A/N: So this was an idea I had while playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, what if our crimson hero were to appear on Thedas during the time of the Breach? And what if she was the key to Thedas' survival? Well, wonder no more! I present to you, The Young Inquisitor!
Chapter 1: A New World
Ruby laid on the cold ground, her head pulsing as she felt a massive knot on the back of her head like someone had hit her with something. She slowly pushed herself up and looked at the ground beneath her, seeing the cold, unwelcoming rock she sat on. Ruby looked around at the unfamiliar land in front of her, seeing dark gray peaks blocked out by a sickening green mist that filled her with a sense of unease. Ruby slowly brought herself to her feet, stumbling a bit before finally steadying herself, looking for any way out of this place she was in. She started to walk forward, not wanting to stay in a place like this, a dark evil place.
She walked a straight line, looking for any sign of an exit, any chance she might leave this cursed place. She looked around and finally saw a glimmer of hope, a large mountain that had a large green light at the top, as well as the white outline of a woman. Ruby practically started sprinting towards the light, finally feeling happiness and hope break through the dread and gloom that polluted where she was.
"Hurry!" A woman's voice echoed through the darkness as the figure urged her forward. Ruby hit a large slope that lead to the wall of the mountain, her determination stronger than ever as she approached her hope. She could hear the woman urging her forward, but Ruby also started to hear something behind her, like something was following her. She looked back to see dark shapes moving in the green mist behind her, and she really didn't want to find out what was coming after her. Ruby ran as fast as she could until she hit the wall of the mountain, easily finding holdings for her to climb.
"Hurry! They're right behind you!" The woman urged once again, continuing to call to Ruby. Ruby started to climb, hearing the sounds of scuttling across the rock, alerting her that something was now definitely pursuing her. She climbed as fast as she could, careful not to lose her footing as the white glowing woman held her hand out for her. Ruby finally reached the top and grabbed the woman's hand, the woman pulling her up and nearly tossing her into the bright green light before her and throwing her into an entirely new world. Ruby fell to the ground, finding it warm and welcoming as opposed to whatever place she left behind.
Ruby felt her head start to grow light as she heard metal clanging against the rock and someone shout "Find the Seeker!"
O00000O00000O
Ruby slowly regained consciousness, finding that she was once again in a cold dark place, but she was not alone this time. Ruby looked around, counting four armored men with longswords pointed at her, each wearing a metal chest plate, greaves, bracers and helms, the prominent symbol being an eye with a sun behind it. She was chained to the ground in the middle of a jail area, cells with barred walls surrounding her with a wooden door straight in front of her. Her hands were bound with large metal cuffs connected by a metal bar, the cuffs chained to the ground in front of her. Ruby sat silently in the middle of the room, the only sounds were the breathing of her and the men that surrounded up.
She started to feel a bit of pain in her left hand, Ruby looking at it to see a glowing green scar in the middle of her palm, the light shining bright like the one in that awful place she was before. Ruby gasps as small sparks came off of it, causing her a bit of pain to shoot through her hand.
"Where am I? What's going on?" Ruby practically whimpered as she closed her hand to fight off the pain. All of the men remained silent until the wooden door finally flew open and two women walked in, all of the men putting their longswords away. The first woman looked like she'd seen far too many battles, and knew many more were about to come. She wore armor similar to the men in the room, but her chest plate had a black and white pattern to it and the clothes she wore underneath was a purple color instead of a tan. She had short black hair that seemed like it was cut to prevent her sight from being stopped and from anyone pulling on it.
Her face was very defined with her dark piercing brown eyes and small diagonal scar going from her left ear and an inch away from the corner of her mouth. The second woman remained close to the door, Ruby only able to make out a vague definition of her body, which seemed very slim and she wore a hood over her head. The first woman walked behind Ruby and knelt down, Ruby smelling the stench of fighting on her and feeling the anger in her breath.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." The woman snarled in Ruby's ear. Ruby was feeling a mix of emotions as the woman circled in front of her. Most of it was between fear and confusion, since this woman was threatening her even though she had no idea what was happening right now. Ruby decided that the best thing for her right now was to tell the truth, what little she actually knew.
"I don't know what's going on." Ruby admitted, following the woman as she started to pace in front of her. Ruby's answer seemed to do nothing but anger the woman as she grabbed her wrist and raised it to eye level.
"Then explain this!?" The woman barked as she threw Ruby's wrist back down, the cold metal slamming against her thigh.
"I can't."
"You're lying!"
The woman was about to draw her blade when the second woman rushed to her side, grabbing her wrist to prevent her from drawing it. Ruby could now see the second woman clearer than before, and she could see the second woman looked much softer than the first. She had very soft features that complimented the bright orange hair she had. Her clothing was a long robe that stopped at the knees and was a dark purple color that nearly blended in perfectly with the darkness. Ruby spotted the same symbol on the metal clasp of her robe, Ruby knowing they worked together.
"Stop Cassandra! We need her!" The woman replied with an accent, almost like it was French. The woman, Cassandra, finally let go of her blade and allowed the second woman to step forward.
