Magic and the Inquistion

by Battleship Vytalia

Finding himself in a fucked up fantasy word, a wizard has to find a way to get back to his own universe. All that stands in his way, are demons, a mage-templar war, a great big fucking hole in the sky, a civil war in knockoff France, a female elf mage who finds him fascinating, and an ancient human mage who is in severe need of a makeover

14. Chapter 14 Beach Trip

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Dragonage or anything else I may reference

Magic and the Inquisition

Chapter 14 Beach Trip

Storm Coast

"We've arrived" Speaking sourly, Cassandra frowned as she took in the weather that they were going to be working with. The name chosen for this bit of territory was certainly apt in its description. Storms were raging overhead and lightning danced as it struck the ground in a beautiful display of power before being joined in matrimony with the sound of heavy rolling drums as thunder bellowed loudly above.

"Could have chosen a better day for it" Varrick muttered wiping his face with his hand as another drop of rain landed on it. Already he could feel his clothing began to soak through as they pressed on over the rocky shores. He had to make a conscious effort to try and not step into some of the damp holes left in the sand.

"It's no wonder that Ferelden is such a backwards place. I can't possibly imagine what the previous emperor was thinking taking over this land. It's cold, damp and miserable" Solas shook his head as the complaining from the resident first enchanter stared once more.

"Perhaps then you should have considered bringing a cloak" Smiling smugly at the woman, Vivienne only gave the man a sweet glare as the elf gently tugged on the thick wooden brown cape that he had brought with him. He was the only one to do so and was certainly enjoying the benefits of such foresight.

"Say chuckles could you conjure up one for the rest of us" Walking forward, Varrick made a mistake with the position of his left foot and instead of landing on a soggy wet piece of sand, it instead went through a hole filled with water soaking his foot a good several centimetres past his ankles. "I hate the beach"

"I'm afraid not Master Varrick." Varrick looked at Solas doubtfully but said nothing instead just grunting as he moved on feeling his socks squelch under every step.

"I hate storms. The Herald and Tiny get to go visit a castle with nice warm fires and clothing and the kid gets to visit Orzzamar. What do we get, Darkspawn and rain" Tried of this, Cassandra led the group on though secretly she agreed with the dwarves opinion. If Cullen had been so concerned with moving troops through the area because of some Darkspawn stragglers, then why not simply send the army in. A few of them would get experience and she wouldn't be forced to trudge through a soaking wet beach while rain buffeted her and the wind then struck her like an icy lance.

"Come on Varrick the quicker we deal with this problem the quicker we get to leave." Cassandra seriously wished that she had followed Solas's example in picking up a cloak before they had left. It may have been less practical to wear a cloak into battle, but right now she felt like just rolling up in a ball and hiding in a cave preferably with a nice fire nearby.

"Hey chuckles you ever saw a Darkspawn" Solas had to hold his laughter in as Varrick stepped into another hole filled with water. The way the dwarves face just seemed to be constantly twitching with anger and his hand nearly always reaching for his crossbow was certainly amusing for him. Varrick, on the other hand, would boisterously disagree. Dragging himself out of another hole, he gave his recently submerged leg a good few kicks in the air chucking of what water he could from them before placing it down.

"I have come across them on a number of occasions. Hurlocks and Genlocks for the most part although I have seen a few other forms. Memories of Darkspawn are quite usual in the Fade"

"Nightmares more like" Cassandra replied her tone growing ever sourer as her clothes sucked in more and more water to the point that they were now starting to cling to her body like a second skin. "My armour is going to need to be polished when we get back" She turned her attention to Solas a small hopeful look in her eyes asking a question without a single use of words. "Solas" She began.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Seeker. If we wish to sneak up on these Darkspawn then creating a fire will prevent that" Menacingly Cassandra gave a death stare to the dark grey clouds above cursing them for all eternity for raining so heavily. Suddenly, she lurched forward and sneezed loudly.

"You alright Seeker, do you need to stay indoors" Stopping before he had a reply, Varrick unhooked his crossbow from its holster on its back bringing it forward as crouched down and darted forward with some grace to one of the larger boulders of rock. Peering around slowly with his weapon drawn, Varrick slowly aimed his crossbow at the lone Darkspawn getting it into his sights before he then gently squeezed the trigger.

Zooming out of the contraption, the first bolt easily sped through the air ignoring the raindrops as it simply cut through them and then cut into the dark spawns back where the heart would be. A roll of thunder from above hide the sound of the body collapsing onto the floor.

"Darkspawn?" Cassandra questioned sliding against the same rock that he also took cover behind. Varrick nodded and took aim again this time focusing on another Darkspawn a little further back and hidden slightly by a bush. With only the slight whooshing of the arrow as it was launched at the enemy, Varrick killed another Darkspawn hitting it in the chest knocking it down. A brief moment later a dark terror-inducing wail sounded out echoing out over to where Varrick had been hiding as another Darkspawn came to view. Turning its vicious rotted head towards them, the Darkspawn swung its sword alerting its fellows. The next arrow struck the Darkspawn in the neck however it was already too late.

