I don't own dragon age.
*Points down* Go read.
I surveyed the room, hand on my stave, listening to the sounds of those around me speaking.
The human trade tongue was one I knew well, but I preferred just listening to the sound and not thinking in it. It let me imagine it wasn't merely the sounds of children bleating near meaninglessly. Orleasion was nicer, but I knew that too well. Of course, elven was better, I knew only a couple of words, and could be spoken with such the lyrical turn, whereas dwarven was harsh.
And then a thought suddenly stuck me.
In a room guarding a group of Orlesions and Fereldans, I hadn't heard the sounds 'Dog lord' muttered once, nor someone saying mask with a mocking tone. I wasn't sure if it was because everyone was afraid, the place was 'holy', or they were taking turns being more offended about the Qunari among the guards, or even the fact there were two mages amongst their guards.
Of course, with the pay, they could look me all they wanted… Of course, even with the looks the work still put a fonder to my dalliances among the Orlesion courts when I worked there last. If it wasn't for it, she wouldn't be protecting the Divine of all people. For a moment, I let myself translate Orlesion and trade, trying to pick out insults.
"Shanedan Sten."
And with that, I growled, entertainment lost as I slipped back into Qunlat, turning to Sataa.
"You just like calling me that, don't you Sataa?"
"I do. Besides, we both know you're only commanding this because you like things."
"Here I was thinking we had abandoned that way of thinking, but if you want to be given directions to Par Vollen-"
"And get killed for talking to Mages that had been shown such? Not a chance. But don't tell me it isn't annoying have them look at us so freaked out." Sataa's face couldn't exactly shift that much, given that she'd decided to wear poison-armour, but the slight bow of her head was enough to let me know she was just trying to provoke a reaction.
The damnable thing was that it worked.
"I know, but we're being to paid to protect these cows-," I smiled as I saw an Orlesion courtier stiffen, one who obviously a few knew a few words of Qunlat "-if they choose to look at us like we've seeded this place with explosive-powder, then I'm ok with that-" and look at that, someone knew the word Qamek.
"I thought we'd been asked not to say explosive-powder? Something about them recognising that word now after the events attack Kirkwall by the previous Arishok, the fool."
"Then let them remember we're here to protect this place, not blow it up. However you wouldn't be here just for entertainment."
"Meraad wanted me to tell you it looks like the vanguard of the Templars and Mages were coming into view, and are likely 2 minutes out."
"Good. However I know I've asked you not to say mages, they know our word for it is technically an insult."
"With two in our company? Whatever, like you said, cows. So, the vanguard arrives in two, their speakers probably in three after that… The Divine's waiting until 5 minutes after that right?"
"Yes. Well, thanks for letting me know. I'm going to do a sweep of her rooms early."
"We're not getting paid for that."
"No, we're getting paid to protect her, and if we stay strictly to our pre-worked out walks, someone might be able to slip by. Now return to you post, dreaming of explosive-powder, mage storms on your side, and hordes of screaming bags of money fleeing beneath your gaze."
"Why Herah, it's like you know me too well." And with a nice smile, she was off...
Two minutes… I'll give it a minute then go.
-XXXX-
Doing what I should.
Concern.
Fear.
Outrage, rage, fear, shouting.
Magic! Fighting! Blood flavours the air!
Magic. Pain. It rips, it doesn't normally rip like that.
Fears, fears taken form. The dreaming world is strange. I have her.
Run. Help each other, the fears chase.
The hill doesn't stop, it never stops.
ESCAPE!
I pull her through, but something stops me, rips her from my grasp.
It was so hot… Why am I suddenly freezing again?
My… I… can't think…. Woozey….
-XXXX-
A splitting headache wakens me… My left arm calls in next, yelling at me like I collapsed on something hard and spiky.
Then my knees and feet ask why I'm kneeling, and my stomach starts yelling at me about the temperature changing.
And then my wrists ask why they're bound by heavy metal, and in that short moment of terror, my lips let me know that they haven't been sewn shut.
"How hard was I drinking?"
A panicked voice started squawking… Human trade tongue?
"-qunlat-" Yep… I must have really been hitting it hard with the way my head's pounding… Come on, think in common.