"Hello there. I am Sister Leliana. What is your name?" The woman asked.
"Ruby, Ruby Rose."
"Ruby, can you tell us what you remember? Anything at all."
Ruby looked down at her legs and started to think, but all she was recalling was that awful place she was before. Again, better to tell them what she knew rather than nothing at all.
"I… I remember running. There were things chasing me. Then there was… a woman."
"A woman? Who was she? Was it the Divine?" Cassandra questioned. Ruby looked up at Cassandra, seeing the concern in her face over this Divine. Whoever she was, the Divine was clearly an important person to Cassandra. Unfortunately, Ruby had no idea who this Divine was or where she even was.
"What's a Divine?" Ruby questioned, unsure of whether she was able to ask a question. Leliana looked back at Cassandra, who simply shrugged after Ruby asked her question. Leliana turned back to Ruby with a very inquisitive look on her face.
"Ruby, do you know where you are?" Leliana questioned, who was starting to see the situation clearly.
"N-no… I don't."
"Ruby, where are you from?"
"Patch, a small island off the coast of Vale. Is that anywhere near by?"
Leliana stood up and pulled Cassandra to the door by the forearm, Cassandra staring at Ruby with extreme curiosity.
"Cassandra, I don't think she's from here." Leliana exclaimed, looking at Ruby from out of the corner of her eye.
"Leliana, you can't be serious! What you're saying is… madness!" Cassandra exclaimed, clear that she didn't believe that Ruby wasn't from whatever country she was in.
"We live in mad times, Cassandra. Is what we're seeing here truly mad? I mean, look at her! She clearly has no idea about the Divine, and I doubt she even knows about the war."
"What war?" Ruby questioned, wanting to at least be in the loop of what was going on. Leliana broke away from the conversation and knelt down in front of Ruby, eyes her like she did before, kinda like how one would with a curiosity.
"Do you know what a Mage is?" Leliana questioned, unsure of what answer she would get out of the red and black clad girl.
"Yeah, that's a person who can use magic, right?" Ruby answered, hoping that her answer was a right one.
"Yes, but do you know how they can use magic?"
"Um… it's like… a natural thing for them. It's like their Semblance."
Leliana turned back to Cassandra, who shrugged once again. Leliana turned back to Ruby and had a face that said she was deep in thought before asking the next question.
"What about a Templar? Do you know what they are? Or what they do?" Leliana questioned, seeing if she really didn't know, or was faking it.
Ruby looked at her legs again, trying to figure out of this was some kind of test to see if she would tell them what they wanted to know, or they were just testing her knowledge. Ruby looked up, deciding, once more, that honesty was the best policy.
"No, I don't know what a Templar is or what they do."
It was Cassandra's turn to ask more questions, but she was less accommodating than Leliana was.
"What about the Chantry? The Mage Rebellion? The Grey Wardens?" Cassandra questioned, trying to find out exactly what this girl knew.
"No, I don't know what you're talking about." Ruby answered, starting to worry about what they were going to do with her once they learned she was basically useless.
Leliana stood up and stepped aside with Cassandra, both of them very unsure of what they were going to do with Ruby.
"Cassandra, she clearly doesn't know anything about Thedas. From what she says, she isn't even from this planet." Leliana assured, clear that Ruby was alien to their realm.
"Fine, but she has the mark. She has something to do with the Conclave and the Breach. Go to the forward camp, I'll show her."
Leliana walked out while Cassandra approached Ruby with her hand fishing in a pouch on her hip. Cassandra started to unlock the cuffs on Ruby's wrist, the green mark on her starting to cause her a little more discomfort.
"You may not know anything, but you deserve to know what is happening." Cassandra stated as she swapped Ruby's metal cuffs for a pair of rope ones. Sure, this girl may know nothing about the world she was in, but that didn't mean she was to be trusted 100%. She helped Ruby to her feet and led her to the door while she explained the situation.
"The Templars and Mages have been at war for some time now. The Mages were tired of the Circles and the Templars that oppressed them. The Conclave was called by the Most Holy, Divine Justinia, leader of the Chantry. It was meant to create peace between the two factions… until the explosion that killed everyone… except you."
Ruby and Cassandra exited her holding area, Ruby unable to believe the sight once her eyes adjusted to the light. Where ever she was, it was in the north since snow fell from the sky and covered the ground. Wooden buildings and tents covered the area as men and women in armor moved about while people that looked like civilians milled about. The main thing that caught Ruby's attention was the massive green hole in the sky that looked like it was spitting out green meteors, the clouds looking like they were being sucked into the massive hole.
"What… what is that?" Ruby questioned, unable to believe what she was looking at. The sight was… unbelievable, she could only assume that the explosion could have caused something like that… somehow. "Did the explosion cause that?"
"We can only assume. The explosion occurred at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, a shrine to the great heroine Andraste, who spread the word of the Maker. It was there the Conclave was held, the leaders from both the Mages and Templars, as well as the Divine and her followers, died, and where you were found." Cassandra answered, not taking her eyes off of the massive hole in the sky. "Everyone has taken to calling it the Breach, a massive rift into the Fade, the realm of spirits and demons. There are smaller rifts into the Fade, but this one is just the largest."