"We've been spotted" Without a moments delay, Cassandra leapt out of her hiding place, throwing herself forwards over several rocks as she moved to engage the Darkspawn. Bearing down on the first creature she came across she slashed downwards splitting open the monster from shoulder to waist. Bringing her shield up she blocked a strike from one of the Hurlock's and then bashed it squarely on the face knocking it onto the floor where a quick thrust downwards. Sweeping her blade straight after the attack she effortlessly decapitated another Hurlock and then squarely kicked one of the genlocks in the face. Roaring angrily another Hurlock advanced hoping to make quick work of the apparently distracted Seeker as she slaughtered another two Darkspawn. It thrust it's blade only Cassandra casually sidestepped it and then thrust her blade through its stomach and into another Hurlock as it rushed behind the first.

A flash of a spell whizzed past her shoulder exploding a few metres away incinerating the oncoming few Darkspawn into nought but ash. Then another came only instead freeing a Darkspawn in a block of ice before shattering into millions of pieces. A throaty gurgle alerted to her next opponent as like the others it ran at her in a blind manner with no care for strategy or skill at all instead waving around its curved ugly pieces of metal in a random fashion. She hacked off its arm in one shot and then turned around blocking a series of arrows from archers in another.

Pouring forth her magic, Vivienne unleashed a powerful plume of fire engulfing everything its direction within a burning red and orange three-metre radius. All the archers that had previously been standing were now burnt husks among the dead and the few gunlocks behind that were running away like headless chickens as they spent their last moments in utter agony as their flesh was cooked dropping to the floors like flies. Another roar resounded over the battlefields revealing none other then ogre rushing towards them. Responding with years of practice, Vivienne summoned a large fist of rock pounding into the measly flesh of the ogre cleaving through the top half pulverising it leaving only a pair of legs that fell flat towards the ground.

Cassandra cleaved her way once again through another Darkspawn killing the last remaining member of the small host. Beside her Viviene waltzed over the battlefield with a disgusted look summoning a small icicle and then thrusting it into the rotten flesh of any still alive Darkspawn. Once nearly all of them were dead she treated Varrick with a demeaning look.

"Varrick dear you have to make sure that you kill them properly" As an example, she quickly made her way to the last creature of Darkspawn. It's left arm had been cleaved through leaving a black puddle of black ichors pooling on the ground as it attempted to crawl forwards to the nearest sword. Smashing her shoe into the back of the Darkspawn, Vivienne pointed her index finger at the creatures head releasing another burst of fire liquefying the entire set of skin muscle and bone until only a patch of burnt ground remained. Then with a disgusted scowl on her face, she wiped her boot on the sand wiping away the filth.

"Oh I'll make sure to do that Iron Lady" Bursting with speed, the dwarf aimed his crossbow at the mage and fired another bolt felling another Darkspawn. "You need to watch your flank, we couldn't have you messing up those pretty clothes now" Cassandra shook her head as she was forced one more to take in the sight that Vivienne was. Despite being told of her destination beforehand, that they would be fighting Darkspawn on a wet stormy beach, the woman had still decided to wear some of the most colourful and expensive clothing Varrick had seen.

They were white with some rather pointed large collars that he swore could take a man's head off is only she would spin round. As for the rest of the outfit, it was made of some thin Orlesian material designed far more for fashion than practicality. Her outfit highlighted her chest area drawing an unsuspecting persons gaze to that region of her body. With the two strips of fabric that went around the back of her neck to hold this tight corset up, it gave off the appearance that the woman was attending some type of ball rather than a battlefield. Then there was that ridiculous likely heavy metal hat on her head giving off the impression that she had horns.

"I'll keep that in mind" Vivene turned her gaze onto the elf mage raising an amused eyebrow as the man brought his staff back into its holster. "Solas darling I couldn't help but notice that your style is a little crude. Perhaps when we return to Haven I could give you some assistance in correcting that." She smiled sweetly at the bald elf giving off the impression that she wanted to help yet she was unable to disguise the pompous arrogant tone.

"I thank you for your offer First Enchanter; however I would prefer to take lessons from a mage who does not overcharge their attacks" Politely Solas replied before then bending down.

"I shall keep that in mind Solas." Hiding her scoff from the lack of response from the elf, Vivienne waltzed her way merrily with no attempt in the slightest to hide that she was of the nobility where she then engulfed the second Darkspawn corpse in a blistering white fire.

Correcting his balance slightly so as not to fall down and physically touch the rotting corpse Solas inspected the now dead enemy who had attempted to claim their lives only moments ago. Cold dead hateful eyes like that of a burn caused by the cold stared up at the thundering sky black ichors running out the side of its mouth. Turning his attention over to the whole Darkspawn, he inspected it closely again from the size and shape of the monster to the weapons and armour it had carried into battle.

"It's a young Darkspawn" He announced grabbing the attention of the others in the nearby vicinity. "Not a newborn, but it certainly hasn't hit its full maturity." Cassandra gave the man a curious look. On her walk towards him, she noticed that one of the Darkspawn still wasn't dead. Not hesitating in the slightest she thrust her sword into its skull killing it with a small hiss.

