Such a beautiful land lost to the chaos and self-indulgence that we call the victors of war. Yet this war seemed to be the playing hand for a much more sinister player of poisoned tipped cards to lay waste upon all those who may stand in its way. Yet the Inquisitor found himself in a particularly strange circumstance; being sent through a small rift with someone he knows little about-the name he told the Inquisitor being long forgotten. Now they have to not only put trust in each other to figure out what happened, but to also save the Inquisitor's-Maxwell's- friends.
From a blinding green light to the loud splash of icy water, Maxwell's body jerked and stiffened as he hit the hard stone floor as he was submerged. As his eyes remained closed, the unconscious man was suddenly yanked up from the water, the first thing to greet him was a numb tingling on his face. It became stronger, him barely moving his head side to side before the tingling turned into a burst of pain as a hand connected with his cheek, the loud smack echoing as he heard someone speak. "Come on, wake up!" Another loud smack followed by a stronger mine of pain being set off.
Finally opening his eyes, the smacks became softer, more like gentle pats against the sides of his face as a worried person tried to wake him. Silver welded with peridot showed a deeply brewed concern, something which Maxwell could easily see melting away as his own icy blue orbs met his, the patting on his cheeks slowly coming to a stop as the man took a large breathe, his worries seeming to leave with the rise and fall of his chest, his eyes closing, then reopening with a calm look. "You were out for quite a while," The man remarked.
Maxwell merely gave a small groan as he tried to stand up, making no progress until the man stood up and reached out his hand, yanking Maxwell to his feet. "Figured you'd be out longer; but now that you're finally awake, we can get moving." Maxwell merely looked around while the other man spoke, noticing all the red, glowing rock growing out of the walls. His eyes then fell onto his own arm, a slash cut across his skin through his torn dark brown sleeve of his coat, bringing his fingers of his other hand to prod at it. "Inquisitor," The man said in a loud voice, getting his attention.
Maxwell looked at him, "Don't call me that." He stated. "I have a name for a reason, I'd like to be called by it: Maxwell." He told the other man, the black haired man seeming to nod, a short lock of his hair seeming to move as he did so.
"Ah, so then-Maxwell-," The man paused in between saying his name. "As nice as it would be to rot in this lyrium infested, water flooded room; I think it'd be best if we begin moving." He noticed the look Maxwell was giving him, finding it humorous as he knitted his dark brown eyebrows together in confusion.
"Good idea--" Maxwell paused, not recalling the man's name, this being why he laughed.
"Ah, you do not remember me, I'm hurt." He teased, Maxwell merely frowning as he did so. "Dorian, and do care to remember it this time." Maxwell nodded, taking a large breath of the rather foul stench of filth in the air, coughing slightly. "Easy there, don't get a lung too full of this odor, that wouldn't be good for either of us. After all, I don't want to drag back a dead hero." Maxwell stared at Dorian for a moment, scowling a tad before sighing.
"And I don't want to see that squirrel above your lip," Dorian made a slight gesture, him putting his hand over his own heart with a small, fake pout.
"Ouch," Dorian remarked before quickly showing his smile again. "I rather like my squirrel," He told him before laughing. Maxwell couldn't help but to be both confused and get his contagious smile, rolling his eyes slightly.
"Let's just get out of this cell." Maxwell told him, walking over to the rusted iron door, the bars seeming to easily scream as the door was forced open, Maxwell giving one final hard shove with a grunt, the door giving in and swinging open. Dorian gave a tiny chuckle, finding joy in watching the other struggle with the door. Maxwell heard him and as they both walked out of the cell, the two rather drench in water-Maxwell completely while the water only seemed to go up to Dorian's waist, probably landing on his feet when they fell through the rift. "What was so funny back there?" Maxwell asked.
"Just seeing you struggle with the door." Dorian told him, Maxwell frowning again, Dorian looking at him from the corner of his eye. "Frowning will cause wrinkles if you do it that often." He teased, Maxwell just rolling his eyes again, wondering why the guy seemed to be all buddy-buddy with a man he didn't even know.
"You could of helped me with the door." Maxwell told him, Dorian simply laughing.
"Where's the fun in that?" He asked Maxwell, the two seeming to dry off fairly quick as the halls were extremely warm. As they continued to walk, Maxwell wasn't watching where he was going for once and almost walked into a glowing red rock in the wall, Dorian pulling him away from the stone. "Don't want to catch yourself on that; red lyrium is nasty stuff." Dorian remarked, giving him a flash of that smile like always and letting Maxwell go once again.