Ruby continued to stare at the Breach in awe, unable to believe what she was hearing. A realm of spirits and demons? Mages? And she was currently at the center of it? What the Dust was going on? Ruby quickly changed her thought as a large pulse erupted from the Breach, causing the mark on her hand to flare and fill her entire arm with pain. Ruby unintentionally raised her hands to the breach as she cried out in pain and dropped to her knees. Cassandra dropped to one knee as the pain in Ruby's hand subsided.
"As the Breach expands, so does that mark on your hand, and it is killing you." Cassandra pointed out.
"Then what can I do?" Ruby questioned as she clutched her marked hand.
"We believe that, with that mark, you can close the Breach, or at least stop it from expanding."
Ruby stared at the ground, fighting back tears of pain as it racked her entire arm, the mark pulsing in sync with the Breach. She had no options on what to do, she was stuck in a strange world with no help and a mark that was currently killing her. Ruby looked up at Cassandra with tears in her eyes and an answer for the hardened woman before her.
"Alright." Ruby responded. "Alright, I'll help you close that Breach." Cassandra had a look of surprise on her face as Ruby forced herself to her feet, determination being the only thing that kept her going. "It is my duty as a Huntress to protect the people from the dangers of the world, and if that means closing the Breach, then so be it." Cassandra rose to her feet and nodded.
"Very well then, let's go to the forward camp. From there we'll come up with a plan." Cassandra proclaimed before starting towards the Breach. Ruby followed behind her, still nervous about what was to come of her life when all of this was over. As they walked through the camp, Ruby noticed that the people around the camp were either fearful of her, or giving her dirty looks of anger and rage.
"Why are they looking at me like that?" Ruby questioned, a little more fearful of the people than her own future.
"They have already decided your fate. Your true fate will be decided once this is all over." Cassandra answered, keeping Ruby close and away from the people who had already decided she was guilty of the explosion at the Conclave. The two walked through a gate house that opened up to a bridge that was covered in wrapped bodies. Ruby threw her hands to her mouth, gasping at the sight of the destruction that had been caused. Cassandra turned to her with a knife in her hand, taking her hands and cutting the rope cuffs she wore.
"I cannot hold your hand the entire time, but know that I will be keeping my eye on you. If we follow the path, we will be at the forward camp quickly." Cassandra exclaimed as she put her knife away. Cassandra moved Ruby forward, who seemed to be stunned at the sight of the number of bodies on the bridge. Slowly, Ruby began to move forward, attempting to nearly run past the bodies once they got near them. The next guardhouse opened and the two followed the trail that was laid before them. Ruby spotted two guards running from the breach, jumping the barricades that were set up along the path.
"Maker! They're everywhere! The valley is overrun!" One guard barked as they ran past. Ruby wasn't discouraged as she moved by the barricades, determined to make it to the forward camp. She was about halfway up the trail when there was another pulse from the Breach, causing her mark to flare and dropping Ruby to her knees. Cassandra moved to Ruby's side to ensure that she was okay.
"The pulses are coming faster. We have to hurry!" Cassandra urged as she assisted Ruby to her feet. The two began to move at a quicker pace, reaching the next guardhouse in half the time. The doors opened and they began to cross the bridge, but one of the green meteors from the Breach flew down and slammed into the bridge, sending several of the guards flying and destabilizing the bridge. The bridge began to falter and finally collapsed, sending Ruby and Cassandra down to the frozen river below. Ruby rolled until she hit the cart that had fallen with the bridge, Cassandra doing the same.
Ruby slowly rose to her knees and shook her head, just in time to see one of the green meteors crash through the trees and into the frozen river. The ground looked like a bubbling pile of green and black slime as she saw something reach out of the gunk. Ruby watched as the creature fully emerged from the slime, appearing to be a black hunched creature with thin arms and large black claws. Cassandra jumped to her feet, drawing her sword and pulling the shield off of her back.
"Stay behind me!" Cassandra declared as she squared the shield up to the creature before them. Cassandra charged forward with a mighty roar and collided with the creature, her sword slashing through the creature like it was nothing. Ruby got up and noticed there was another bubbling slime pile in front of her, and another creature starting to emerge from it. She looked around to find something, anything, she could use to defend herself and fight this monstrosity. Luck was on Ruby's side when she spotted Crescent Rose in its compact form inside the cart, putting a smile on Ruby's face.
Ruby quickly yanked Crescent Rose from the cart and pointed the barrel at the creature as it fully emerged from the slime. She pulled the trigger, blasting the head of the creature as well as most of the upper half of its body off, the corpse dissipating into black smoke. Ruby swapped the compact weapon into its scythe form, prepared to assist Cassandra, who was still fighting her opponent. Ruby pulled her weapon back, preparing to cleave the creature in two. Ruby side stepped so she wouldn't hit Cassandra and did exactly that, the top half of the creature flying and turning to smoke as the bottom half collapsed.