"How can you tell?" Cassandra would happily admit that she had never faced enough Darkspawn to know much more than the very basics about them. Her primary focus had been mages and demons, not evil monsters tainted by a blackness that came from the Fade. Although with its origins she could state that it was also the duty of the Templars and Mages to fight the Blight.

"During my travels, I have seen many a memory of a Grey Warden. I can easily recognise from their memories what constitutes a new Darkspawn" Nodding grimly Cassandra gritted her teeth. This was only their first encounter with the monsters, unfortunately, they all knew that it would not be their last.

"Is that good or bad?" Off in the distance, Cassandra felt a small amount of relief as Vivienne finished off the last remaining Darkspawn with another plume of weapon. Curling her nose up in response to the newly created stench of burnt flesh, she silently prayed that Solas would finish his sentence and they that they could move on to less corpse infested areas.

"I cannot say. On one hand, newly formed Darkspawn were sent to the surface to get experience as they were or to try and lash out on their own. If we were facing a Blight then there would have been more of them" Standing back up again, the group of four quickly regrouped and joined forces once more quickly moving over the rocky and beach terrain of the Storm Coast. It didn't take them long to encounter more Darkspawn however.

"Heads up" Varrick cried setting his target on the closet Hurlock embedding it with a bolt between its eyes. Like before Cassandra rushed forward her sword in hand as thirty Darkspawn all cried at once pounding down the hill like a herd of horses on a cavalry charge towards them.

Solas gathering the power of the Fade within him, allowed the energy to flow through his body building up in volume where it reached his staff. Only a brief second passed before a shining blazing red bolt of fire flew forth striking the head Darkspawn. Exploding with another thunderous bellowing roar, white fire incinerated bone and flesh in an instant whilst tearing the limbs off sending more black blood spewing all over the area like a fountain of dark rotting water. Other Darkspawn were catapulted off the ground with a tremendous force sent hurtling back as if they weighed nothing. Crashing down heavily their bodies broke on the sheer impact as their weak frail bodies smashed into the large boulder-like rocks with an audible crunching noise.

"Mages" Varrick shook sarcastically. "Always making a mess of everything" Turning to the elf he pointed towards the newly painted rock a few metres to their left. It was a mess of pale corrupted flesh, black ichors trailing down like watered paint tendrils reaching towards the floor hoping to gather up prey to consume all of which had been mixed with what the dwarf guessed was the sinew of the monster's brain. "Chuckles did those Grey Wardens have any memories on how to get Darkspawn shit off my shirt"

Turning around with no tact or grace at all, Varrick revealed his now dishevelled appearance to the rest of the group. His usual pink skin now was stained by strips of Darkspawn blood while his once well known and adored chest hair was now home to multiple pieces of flesh and guts holding it close in a loving embrace.

"Varrick if anyone has the right to complain it's me" It was certainly true. Where Varrick had a few splashes of blood and chunks of guts, Cassandra had essentially been covered head to toe in the sudden explosion. Utterly caked in blackness with pieces of white milky flesh in large clumps all over like polka dots, Cassandra appeared less to be a noble warrior of the chantry and more of a woman who had gotten into a fight with a mud pit and lost.

"New makeup Seeker" The glare of utter loathing that was sent Varricks way was so palpable that for a moment Varrick almost thought that the woman was a mage readying her deadly powers to smite him into a tiny million pieces. Instead, she brought her blood-drenched hands to her eyes and began to wipe away the filth from them. With a dark look to Solas, she returned to the task.

"According to the Wardens, such behaviour of Darkspawn is to be expected around areas that hold an entrance to the Deep Roads. If we find that then all we have to do is close it and kill any remaining stragglers"

"That is a sound plan" Vivienne spoke loudly entirely unaffected by the messy display of magic like Varrick and Cassandra. Preventing herself from commenting on the Seekers new state of dress despite how much she longed too, she moved the conversation along. "So do we have an idea of where that is or are we going to have to search the entire area?". With a deep unwomanly almost primal growl from Cassandra, the woman pushed ahead, her hand tightening around the grip of her sword squelching slightly on the pool of blood that had now covered it.

"This way"

It took time for the group to advance forward, more than once did they counter a group of Darkspawn in the area stalking the land. They dispatched them quickly ensuring that they were unable to alert the rest of their race as to their presence. As they kept moving through the miserable terrain that was sure to inflict the group with colds for the next few days, Solas struck up a conversation with Varrick.

"That crossbow is rather remarkable Varrick. I'm surprised that the Dwarves haven't made more of them"

"The woman who made Bianca would rather that not happen, War's bloody enough as it is" Varric sighed gently caressing the weapon in his hand. Bianca had seen him through a lot, a constant companion that had saved his life more times he could count. "A crossbow that fires this far and this quickly with so little training. Every battle would be a massacre."

"Indeed. I am surprised, not disappointed" It truly was an astonishing weapon Solas thought. Having wondered the Fade glimpsing at old battles, warriors caked in the blood of their enemies as they stood victoriously, generals staring dispassionately at the scene of carnage below either too afraid or not caring in the slightest to join the battle or just the bloodied muddy fields of a battle abandoned, Solas had seen all types of war and the weapons that were used in war.