I opened my eyes, my head turned slightly to my left, and my gaze first focused on a shining blade pointed at my face, I jerked back, nearly collapsing except for the chain holding the stock binding my hands.
"Wooow, ok, I can't have bee-"
"Silence!"
I flinched as someone spat at me, I instantly tried to retaliate magically only to find that my bindings were magical in nature to.
Well… If I was drunk and hung over before, you could mistake me for having the sobriety of a Arishok now as I surveyed the room. I recognized the symbol on their chests being that of the divine's right hand… And with that, my thoughts of having been restrained after a nights drinking on the Divines purse evaporated.
When the door slammed open and my guards stepped back, I was greeted with the storm cloud that was Cassandra, trailed by the likely death that was Leliana. Whatever had happened left me in the personal care of both of the Divine's hands… I couldn't be more screwed right now if I was staring down a sea dragon, because at least then it would be quick.
"Tell me why we shouldn't just kill you now, Herah Adaar."
And with that, the death that was Cassandra began circling. However it looked like quick was put back on the table.
"Because until I noticed the mark emblazoned on everyone else's chest I thought I had done something stupid while blind drunk given that I don't remember anything."
And with that, the slow pace picked up, Cassandra quickly coming to the front, glaring down at me, before lifting my hand, which began to spark, before she threw it down.
"Your grabbing of my hand and it sparking? No clue because you're not a mage last I heard."
"Don't be flippant with me!" With that she slammed me her hands into me, grabbing my shoulders only to be pulled off by Leliana.
"I don't, I seriously don't know what's going on with my hand, or arm based on the pain."
"You're lying!"
"We need her, Cassandra."
"Do we? We have a Qunari mercenary-" and now I was pissed "-who was overheard talking about Gaatlook before the Conclave exploded, and is the only survivor."
"The Conclave exploded?" I could tell my jaw was slack beyond how it normally went when I forewent Vitaar, and despite the sudden surge of anger that overtook Casandra I saw a penny drop in Leliana's eyes.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Her voice was cold and hard, and somehow hearing the words Cassandra stopped pulling at Leliana.
"I… I was heading towards the Divine's rooms early, and then… It's all… A jumble… I mostly remember fear… Things not being right… A woman, probably a chantry sister given the funny head."
"The woman?"
"We were helping each other escape… Then at the last moment, before we did, she was ripped from my grasp."
Leliana frowned, before looking to Cassandra, who seemed to have managed to cool her rage for a moment… With a nod, the guards around me began undoing my chains and the stock.
"Go to the forward camp Leliana, I will take her to the rift."
With that she ducked down, tying my hands the moment they were free before pulling my up… Or trying, obviously forgetting I was a Vasoth.
"So far, you have accused me of having a role in the destruction of the conclave. It would be nice to know what's currently going on before I follow you."
The frustration on Cassandra's face immediately evaporated, setting her back into her stony gaze, that stopped just short of being a sneer.
"It… It'll be much easier to show you. Now please, come with me."
With that, she let go, and began marching away, leaving me with the indignity of catching up, rising as fast as I could to follow her, before settling back into the tiny steps I needed to use around humans. I recognised the place as being the chantry before I stepped out into the light, blinking away the dazzle before I noticed a peculiar green glow, and looked at a rift, for the first time.
It was the fade. It was if the Veil had been torn, and was being held that way, with crystalized spirits falling from it, screaming, but the air howled past them drowning them out.
"We call it the Breach," Cassandra started, seeing my awe, "a tear in the Veil leading directly to the Fade. It appeared immediately after the destruction of the Conclave. It is not the only such tear," My eyes darted to her, horrified. While I knew much of this just from listening to my senses, the thought that such a large rift had occurred, and had been followed by others shocked me to my core, "but it is the largest that we have seen so far."
"Qun…" I didn't notice my lapse back into my native tongue, and the word left with almost as much vehemence as I meant despite my shock. Tiny, short duration tears I knew could exist in areas that tore at the Veil, or during either poorly or precisely controlled summonings… But this went beyond all reason.
"What?"
"By the path forced upon us. This… This is madness… What could have done such a thing?"