"I think that's all of them." Ruby panted as she collapsed Crescent Rose and put it on her back. She turned to Cassandra, who had a snarl on her face and her sword pointed at Ruby.
"Drop the weapon. Now!" Cassandra ordered, clear that Ruby being armed was not a good idea. Ruby had no intention of dropping her weapon and moving to the forward camp unarmed, but it didn't seem like she had a choice in the matter.
"Alright, I'll drop my weapon." Ruby exclaimed as she took Crescent Rose with one hand. She was starting to pull it off when Cassandra lowered her weapon.
"Wait. I can't expect you to follow me unarmed, and I can't protect you the entire time." Cassandra sheathed her blade and started to walk towards the ridge that lead to the path. She stopped and turned back to Ruby, stating "I do have to remember you came with me willingly."
The two began to move along the ridge, Cassandra kneeling by a corpse of a man in full metal armor and looked like he was wearing a bucket on his head. The emblem on his chest was an upward pointing sword with fire coming off of it. Cassandra proceeded to pull small vials of red liquid off of the man and handed them to Ruby.
"Here, take these. They're healing potions. If you get hurt in a fight, then drink this and you'll be patched up." Cassandra explained as Ruby took the potions from her. Ruby silently tied the vials to her belt as Cassandra pulled a small pouch off the man's waist and weighed it in her palm, the pouch clinking a before Cassandra tied it to her own waist. Cassandra stood up and continued walking along the path, Ruby following silently. The two continued to move until they spotted two more of the black creatures along the frozen river, the two looking down on them from a ridge.
"What are those things?" Ruby silently questioned as she pulled Crescent Rose from her back.
"Shades. Demons from the Fade. If we can flank them, then we can gain the advantage. I'll draw their attention while you go around and hit them in the back." Cassandra explained as she drew her own weapons. Cassandra quietly jumped from the ridge while Ruby snuck around, doing her best not to be spotted by the Shades. Ruby heard Cassandra's war cry and then the sound of claws hitting metal, knowing that the fight had already started. Ruby quickly went around the ridge and saw Cassandra blocking the Shade's attacks. Ruby used her Semblance and flew over to the Shades, raising her weapon and slicing both of them in half with a single swing.
Ruby collapsed her weapon and looked to Cassandra, who had a look of surprise on her face as she sheathed her sword.
"Should we keep going?" Ruby questioned as she pointed to the Breach.
"Of… of course. Let's keep moving. We shouldn't be too far." Cassandra exclaimed as she took the lead. The two began to move when another meteor crashed down in front of them, another shade as well as a new creature emerged from the slime. This one sat far off on the ridge that overlooked their position and looked like the upper half of a skeleton, but it floated and was a sickly green color. The skeleton pulled its hand back and then threw a ball of greenlight at them, the two rolling to avoid the unknown attack.
"On the ridge! It attacks from a far! I'll handle the Shade, you take the Wraith!" Cassandra ordered as she drew her sword and shield. Before Ruby could question anything, Cassandra was charging the Shade with her shield in front. Ruby didn't want the Wraith to do whatever attack it just did, so she pulled Crescent Rose out in its combat sniper rifle form and fired a round into the spirit. The round tore through the spirit, causing it to fade away in pieces as Cassandra cut down the Shade with ease. Ruby caught up with Cassandra as she sheathed her sword.
"We're almost there. You can hear the fighting from here." Cassandra exclaimed as the two started to climb the ridge.
"Who's fighting? Ruby questioned as she swapped Crescent Rose to its scythe form.
"You'll see."
The two ran along the path and saw the remains of a guardhouse as well as a large green light, similar to the one that Ruby came through. She saw several guards fighting Shades as well as a bald man with a staff throwing fire at the creatures. Ruby and Cassandra jumped down the small ledge and started to engage the Shades, the two slashing the spirits down with ease. Ruby slashed the last Shade in half while another was blasted by arrow bolts, probably from a crossbow. Ruby pointed Crescent Rose back and then fired a round off, sending herself flying and sliced three Shades in half while Cassandra slammed into another one.
Ruby slid to a stop and went after one of the last few Shades while the remaining soldiers ganged up on the last two. Ruby sliced the last one and drove the blade into the ground, looking around for any more Shades. The bald man with the staff went up to her and grabbed her left wrist, the one that had the mark on it.
"Use the mark! Quickly!" The bald man shouted. He then raised Ruby's hand up towards the green rift, and something unbelievable happened. A large green beam shot out of Ruby's hand and collided with the rift, causing a bit of a disturbance. The rift faltered for a minute before finally closing, the light beam from the mark ending. Ruby looked at her hand in disbelief as the bald man exclaimed "It appears that my hypothesis was correct, you can close the rifts using the mark in your hand."
Ruby looked at the mark on her hand, and then at the man who knew more about the mark than she did. He was a tall, skinny man that was about as tall as Cassandra and he wore very loose fitting clothing. He wore a tan long sleeved think shirt, almost like a sweater with a green vest over top. He wore dark pants, but he didn't wear shoes. The most notable feature Ruby saw were his ears; they were pointed.