"I'm surprised in your interested in weapons Chuckles. Aren't you mages supposed to look down on us mere mortals" Solas chuckled good-naturedly yet his smile did not reach his eyes? A brief haunted look flashed. No one noticed.

"Fire is a useful tool yes as is lightning and Ice, however, I cannot help but be curious on the subject. Fighting with a sword requires just as much skill and training as magic does." Speaking cryptically, Varric rolled his eyes at the response. With a gentle stroke of his crossbow, he placed it back into its sheath so he could turn to face the elf.

"I've seen what Hawke did with magic, makes me wonder why kings even bother with armies" Whether it was calling forth a hail of white blistering ice pounding and smashing relentlessly into the ground, unleashing a deadly wave of sheer invisible force knocking back all in the way like dolls thrown by an ogre or the capacity to bring one back on the precipice of death itself, magic was a most extraordinary and dangerous power.

"Because my dear Varric if Mages were allowed to run loose on the world then the majority of commoners would be nothing but corpses. With the Templar Order, the commoner rarely has to be concerned with being murdered one night because some apostate has decided to summon forth a demon using blood magic." Solas scrunched his eyebrow hiding his contempt for the woman. Vivienne gave him no care simply twirling her staff in her hand as if it was nothing but a fancy toy rather than a deadly weapon that could kill a man with a simple wave.

"You are of the opinion First Enchanter that the majority of mages would use their powers for ill the moment they were given freedom" Pompously, The woman harshly kicked a piece of grass down that had in her apparent view, dared to grow too long crushing it down with a single step before thrusting her head upwards marching on.

"Most Mages are delusional dear. They scream and cry day after day about how they are mistreated by the Templar Order, about how they should be given their freedom. It is nothing but the selfish actions and desires of children who are out of touch and have no care for anything if it does not concern them". In a moment the once dreary atmosphere of four people slugging through a cold stormy day on a jagged rocky beach was changed to one of anger and rage. Unlike how other perhaps younger more carefree mages would react, neither of the two mages launched any spells nor raised their tone in any way. They kept things civil but with a biting barb like a beautiful rose being gifted to an individual only for them to cut their hands on the thorns upon the stem.

"You call it the desire of children for people to be treated equally" Solas glared at the woman in her eyes.

"How can a mage be treated equally to others Darling. When a non-mage is scared they run and hide in some corner crying to themselves. A mage, on the other hand, unleashes a torrent of flame burning all nearby killing parents, crops and buildings. A mage is not equal to a non-mage, not when one can call on the powers of the fade at their disposal and the other cannot." Countering his point, Vivienne met the elf mans gazed with a bored expression. How many times had she heard this argument before she wondered tiredly? The dreams of a deluded fool, seeing what one had and desiring it for themselves when they had more than that person ever did.

"I am aware of what happens when a child is scared, Enchanter. It does not matter if the child acts out with their power, magic does not determine the personality of one so young" Vivienne scoffed. Taking in his set of clothes she shook her head once more wrinkling her nose in disgust far more than she ever could for the sight and smell of rotten corpses and flesh that wafted upwards in the wind.

"Oh, so you are of the opinion that when a child learns of the power of magic that they will not use it against others who do not. What defence does the average boy or girl have, how can they stop a young mage from taking what they want? Their parents surely can't help, not unless they plan to kill the mage or would you prefer that the mage is allowed to continue their business taking anything they wanted too?. Eventually, a mob will form and hunt the child down killing them in their rage. That is if the demons don't find the child first."

"Magic is a gift, something to be cherished. It can be abused however under the proper tutelage and moral values the child is not likely to steal" Leaning on his staff, Solas inspected the nearby area his eyes scanning closely for any sign of the monsters. For some odd reason, they had vanished. Tightening his eyes in preparation, he brought his staff closer to his body his mind gently whispering in his head quickly ready to unleash should a Darkspawn strike from nowhere.

"Exactly my dear" Vivienne smirked believing that she had gained a victory. "Magic needs education to be used properly. If it were not for the Circles then most mages would have fallen to the demons becoming abominations and slaughtering countless innocents. Without the circles how would those with magic learn to control their power" Fluttering her eyes at the man Vivienne watched amusedly as the elf man searched the area for another threat.

"Perhaps, but that does not mean that the Chantry should be responsible for their education. A religion that harbours hatred for its students will never be as effective as those hold a free mind" Solas thought back on the mages he had seen from the Chantry. They were all so limited, restricted by their fear of the unknown and entirely against even daring to take one step out of the door. The Templars were a dangerous threat it was true, however, if the Mages were willing to push forward past the doctrine of the Chantry then perhaps they may have stood up for their freedom a long time ago.

