of magic that also shattered glass on shelves before everything was cautiously still, and quiet.
“Yes,” Zatanna answered, taking a moment to assess the aftermath - her clothes were streaked with soot and ash, her skin, pieces of her hair as well (she could deflect fire with her own magic, encase herself in protection, but her main focus was the spell-casting to cause the separation). “He’s gone. And he won’t come back, I made sure of it. Are you two alright? Anders?”
She went to him, to help him up. “How about you?”
Picking a piece of glass out of her cheek, Cassandra finally relaxed for the first time since she'd entered the building. There had been considerably less screaming than she had predicted, but it had still very nearly gone south. Satisfied that the danger had passed and coughing to clear her throat, she retrieved a fire extinguisher to deal with the remains Anders' magic. For the moment between Zee's question and Anders' answer, the only sound was the Fwoosh from the extinguisher.
There was so much to take in at once that Anders wasn’t entirely sure what he was feeling. He hadn’t realized how much stronger Justice had made him, but with Justice’s removal it was obvious he had used far too much magic. He was pale, and shaking a little. He was likely to be sick for a couple of days. The second thing he noticed was the pain from where Leliana’s arrows had hit, and Maker did they hurt.
“If I’d ever been curious, I think I know what a pincushion feels like now,” Anders said. He took Zatanna’s hand and pulled himself up, relying on her heavily to get to his feet. He felt like he was barely able to stand, but at least he was up. “And Bambi, apparently. No one is injured?”
You only attacked your girlfriend, killed a person and tried setting us on fire was the acidic reply Leliana had almost hissed, but opted to strap the bow onto her back again and stand by Cassandra. And also to make sure the Seeker didn’t sustain drastic damage, but she’d been practical enough to smother the lingering flames. Maker bless her.
“You survived,” Nightingale spoke up, pulling the hood down, copper hair sticking against her sweaty neck. “That is...fortunate.”
Zee supported Anders, holding him steady - though she felt like she could use a drink or ten. Maybe a weekend away at a spa, a mud bath, or sitting in a dark room with the lights off for a few hours. “We all survived - “ Because, yes, Justice would have kindly murdered them all, it seemed, so they got lucky, “...but we are in no condition to stick around here.” Cleanup would come later - she just couldn’t deal with it at the moment, however, would consult the spell-casting crew to see if they had something quick and easy at their disposal.
“Come, let’s leave. I’ll heal whoever needs to be healed.” And then she would sleep.
Standing and using Zatanna for support, Anders took scope of the damage. All things considered, it really wasn’t too bad. No structural damage, nothing that couldn’t be fixed up with a little elbow grease. That was really the only bright side that Anders could take from the whole ordeal. He’d attacked all three women who were in the room, had banished his friend, who he had corrupted, to Maker knows where, and had hurt the love of his life.
Admitting he was wrong wasn’t something that came easily to Anders, but he owed them that much. “I owe all of you an apology,” he said. “I should not have let Justice progress that far. But thank you. All of you. I owe you.”