"I take it that you haven't seen an elf before." The man exclaimed as he leaned on his staff. Ruby slowly shook her head as she continued to stare at the elf, adding elves to the list of "Things I Can't Believe Today".
"Well then, I bet she hasn't met a dwarf either." A rough sounding voice exclaimed behind Ruby. She turned to see a man that was, surprisingly, shorter than her and had more hair on his chest than he did his head. He had a very broad figure, despite his small size, and had a head of orange hair that was tied back into a small ponytail. He wore a red long sleeve shirt that was very decorative and black pants with black boots. The largest thing Ruby took notice was the crossbow on his back, which looked amazing.
"Varric Tethras, rogue, story teller, and occasionally, unwelcome tag along." Varric introduced. Ruby noted that Varric winked at Cassandra, who made a disgusted face as well as an equally disgusted sound.
"I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose. I like your crossbow." Ruby exclaimed, eager to see the weapon.
"Bianca? She's gotten me out of a lot of trouble." Varric responded as he looked over his shoulder at his weapon.
"You named your weapon Bianca? Mine's Crescent Rose." Ruby added as she pulled Crescent Rose from the small of her back. Varric looked at the weapon with a definite interest, since Crescent Rose was currently the most advanced weapon on Thedas.
"My name is Solas, if introductions are to be made." The elf introduced. Ruby noticed he had a bit of a relaxed posture, leaning on his staff for support but she doubted he actually needed it. "Cassandra, Ruby here is not a mage, but I doubt any mage could have enough power to cause the Breach."
"Well then, what's the plan?" Varric questioned as he adjusted the cuff of his shirt.
"No! You are not coming with us." Cassandra barked, clear she didn't want to be anywhere near Varric.
"Have you seen the valley, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore." Varric pointed out.
"Enough! All of us need to get to the forward camp." Ruby ordered, Cassandra a little surprised such a young girl could have such command. "Let's get moving."
Cassandra and Solas started walking while Ruby took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. The entire situation was aggravating since turning down help at a time like this was just stupid.
"Well, Bianca's excited." Varric pointed out as he followed Cassandra and Solas. Ruby rolled her eyes and followed suit, jumping over the small wooden barricade and moving ever closer to the forward camp and the Breach. Ruby took the lead and followed the new section of the frozen river until they reached a wider section, where there were two Wraiths and two Shades, one of them sporting a Centurion look. It had golden armor covering its hump and head with a large plume on its back.
Varric stepped beside Ruby and questioned "So? What's the plan, kid?" Ruby surveyed the battlefield and quickly came up with a plan.
"Cassandra, you and I will charge the Shades while Solas and Varric set up on that ridge and take out the Wraiths. Sound good." Ruby set up. Everyone nodded and the two ranged fighters set up on the ridge, ready for Ruby's plan. Once they were set, Cassandra and Ruby both charged forward, both of them delivering loud war cries that caught the attention of the Shades. Ruby saw the two Wraiths suddenly come under fire from crossbow bolts and small blasts of fire, which preoccupied them. Cassandra slammed into the normal Shade while Ruby tangled with the Centurion Shade, the demon able to take a good hit from Crescent Rose's scythe and keep going.
Ruby slid across the ice as the Centurion Shade turned back towards her and started lunging towards her, which seemed to be its only way of moving. Ruby held her ground as the armored demon slid after her, claws raised to strike her down when Ruby swung her scythe and took its head and arms off. Ruby spun her scythe and held it behind her head as the Centurion Shade collapsed to the ground. She pulled her scythe from the ground as the other joined back up with her.
"So, are you innocent?" Varric questioned as the group headed for the path into the mountains.
"I don't remember what happened." Ruby answered as they crossed by some ruins of a house.
"Should've spun a story."
"That's what you would have done." Cassandra pointed out.
"It helps avoid premature execution."
The group followed the path until they arrived at a guard house that had a rift open in front of the door. Ruby charged in and sliced a Wraith in half that was more focused on the guards than those behind them. After the first attack, the three Shades and two remaining Wraiths all turned to Ruby and prepared to attack. Cassandra charged forward and gained just as much attention as she slammed into a Shade while Varric started putting bolts into the Wraiths. Solas spun his staff over his head and brought it down, freezing a Shade for Ruby to attack.
Ruby used her semblance and rushed forward, slicing the frozen Shade in half and then driving the blade straight down into the last Shade. Varric fired a bolt that struck the last Wraith and then immediately exploded, killing the Wraith and making it fade away. The rift suddenly opened up and Ruby's mark began to tingle, so she raised it up and the beam of light flew from her hand and hit the rift.
"By the Maker! It's true!" one of the soldiers gasped as Ruby closed the rift. The soldiers immediately started to open the gate and the group headed into the forward camp, Ruby immediately seeing more bodies. Ruby froze, still unable to comprehend what she was seeing. All this death, all this destruction coming from a place that was meant for peace. She felt a hand on her back and looked over to see Varric urging her forward with a small smile.