"A free mind" Vivienne drawled. "That is a most certain path to decadence and corruption my dear Solas. An open mind allows for one to experiment with the dark forces of the world, commit crimes against their fellow people as they "discover" their power." Once again Solas desired that he had actually been part of a different group. Meeting the mages at Redcliff could have been an interesting endeavour and he certainly wasn't opposed to seeing the wondrous city of Orzzamar in person. Instead of that, he had been given the worse assignment of being stuck with this Orlesian woman. "Tell me Solas would you like for mages to have a free mind when they enter the fade and converse with demons. What about with blood magic, do you also believe that it should be approached from a fair angle?"

"Blood magic is no more evil than any other. If approached correctly." Vivienne scoffed once more before she brought her hand in front of her focusing on the tips of her nails as if they mattered more then a conversation on magic.

"Then you are in need of some proper education, my dear. Blood Magic has shown time and time again that it is nothing be evil and a mage will always turn to it the moment they have their back against a wall."

"All animals fighter more fiercely when they are trapped and feel like they cannot escape; In such a situation it is only to be expected that a mage will draw on such a power if they believe that they have no other choice. Such a thing could be prevented if the force driving them to the wall was removed" Speaking resolutely, Solas rolled his eyes as he saw the Enchanter go to scoff again. She stopped herself from doing so but then shook her head from side to side gently and consolingly as if she was staring down a young naive apprentice who was so engrossed with their studies that they never once bothered to learn the truth.

"So you wish to take away the Chantry, the Templar's and even the Circles. Tell me Solas would you have mages live among the people." Inquiring towards the elf, Vivienne would admit that she was curious to see just how each member of the Inquisition believed that mages should be treated. So far she found it ironic that the three other mages besides herself who made up the inner council all advocated for mage freedom yet none of them had ever been part of a Circle. Nathanael was the closet having been educated in a school by other mages but as it wasn't with the rules and regulations of the Chantry, he was as good as a hedge-mage.

"Yes," Solas nodded his head.

"And when they kill someone or become an abomination?"

"Then I would kill them". Raising a perfectly pedicured eyebrow, Vivienne quirked her lips to the left slightly where she then silently asked the man for an explanation. "Magic is far more elegant than a sword or a bow but a murderer is still a murderer. I would hold them accountable for their actions"

"So you would make yourself judge jury and executioner." She stared disbelievingly at the elf. "There are a lot of mages in the world my Dear Solas. You would have to be both omniscient and immortal for you to carry out such a task."

"Then tell me, first Enchanter, how would you prefer for the mages to be treated. Would you still preferred for them to be locked up in their prisons, children taken away from parents that they will never know, taught to make them think that they are monsters and are only normal individuals when a war comes and someone asks for their aid" With a withering glare Solas held back the contempt and disgust that he held for this woman. Secretly he had hoped now that he had met her that she had been killed by one of the other mages. The way she treated other mages like children calling their complaints selfish and agree with harsh punishments while she herself suffered nothing brought him back to a certain time. This woman reminded him of Them.

"Imprisonment is all about who holds the key darling." She chuckled "There have been some foolish attempts by others, why not allow the one in charge to be passed on to someone who knows what they are doing."

"You believe that you should be the one left in charge?" The smile Solas received back was telling enough. He had seen that look on a large amount of peoples faces, it was not one of trepidation of trying to do the right thing, that smile was one of a person who was fantasising about what they could do with such influence.

"Others have tried, why not I. Do you not believe that a Mage with the proper training and experience could help the lives of their fellow mages" Her words were like a plant that Solas had seen in the memories of a Tevinter Magister. The flower would produce a sweet smelling sap that would draw in insects of all kinds. Upon arrival, they would search for the sap soon finding it out in the open. As soon as they started drinking, the flower would close with wicked looking teeth trapping it and would then begin digesting it over a period of days.

"Yes, an educated and experienced Mage could lead the mages effectively. Just not you Enchanter. You would only lead them to more slavery" Vivienne almost growled at the man her eyes sharply boring into him apparently trying to make him suddenly combust into a roaring inferno and turn him into ash. Nothing happened but the First Enchanter falling into a deep silent hateful glare.

With a return back to the more tranquil surroundings and their goal of finding and eliminating the Darkspawn, Solas soon was able to concentrate on more important matters. Cassandra gave him a cautious look, she too it seemed had noted the sudden lack of Darkspawn in the area. He was about to question why when he was stopped short as they advanced up a hill.

There at least a mile before them was a tall humanoid pale creature far higher than any other human standing at the same size as the rocky cliffs that held back the powerful currents of the sea like a wall against a tide of invaders. It was not alone, however, this powerful creature made up of what appeared to be unbridled rage and muscle was giving combat to none other than one of the most feared creatures known to man. A dragon.

Powerfully and thunderously like the cannons that Varric had once heard upon a Qunari Dreadnought, the two monsters smashed against one another. The large humanoid creature known as a giant as that was all it could be launched a mighty fist towards the scaled beast hammering hard into its stomach with a booming bellow. Responding in kind, the dragon reared it snake-like maw towards the giant discharging a blazing bonfire of fiery death and destruction striking the giant back. Another echoing bellow rolled out of the giant tongue. So loud it was that the party of four were forced to clutch their hands to their ears fiercely guarding their capacity to hear sound. It was a devastating enough bellow that Vivienne squinted in pain.