"Sorry," Maxwell shortly said afterwards. "I was thinking about stuff, must of zoned out." He told him, Dorian giving a slightly intrigued look.
"And what were you thinking about?"
"Frankly, that's my business." Maxwell replied instantly, seeming a bit defensive, rubbing his arm that he had gotten cut on.
Dorian waited before glancing at his arm, noticing the cut and spoke. "You might want to cover that cut up with something, a cloth or rag would work."
Maxwell slowed his walking, turning his head just as slow to stare at Dorian with an angry smile. "Sure! I'll do just that! Let me just go take some clothes from that smelly dead guy over there and put that on my arm!" He said, yelling in a sarcastic tone, his smile instantly going away with a scowl. "I'd care to keep my arm, ya know?"
Dorian stopped for a moment, giving him a confused look before walking towards Maxwell. "Now I don't understand, what have I done to make you be so-well, rude to me?" He had one of his eyebrows raised, Dorian glaring at the man who was a few inches shorter than himself.
Maxwell just sighed, closing his eyes for a few seconds before opening his stormy, yet bone chilling eyes. "We just fell through a rift into marker's know where, and you're calm about this?!" The sound of inconceivable disbelieve apparent in his yelling. Dorian just crossed his arm, his smile playing on the tips of his mouth.
"So that's what this is about." Dorian rolled his eyes slightly as his smile grew once more, him seeming to be completely calm. Maxwell just glared more at this, nodding.
"Hell yes that's what this is about!" He seemed to be angry, but Dorian knew better, just by looking at his eyes. There, in his widened orbs, was not fury or anger, but a trembling fear that made even his pupils tremble. Such a level of fear, not know where you are with somebody you barely know, even Dorian went still at the sight-and at the thought. A still breath crept into Dorian's lungs, the muscles in his throat stiffening as the fear seeped in with each breath of air, watching Maxwell's chest rise and fall rapidly, just trying to catch his breath as he began to panic.
"Just calm down," Dorian tried to tell him, Maxwell shaking his head as he thought.
"Calm down?!" Maxwell shouted at him, his eyebrows knitted together once again as he pinched the bridge of his nose before his hand quickly made gestures while he spoke, waving them around. "You don't get to tell me to calm down!" Dorian just took a deep breath and let Maxwell vent, thinking that was the best thing he could do right now. After all who wouldn't be slightly terrified when your sent where or when with somebody you barely know?
After a while, Dorian knew that they had to get moving. He calmly went over to Maxwell, him pacing and speaking to himself in complete nonsense, and grabbed him by the shoulders, spinning him around to stare at him with a determined look. "Listen to me, we have to get going." He spoke rather loud, and made sure that Maxwell understood him. "Your friends-"
Maxwell interrupted Dorian. "My friends, could be anywhere!"
Dorian just gave him somewhat of an irritated stare before speaking. "If you would let me speak, then you would know that isn't the case. It's not where, but when! We are still where we entered the rift-at least in the same vicinity, but at what point in time are we here?"
Maxwell shrugged his shoulders, Dorian letting go as he did. "How should I know?" He replied sharply, taking a slow and shaky breath, his nerves beginning to settle down. Dorian waited calmly, folding his arms over each other and tapping his foot lightly, the sound echoing in the hall.
"I don't know yet, but surely that rift couldn't of sent us too far either back or forwards." Dorian began to explain, making a hand gesture after he started walking, Maxwell quickly catching up to him.
"What about the others? Varric? Solas? Why didn't they show up with us?" Maxwell began to bombard Dorian with questions like that and 'how did we end up here'. Dorian just chuckled at the panicking Inquisitor.
"My, my, my, you're just full of question aren't you?" Dorian mocked, the other just frowning a bit as his eyes narrowed. "Don't get so defensive, it was merely a joke." Maxwell rolled his eyes at his comment.
"I'm not defensive, just confused." Maxwell tried to tell him, Dorian just shooting him a glance.
"I can tell," He responded, Maxwell making a small noise in offense, to which he retorted with a grin. "Anyways, I doubt your friends would have been pulled through; the rift wasn't large enough to pull in the whole room, just the nearest objects-that being you and me." He explained this to Maxwell, him simply looking at Dorian and speaking.
"Is magic always this complicated?"
Dorian gave a small, slow laugh as they strolled down the halls. "Yes, but you get the grasp of it fairly quick. But magic messing with time? That's a whole different story." His smile dimmed before turning a corner, Maxwell following shortly after. "Messing with time can be dangerous, but he might as well of punch a hole straight through the very veil of time itself. Luckily we're still here-all in one piece-and nothing seems that out of place, so we must be fine." The joke might have been a good thought, but Maxwell just began to worry more at the thought. "Seriously, you need to relax." He told Maxwell.