"Don't worry kid. Just keep pressing on." Varric urged, slightly pushing her forward. Ruby started walking, keeping her eyes forward and focused on the mission at hand instead of all the death around her. Cassandra moved ahead of Ruby as they spotted Sister Leliana arguing with a man in a robe. He stood as tall as she did and wore a white robe with a red poncho like garment over top. There were three golden spike patterns going up the red garment, one to each armpit and the last to the center of his chest.
The robe had a white hood and the man wore a black, almost square cap on the top of his head. His cheeks and chin were covered in black stubble and he seemed like a bit of an angry person.
"We can't keep holding this position!" The man argued, pointing angrily at Sister Leliana. The group approached the man and Sister Leliana, the man clearly upset to see Ruby no longer in binds.
"Seeker! I command you to arrest this young woman!" The man barked as he angrily pointed at Ruby. Ruby looked to Cassandra, who seemed slightly irritated at the command.
"You? Command me? You are a glorified clerk!"
"And you are a thug, but a thug that supposedly serves the Chantry."
"We serve Divine Justinia." Sister Leliana exclaimed, as if she was reminding the man of who they worked for. "This is Chancellor Roderick, one of the few remaining members of the Chantry."
"Hello Chancellor, I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced as she held out her hand, attempting to lighten the mood. The man hardly seemed like he was in the mood for friendly introductions, so Ruby slowly pulled her hand back.
"I demand this child be arrested and sent to Val Royeaux for trial!" Chancellor Rodrick demanded, stunning Ruby with his demand.
"But I didn't do anything!" Ruby blurted, trying to defend her position.
"That will be determined at the trial."
"We need her to seal the Breach!" Cassandra exclaimed, stepping up to defend Ruby. Ruby was happy that someone was on her side, but she was also the cause of this argument.
"How do we even know she didn't cause the Breach? Besides, our position here is lost Seeker. We must abandon this lost cause before more lives are lost."
"We will not retreat while the Breach remains in the sky."
"Then what shall you do?"
"We will charge. Fight our way to the Temple."
"That definitely is the quickest way, but not the safest." Sister Leliana pointed out. "If we take the mountain pass, while the soldiers charge, we will reach the Temple with minimal contact."
"We lost contact with the scouts when the fighting began. What do you think we should do?" Cassandra questioned as she turned to Ruby. Ruby looked around and noticed that everyone was looking to her for an answer.
"Wait, you're asking me?" Ruby exclaimed with a surprised tone. The fact they were leaving her with such an important decision when they hardly knew her.
"You have the mark." Solas pointed out.
"And you're the only one who needs to make it to the Temple." Cassandra added, clear that only Ruby's choice mattered. Ruby walked a little bit past everyone, getting an unhindered look at the mountain as she made a decision. If the group went up the mountain pass, then a lot of soldiers would die just to cover their movement. But if they charged with the soldiers, then the scouts would be lost in the pass. Ruby thought long and hard about her decision, finally turning to the group with her answer.
"I can't just stand by and let soldiers die while I try and stay safe. We charge." Ruby declared, noticing a small smirk on Cassandra's face. The group started to move, following the plan that was put forward.
"On your head, be the consequences, Seeker." Chancellor Rodrick proclaimed as they started walking away. The group moved with the group of soldiers, all of them ready to fight, and also whispering amongst each other about the small girl that was leading the charge. The group moved until they were at the summit of the mountain, Ruby spotting the remains of a large doorway with demons around it.
"Charge!" Ruby bellowed as she raised her scythe and lead the charge. The soldiers drew their blades and everyone slammed into the wall of demons, the dark creatures surprised by the force that slammed into them. Ruby fired the last few rounds she had in her magazine and was force to drop and reload her sniper rifle.
"I have to conserve these. I don't know if this place has the materials I need to make more bullets." Ruby thought as she pulled the charging handle, loading a round into the chamber. Ruby continued slicing through the Shades and Wraiths, closing whatever rifts she came across. The group finally broke the lines and got through the doorway, seeing a few soldiers fighting demons beneath another rift. Ruby moved quickly though the fighting, slicing any Shade that she could reach and alleviate any fighting on the soldiers. There was one man standing beneath the rift who was taking on two Shades by himself, and was holding his own very well.
He held his shield up and deflected a blow from one Shade, then spun with his swing and sliced the other Shade across its stomach. He then bashed it with his shield, knocking the Shade to the ground and driving his sword into the first Shade's chest. Ruby was about to attempt to close the rift when it opened and faint green light beams came out of it, hitting the ground and creating green ripples. Suddenly, wiry green tails rose from the pools, then the owners shot out of the ground. The creatures were tall, about 9 feet tall, but incredibly skinny.
They had sickly green skin that looked like it was peeling off in certain places with long lanky limbs. The creature's face and head were very strange, the head was normally shaped, but the mouth appeared to extend down the neck and stop at the center of its chest, teeth lining the outside completely. Many little eyes darted back and forth as the two demons found their targets.