Rearing its arm back again the giant slammed its meaty firsts into the dragon smacking with enough force that a shattering noise was heard. Screaming furiously the dragon beat it's scaly wings once blasting out trees stones, sand, water back in a tornado strength gust that even forced the giant to stagger back forced to catch its balance. Before the large opponent could come and send another strike the dragon heaved it's wings once more beating the wind around it and flew upwards into the dark clouds where it could no longer be seen.

With its prey or attacker lost, the giant spun around on its feet where it then stopped midway as it noted them. Varrics breath hitched in his throat as the two large eyes stared down at him as if he was an ant. Where should he shoot first? The eye he reckoned would likely piss it off and even if he did blind the creature it would then likely start attacking wildly in any sort of direction. His worries were promptly unfounded as it's large barefoot crashed against the ground as the Giant headed in the opposite direction.

"That was close. You alright Seeker" Steadily Cassandra brought her sword down along with her shield gently placing them back where they needed to go. With only a light noise as the metal sword slipped against the leather sheath, Cassandra turned to Varric nodding slightly still shaken from what he had seen.

"I'm fine. I wasn't expecting to see a dragon or a giant" Punching her with a small modicum of force, Varric grabbed the attention of the Seeker and pointed back to the direction of the dark stormy clouds. Several miles away a small jot of bright blue had emerged. It was surrounded on all fronts buy the ever-encroaching storm, however, the light continued to pour forth through that small hole and onto the rest of the gloomy coast illuminating the world a small amount.

"That takes me back" Looking over to the smiling dwarf, Cassandra shook her head as she imagined that Varric was reminiscing on when he and the Champion of Kirkwall had investigated the incident at some nearby mine or quarry only to come across a High Dragon. "You killed one didn't you" Grunting, Cassandra wished she could do away with the curious gazes that were set upon her by the rest of the group.

"You killed a dragon Seeker. Are you willing to share your story" In vain she dropped her attention downwards to Varrick praying that he could take advantage of the situation and tell his own story or perhaps if needed tell them the story. Instead though she saw the hairy chested man grinning up at her like a pack of ravenous children did to an adult the moment they saw cake.

"Oh no Seeker, if anyone's telling this story it's you" Cassandra merely groaned again.

"I'm afraid we are going to have to wait for that story my dears. There's a rather large group of Darkspawn heading this way" True to her word, a rabble of Darkspawn had emerge from a large overhanging cave soiling out onto the hilly area. Drawing her sword, Cassandra hastened her walking speed and moved against them.

Like all the other skirmishes they had been a part of, the Darkspawn were quickly defeated. Most were slaughtered before they could get within four metres of Cassandra as some spell either from Solas or Vivienne put it into a grave. Idly Cassandra noted that neither of them liked to keep to one particular spell. When an ogre had charged at her it was only a moment before the thing had been encased in ice and then shattered as if it was nothing. Later a bunch of Darkspawn archers were all punctured as a wall of thick icicles emerge before their feet impaling them and leaving them like little baubles on a tree. Varric, for the most part, managed to kill one or two Darkspawn. For the most part, they were the ones out of range for the two mages but still he did more work then Cassandra whose only contribution to the fight was to be smeared in more blood and more guts.

"Could you mages make you're killing a little neater" Wiping her face with the back of her gauntlet covered hand, Cassandra winced as she sniffed the stench of dead Darkspawn. Worse than even rotten milk combined with stale eggs, a person would be able to notice the presence of these monsters a good distance away.

"Sadly I'm afraid not Seeker." Varric gave him a sarcastic look.

"How exactly is magic more elegant if it results in this carnage" Gesturing to the sheer mess of bodies strewn around on the floor, rotting and burnt carcases littering the ground so easily like leaves in an autumn gale.

"It is not the final result, but the process". Shaking his head, Varrick worked hard to hide his chuckles as he noted that once more Cassandra now appeared to be some kind of monster from a novel coated entirely in blood as it searched for innocent children to pull out of bed and drag into her lair where she would then consume them one by one. When the templars would finally arrive all they would see were the remains of a child's bones.

"Always with the cryptic stuff. If there's one good thing about keeping mages locked in towers guarded by Templar's, it keeps the blood out of my shirt" Smiling as he leaned on his staff, Solas directed the dwarves attention over to the oncoming crashing waves and white frothing bubbles that brushed ashore as if the beach itself was a canvas and the bubbles paint.

"Well the sea is always there" Varric shook his head.

"I would have thought Chuckles that you know Dwarves can't swim"

"It's not a case that they can't" Solas countered. "It's just that their shorter stature makes buoyancy far harder than a human or elf. Like throwing in a rock compared to a twig"

"Are you calling me fat chuckles"

"No master Varric you are the right size for someone your age. Perfect for creating a wave of water when you inevitably do decide to wash "Varric blinked repeatedly. Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Knowing the smug elf, it was likely both.

"All right you two cut it out. We still have to find the source of these attacks" Reluctantly, the two of them agreed to follow the Seekers words resulting in both members helping the dark-haired woman to search the cave that they had entered.