"I'll relax when I see Varric and Solas." He instantly retorted. "They were the two that were in the same room with us, and they would be worried if the roles were reversed." Maxwell seemed defensive over his friends, Dorian thinking that was a good and bad trait to have.
"I'm sure they would think the same," Dorian began to speak, glancing over at Maxwell as they began to go up some stairs, Maxwell taking the slight lead and going up the narrow steps before Dorian. "But I'm also sure that we are and will get nothing done with you worrying so much, that just makes you clumsy." Dorian paused before making a joke. "And it would make your hair fall out, you don't want that, do you?"
Maxwell shook his head, combing a hand through his short, dark brown locks, his thumb brushing over the even shorter sides. "I guess worrying won't do any good..." He mumbled, disliking when he had to admit somebody else was right. "Me? Lose my hair? You're better off shaving before that happens." He teased, Dorian giving a small, calm chuckle.
As they continued wandering around, Maxwell finding empty cell after another, they entered a room with four tiny cells, most filled with red lyrium. Checking all the cells, Maxwell stood infront of the one to the far left, Dorian soon walking over.
"Somebody's a little late to the welcoming party," The dwarf inside the cell said to Maxwell who simply had a small smile.
"Remind me to get a gift basket to make it up to you," Maxwell replied jokingly, Varric giving a hearty laugh in response.
"Make it a fruit basket, everybody loves those." Dorian added on, the jokes seeming to lessen the high tension in the air.
After a moment of silence between the three, Maxwell spoke up first. "So Varric, do you have any idea where Solas is?" Varric shook his head, Maxwell noticing something looking different about him. As he was going to speak up about it, Dorian beat him to it.
"Varric, can you tell us what the date is?" Dorian asked the dwarf, him shaking his head.
"Couldn't tell you even if I wanted to." Varric remarked, the two giving him a quizzical look. "Ever since you both disappeared into that rift, I've been locked up inside this cell. Kinda hard to tell how many days passed when you can't see the sky." He pointed out, no longer thinking them being there in front of them was crazy, but rather that he was.
Maxwell managed to pry the door open just enough for Varric to get through. Giving the stout, small man a pat on the shoulder being happy to see him, Varric returned the gesture, but not able to reach his shoulder so hit his leg instead. Maxwell's leg quick locked up, pain shooting through him and wincing. "What's wrong there Max?"
"Nothing," He told him through gritted teeth. "You just smacked a cut I have on my leg, that's all." Varric made an awkward expression, one showing an apologetic glance with a forced smile. Dorian stood for a minute before looking at the two.
"Wasn't there another person with us before the rift? A tall man, bald..."
Maxwell finished his sentence. "You thinking of a man whose head kind of looks like a hard boiled egg?"
Dorian laughed, "You could say that.
"Oh, that was Solas." Maxwell replied. "Varric," He said, turning his attention from the mage to the dwarf. "Do you know where Solas is?"
Varric nodded, Maxwell deciding not to bring up how sick the other looked with a red tint to his eyes and skin. "Yea, he should be-you know what, just follow me." The dwarf made his may easily through the tight halls, followed by Maxwell, and him followed by Dorian.
The dark stone around them, it all having cracks with a faint red light coming in from the stone despite either forming inside or already grown on the other side of the wall, soon followed by a subtle dip of condensation on the walls and roof. It almost seemed like something out of a haunted house, but this was as real as all of them were.
These thought were pushed out of the way by the hinging reminder of the pain in his leg, the numbing until he would step too far or put too much weight in his leg, the numb feeling transforming into a into arrow of pain.
They finally entered another room, the sound of somebody inside one of the many cells echoing. "Hey Solas, you in here?" Varric shouted, the three going towards the cell. As they got in front of it, there was an elf, him tall and wise-looking, but had that same red tint to his eyes and skin.
"Solas?" Maxwell questioned, the elf looking at him almost in awe.
"You both-" He stated, looking at Dorian and Maxwell. "You two are alive?" Maxwell nodded. "Surely this isn't true."
"Nice to see you again, egg head." Maxwell stated, teasing him with a soft smile, all his panic seeming to melt away to know both of his friends were alright-well as close as they could come to alright.
"Can you tell us what the date is?" Dorian asked. "It's very important."
Solas nodded calmly. "It's 9:42, Dragon." He paused for a moment, Maxwell slowly turning to stare at the rather calm Dorian, his eyes wide.