"Terror Demons!" The man with the sword and shield roared as he charged one of the demons. Ruby charged the other demon the man wasn't charging, swinging her scythe and slicing the back of the Terror Demon. The demon turned towards her and screeched, but the screech ended quickly as a crossbow bolt nailed the demon in the face. Ruby turned to see her group charging the Terror Demons, Ruby smiling as she swung her scythe and sliced the demon in half. Solas froze the demon the man was fighting, him and Cassandra slamming it with their shields and shattering it like glass.
The rift opened again, Ruby using her mark to close the rift a little easier than the other rifts she had dealt with.
"You are becoming quite proficient at this." Solas commented as he walked over to Ruby.
"Let's hope it works on the big one." Varric commented as he put Bianca on his back. Cassandra went to the man, assuring that he was okay. The man was as tall as Cassandra and had long blonde hair that was slicked back and wore dark colored armor. His pauldrons looked like they were covered in either feathers of long fur, but either way they were black in color.
"Cullen, how is everything?" Cassandra questioned, her tone sounding more like a status report than a concerned question.
"We've taken back control of the Temple, a group of our soldiers as well as the mercenary band are holding the area." Cullen answered.
"How many did we lose?"
"Too many. I hope getting the child up here was worth it."
"I'll do everything I can to seal the Breach." Ruby assured, feeling guilty that her plan had cost so many lives. She looked around, seeing several wounded soldiers… and just as many dead.
"I hope you're right, for all our sakes." Cullen commented as he started to walk away. Ruby watched as he helped a limping soldier towards the doorway, a ping of guilt hitting Ruby's stomach as she looked away. She couldn't tear her sight away from her feet until she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up to see Cassandra with a small smile on her face.
"Come along. It is not much father now." Cassandra assured, slightly urging Ruby towards the edge towards the center of the Temple. Ruby started moving, wiping the few tears from her eyes and jumping over the edge, and seeing the effect of the explosion. There were bodies with skin so charred, their bodies were frozen in their final moments of pain and anguish, green fire still burning on the upper half of their bodies. Ruby was slightly getting used to seeing the covered bodies and effects of battle, but this was something completely different, seeing the screaming bone faces of those who wanted nothing more than peace. Ruby swallowed her sadness and fear and pressed on, heading towards the source of the Breach, which appeared to be a large green column of light coming from the center of the Temple.
The group found a collapsed corridor they could use, Ruby seeing more burning corpses as they walked on. They started to hear footsteps behind them, everyone turning to see Leliana with a few scouts with bows and arrows behind her. Everyone turned back to their path and started to walk until they saw a woman standing on the edge of the remains of a balcony, the railing still intact. The woman turned, Ruby seeing that she was an elf with strange tattoos on her face as well as a small smile. She had short black hair that complemented her tanned skin tone, as well as the dark green armor with strange etchings on it.
"Ah, Seeker. Nice to see you survived the climb up here." The elf greeted as she stepped forward and extended her hand. Cassandra shook it with a questioning look, unsure of the woman she was greeting.
"I do not believe we've met. Who are you?" Cassandra questioned as the two detached from one another.
"Forgive me, Brianna White-Steel, leader of the Misfits Mercenary Company."
Ruby looked around Cassandra and noticed the white battle-axe Brianna had on her back, which sparkled green against the light of the Breach. Briana looked around Cassandra and noticed Ruby staring at her axe.
"You like it? It is Star Cleaver, forged from the metal of a fallen star." Briana exclaimed as she pulled the axe off of her back and showed it to Ruby. Ruby couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the weapon, its form magnificent and craftsmanship nearly perfect.
"So, what's the Breach been doing while we were fighting our way up here?" Varric questioned as he moved to look at the Breach. Everyone moved forward to look at the source of the Breach while Brianna explained their situation.
"Nothing so far. I have my men positioned around the courtyard in optimal positions while your archers are set up in high places." Brianna explained while everyone looked. Ruby looked out across the courtyard, seeing the men positioned everywhere, and then the large crystal in the center. The crystal was massive and constantly forming and shifting. The green color of the crystal was the same as the rifts and Ruby's mark, the crystal being made of several shards protruding in different directions, either moving from the center or shrinking back. Ruby followed the green light the crystal emitted and followed it all the way up to the center of the Breach, the massive rift into the Fade.
"Um, how am I supposed to get up there?" Ruby questioned, trying to figure out the massive height to the center of the rift.
"There will be no need to send you up there. We can stop the Breach from spread by sealing it from its source." Cassandra explained, pointing at the large crystal in the courtyard. Ruby nodded and started walking around the edge towards the courtyard. As they were walking, a dark voice started to echo through the courtyard.
"Now is the hour of our victory." The dark voice proclaimed. Ruby immediately drew her scythe and started looking around for the source of the voice. Another voice broke the echo, a woman's voice crying out for help.
"Please! Help me!" The voice cried out.
"Solas, what are we hearing?" Cassandra questioned with her sword drawn and shield out.
"The Veil is weakened here. What we're hearing is the memories of what happened before the explosion." Solas explained, much calmer than everyone else. The group continued to move along the outer edge, Ruby spotting some massive red crystals coming out of the walls and the ground, but something about them made her uneasy.