The cave, like most caves, was dark, grey, wet and the air felt clammy. Tapping his staff to the ground, Solas channelled his magical power into the top conjuring a bright white light that shone forth. Advancing forwards they soon noticed the presence of the previous Darkspawn. A battered worn footpath led further into the cave daring the group to follow it further to see what could possibly be hiding in the blackness. Sharing a look between themselves, the group silently cast a vote with only their eyes on whether they should venture forth.

"I hate caves" Varric complained.

"Let's just hope this doesn't lead to the Deep Roads" A shiver ran though Cassandra at the idea of going near such a place.

"Seeker" Varric spoke sullenly. His face had gone a deathly pale and his eyes were downcast and twitching constantly from side to side inspecting for and hoping that there were no Darkspawn. after a while, he gripped Bianca firmly, his finger gently pushing down on the trigger. Not enough to fire the weapon by mistake, but enough that the moment he saw one of the dreaded creatures he could unleash the power of his crossbow and exterminate its black existence. "If the Darkspawn came out of this cave, then we're dealing with the deep roads"

"Vivienne could you also" Not even allowing for the Seeker to finish, Vivienne also lit her staff up allowing for her light to assist in Solas's as they marched forward their wet soggy boots squelching loudly on the dark rock.

"So Varric, I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me" Despite the quirking of his eyebrow up at the man for breaking the uncomfortable silence that the group had, Varric was glad that the elf had asked a question. Stalking through these bare stone walls in silence with the knowledge that they could encounter a group of those monsters was not exactly the most endearing thing.

"Ask away chuckles, anything is better than walking through here in silence" Varric shivered his mind turning back all those years ago to when he and Hawke had first entered the Deep Roads to find their treasure. Even now he vividly remembered the time he had first laid eyes upon that eyebrow the way it pulsed evilly. By the maker he wished he had never gone down there with Hawke, he wished he had never found that dam thing. The way it sung to him at times. He shivered again.

"The dwarves of Orzammar own the Lyrium trade, how come they have not asked the surface kingdoms for land or territory to support them. Would it not be a wiser choice to personally own farmland rather than trading for it" Varric sighed breathing in the foul corrupted air.

"You're not saying anything that I haven't said myself. Orzammar is traditional, those in charge generally want to keep things that way. I also guess that it could lead to a conflict with Ferelden, I don't particularly see King Alistair taking too kindly to dwarves demanding land for lyrium"

"But it could be done" Varric frowned.

"They could ask and they might get something in return. Ultimately though it's not really effective and likely would lead to war. Orzammar claims anything underground and leaves the surface kingdoms alone. If they started to demand land then the kingdoms will demand that they mine whatever, naturally, Orzammar will get angry at the human's demands and will take it as an insult cutting off supply to Lyrium"

"Which would lead to a war with the Chantry and an Exalted March would be called against the dwarves." Cassandra interrupted quietly. She wasn't a politician, but even she knew what the Chantry would do if the Templar's were threatened in such a way. When Tevinter had broken away from the main faith and proclaimed their black Divine, Exalted Marches had been called left right and centre with none of them successful. That, however, had been primarily about a difference of opinion and no real threat. Cutting of Lyrium without a doubt meant the destruction of the Templar Order. "Templar's need Lyrium for their powers in fighting Templar's, without it then they are nothing more than regular humans"

"Without Lyrium, the Templar order would be destroyed and Mages let free on the world to cause havoc" Vivienne sniffed. "The trade deal with Orzammar is a necessary evil at least until a Divine with vision got rid of such a glaring weakness". This time it was Varric who chuckles at the sheer absurdity of what Vivienne was suggesting.

"You would go to war with Orzammar?" The doubt in his voice was clear. "It's not like fighting up here, Mages aren't as useful with a wide open space. Too many spells and you'd bring the entire cave around their heads." Shaking her head Vivienne taped the dwarf on his shoulder unleashing a light scathing look when she spoke again.

"My dear, why ever would I want to fight? All that is needed is to cut off access to their food. They cannot hold out forever and when they surrender or if they are all killed because of their foolish pride, we then just march in and take control of the entire supply." Solas scowled at the woman.

"You would just so effortlessly kill thousands of people just so that the Templar's could have access to Lyrium" Solas raised his voice angrily at the woman. "You show yourself to be nothing more than a Tyrant killing anyone who would hold a different viewpoint" Shrugging her shoulders casually with a smug grin on her face, the Enchanter happily bowed low to Solas in a mocking and teasing way.

"I think an intelligent Divine would agree with me. Allowing the dwarves, a group of people who did not believe in the Chantry and the Maker to hold control of one of the most precious recourses in the world is a rather large security threat. At any time the Dwarves could refuse to sell Lyrium to the Chantry and when that happened the Mages would be free to kill anyone they pleased. Surely you can see that dear Solas"

As much as Solas wanted to disagree with her, Vivienne was correct in her assessment. Only dwarves had the capacity to mine Lyrium and even then it was a dangerous trade. Miners could go insane if not die from coming into contact with such raw amounts of the substance. That severely hampered the ability to keep a steady supply of the material coming to the surface and risked damaging the entire Chantry if they could not get their supply.