"We were hoping… That you could tell us. Especially now that demons are crossing into our world unhindered."
"They… Poor spirits, they are hindered… sort o… Ohhh fuaaargh!" Pain ripped through my arm, I nearly dropped to my knees as I scrapped it against my armour, the pain nearly as bad as a blade through the gut, yet were that would stop with a twist and pull, it just kept twists, and tearing like something was raking it's claws through my muscles. I was barely aware of the ground shaking, the air pulsing and the light surging out as if a gigantic fireball had exploded within it.
I came to my senses, Cassandra talking at me while she held me up. -seems to grow, it's currently running up your arms. Our experts theorize that the mark connects you to the fade, and that it may kill you if it grows too large. However it may be the key to stopping all this."
I shook my head. "So, I must have fucked up, and now that's killing me… When it rains it does truly poor…" I stood up, pulling myself from Cassandra. "Whatever I can do to help, I'll do. Even if the mark ends up killing me trying."
With that she nodded, before leading me away, through some sort of camp. It was filled with humans, it seemed that Haven had escaped unscathed, much as I had… But my condition was cause for scorn, as the glaring soldiers, hands on blades and shouting men and women attested to.
"They have decided your guilt. They need it. The people of Haven-"
"Arrived here to guard the Divine and hawk trinkets, and like I have, have failed. Whatever path they think to choose for me, they would do better than to try and pick me a role." I spoke with a near growl, picking up the pace.
"Take me to the rift you were talking about, but do not lecture me on what a blind man could see or the deaf hear. I said I would help, not that I was in the process of becoming addled by words or drug."
I undoubtedly shocked her, and those few that had heard, but she did nothing but walk faster, nearly running to get ahead, leading me out and through a gate, the snow settling upon me and reminding me I was born for warm climates, even armoured in the padded cloth I wore. Leading me out a gate to a bridge, I stopped as I heard her pull out her belt knife, before she grabbed my hands and cut them loose, leaving just the bracers hastily modified to go over my arms.
"There will be a trial. I can promise no more." Cassandra nearly spat the words, before stalking off again down the bridge. I bit back my retort as I followed. I had antagonized her enough, especially with all the stress she must have been under.
-XXXX-
I had sensed the demons falling, but it did not truly come to me until one stuck the bridge we were traversing.
Suddenly, the air screamed and I looked up, just to see a brown stone smash into the bridge, shattering it and sending me sliding down onto the frozen lake below. Within moments I was up again, as a second struck further out, onto the ice which somehow did not crack. The spirit within seemed to have been destroyed, but ice turned to black ooze, from which a Shade clawed it's way out.
"Stay behind me!"
With that, Cassandra shot forward blade drawn as she sought to cut down the demon before it could recover… And then more of them thundered down.
My magic was bound, and I was unarmed. Men shouted from the snow above, but they were busy, fighting their own battles, looking around I saw a blade standing out among broken crates, and I rushed for it, immediately cutting off my gauntlets before turning.
I should have turned sooner.
I felt the shade slam into my stomach, driving me into the crates, immediately it rose up to gut me with it's claws before I flung it away with a pulse of force, scrabbling for my feet on the uneven and slippery ground. I held the sword out, sized too short, too light, and with too small a handle I felt like I was handling a overlong dagger, yet I waited for the shade to charge, but before it could make contact, I flung my hand out sending a rock lancing out to smash it's head, bowling it oven and causing it to slide feet first towards me, where a stab pinned it through the stomach to the ice, and my booted foot crushed it's head.
I reached down to pull the blade out, before I heard a shade near me scream, and a moment after the words. "Let. Go. Of. The. Blade."
Yes! Another DA:I Fanfic [Not from me, just in general].
It's the other idea I couldn't get out of my head [for my followers], I've finally moved on to getting this not only out but up. I hope you enjoy…
Oh, and my only true note for this chapter, where reasonable I'll have Herah be saying new things in Qunlat while she's thinking in it so I don't need to make up words. Of course, when she's not [Or it's important you get the distinction], it'll read like Qunlat to you.
But what are you waiting around here for? Go to the next chapter! I released several starting chapters for a reason.