"You know what this stuff is red lyrium, Seeker." Varric practically hissed as the started passing the crystals. Ruby looked back and saw that Varric wouldn't go anywhere near the crystals like they carried some kind of disease.
"I know what it is, Varric." Cassandra responded as she avoided it just as Varric had.
"But what's it doing here?
"Perhaps the power here drew it from below." Solas suggested.
"The stuff's evil. Don't touch it!"
Ruby took renewed care to avoid the crystal after hearing that conversation. The group jumped down a few fallen sections of wall before finally reaching the courtyard. As they rounded the large column in the center of the courtyard, the rift shimmered and showed a dark shadow with burning red eyes.
"Now is the hour of our victory." The shadow proclaimed as it raised its dark, clawed hand. A woman appeared in front of the shadow, wearing similar clothing to Chancellor Roderick, but she wore a taller white and red hat. The woman's face was aged, clearly getting late in her years.
"Please! Help me! Why are you doing this!?" The woman cried for help.
"Keep the sacrifice still."
Suddenly, an image of Ruby appeared, everyone immediately looking to her as she appeared in the image.
"What's going on here!?" The image Ruby declared as she drew Crescent Rose.
"You have to warn them!" The woman cried out as she looked to Ruby.
"Slay the girl." The shadow ordered just as the image disappeared.
"You were there! What happened!? Who kill the Most Holy!?" Cassandra questioned as she spun Ruby around to face her.
"I don't know! I don't remember what happened!" Ruby exclaimed, telling nothing but the truth.
"Cassandra, there is a more pressing matter at hand. This rift is sealed, but improperly. If Ruby uses her mark to reopen it, then she can seal it properly and stop the Breach from spreading." Solas exclaimed as he examined the rift.
"That means demons! Everyone stand ready!" Cassandra announced as she raised her sword. Ruby saw everyone ready themselves, soldiers drawing their swords and archer readying their staves. Ruby approached the rift and raised her hand, the mark reacting with the rift and starting to open it. Ruby finally pulled her hand back, tearing the rift open and sending an arc of lightning, summoning a massive demon. The demon was massive, standing nearly 15 feet tall and was insanely broad with dark purple skin.
The shoulders had many small spikes that seemed to act as armor with large arms that had massive spikes coming from its elbows. The head was reptilian in shape with four horns curving towards the back of its head. The demon laughed a deep laugh as electricity arced from hand to hand.
"Now! Fire on the Pride Demon!" Cassandra ordered, the archers loosing their arrows on the demon, but the arrows just bounced off the demon's hide. Ruby quickly turned her scythe on the demon and fired a round, nailing the Pride Demon in the shoulder and causing it to falter. The demon immediately turned its attention to Ruby and was prepared to charge, when she saw a bright flash and an axe imbed its blade into the shoulder of the demon. Ruby watched Brianna jump from the balcony railing and land on the demon, ripping her axe from its shoulder and then drive it back in. The Pride Demon reached up and grabbed Brianna, throwing her as it created a large electric orb in its hand.
The demon fired the orb, the electrical spell heading straight for Ruby, who was frozen in place at the attack. Fortunately, someone jumped in the way of the attack and it simply dissipated, sparks of electricity arcing from the stranger's shield and into the ground. Ruby noticed that the person before her was wearing the same metal armor and bucket helmet as the fallen soldier she had gotten the health potion from. The Pride Demon took a step forward and was immediately barraged with arrows and spells, Cassandra and the newly risen Brianna attacking the demon's legs. The soldier in front of her charged with a roar equal to Cassandra's, moving at a surprising speed for all of the weight they were carrying.
"Quick! Stabilize the rift! It will weaken the demon!" Solas advised as he rolled out of the way of an electrical blast. Ruby did as she was told and turned to the rift, throwing her hand up and the light shooting from her hand. The light collided with the rift crystal, all of the shards starting to come closer together until it disappeared and sent out a small wave. The wave hit the Pride Demon and forced it to take a knee, leaving the demon wide open for attacks. Ruby deployed Crescent Rose in its scythe form, firing a round and propelling herself forward.
She swung her blade and struck the demon in the stomach, then again and again and again. The Pride Demon roared in pain as Ruby then jumped in the air and hooked her scythe blade around the back of the demon's neck. The Pride Demon looked down at her and growled, Ruby then pulling the trigger and slicing the head off the demon. She rolled with the hit and slid to a stop as the Pride Demon's corpse fell forward. She could then hear the rift open itself so that she could close it properly.
"Quickly! Before more come through!" Solas declared. Ruby moved nearly underneath the rift and raised her hand, the beam of light from her mark striking the rift. After a minute of draining Ruby of what little strength she had left, she closed the rift and sent a massive wave heading straight towards the Breach. Ruby slowly felt herself slip away as she fell and watched the wave hit the Breach.
A/N: There you have it! The first chapter of "The Young Inquisitor"! Hope y'all enjoyed it. Remember, the more popular chapter will continue on while the other one will be stored away until another opening. PM or review with any thoughts comments or concerns. Until next time!
-Chief