"She has a point Chuckles. I doubt it would work though"

"Oh, how do you see that Varric, do you doubt the strength of the armies of Orlais?" Shaking his head, the man idly wondered if he should pass this on to one of his contacts in Orzzamar. An attack on the city was highly unlikely, but when this shit with the Breach all ended it would be best to make sure that he and his fellow associates would not be harmed. If the Chantry took control of Orzammar then the Coterie would have a lot harder time smuggling the Lyrium to places that the Chantry didn't want it.

"Not at all Iron Lady, Orlais and it's Chevaliers are impressive but that's purely on the ground"

"And how exactly does that matter?" Varrick laughed lightly at the surprising lack of knowledge the mage knew. For one who supposedly wanted to conquer Orzzamar, she knew very little about it and had apparently given no thought in the slightest in how she would fight in those tightly contained spaces.

"Horses are good on the ground, Iron Lady because they have a large open space to move around. They can charge and dance around an enemy as much as they want all they have to do is watch out for rivers and forests. On the other hand, fighting underground is different. Cavalry down there is a liability. Your Chevaliers are too tall and easy to spot, they'd either be hit continuously with arrows and they could only ever charge directly forward into a column of spears with no way around."

"Then I would send our mages to the front, batter shields and spear with fireballs and ice." The idea of using magic against a hardened dwarven battle line underground gave Varric pause only to laugh more at the absurdity off it. It was an interesting thought, but one that would end futilely and perhaps could make an interesting book.

"Have you ever read up on dwarves Iron Lady?" Varrick questioned her curiously. "We're resistant to magic. Besides, your fireball would need line of sight and nothing between the mage and the dwarves. The moment your pretty little mage tried anything they would be shot full of arrows and even then it's doubtful that they would break the line."

"Then an Earthquake could be summoned to break your line" This time it was Cassandra who stared at Vivienne as if she was an idiot.

"An earthquake whilst you would be underground in small tightly contained tunnels?" Punctuating his words, Varric only imagined such a scenario. A bunch of humans in tight corridors bringing down an earthquake because they thought it would dislodge their enemies. He could only imagine the roar as earth shattered around them, the screams from humans as rock collided downwards burying the entire passage in rubble and smashing anyone who would be in the tunnels into a bloody pile.

"It would work" Solas rolled his eyes. "But you also lose your own soldiers either from lack of air or being killed by the falling debris. Honestly, First Enchanter to fight the dwarves in their land on their terms is suicidal"

"And yet the Darkspawn managed to destroy nearly all of Dwarven civilisation." The first Enchanter rebutted giving a sickly sweet smile at the two as if they had entirely forgotten that a bunch of soulless dark monsters had slaughtered a mighty empire.

"A race that requires no need for sleep, sustenance or an economy. A race that produces their numbers in large batches by brood mothers and comes out as fully grown, a race who heals so quickly that an ogre can be back to full health after only a day of rest from a serious injury. It is also a race who has no need for Lyrium. Darkspawn are nothing but an endless swarm of monsters and are only ever beaten when the Archdemon is found and killed. Even then, the Darkspawn are not destroyed, just driven back underground until the next blight begins" Solas stared menacingly into the eyes of the Enchanter silently asking him to debate his words for her to state that the Darkspawn were more than an endless swarm whose power came from sheer numbers alone.

"Exactly, if the surface world attacked, then it would likely be repulsed. Once that happens I can't see Orzammar ever selling the Chantry Lyrium again considering that it would cause all this mess." Smugly Solas gave his own bow of his head in respect to the first Enchanter after Varric gave those comments.

"You're very actions to secure the power of the Chantry First Enchanter would instead destroy it. Only it would be far worse as your actions would decimate the Templar order entirely as any stocks of Lyrium would run out far sooner than you would expect them too" Ever so slightly alarmed by his words, Cassandra faced the Elf. She doubted it was anything serious, but there was an unsettling feeling in her stomach.

"What do you know off the supplies of Lyrium?" Fingering the hilt of her sword, Cassandra kept pushing through the tight confines of the caves that they were in. So far it appeared that they stretched forever on with no hint of ending and only the glow of the two mages staffs as their light source. Where were the Darkspawn she thought to herself? By now she was sure she should have seen some stragglers or other Darkspawn based along such thoughts. Only there was no blood splattered on the walls and no hint of the taint.

"War has a tendency to burn through stocks of supplies far faster than those who count them believe. Even with experience, rationing can often go wrong. In a war against the dwarves, mages would surely take advantage and perhaps even rise up in their circles forcing the Templar's to burn through their supplies even quicker."

"Chuckles is correct Seeker. If there was a war, then the Coterie would be having a field day charging exorbitant prices to the Templar order just for a small amount of Lyrium. Actually, it would likely only raise the prices in general and just help us surface dwarves." Pushing forward, Cassandra almost stopped. All of a sudden she began to feel anxious, she didn't know what it was, but it was if something was approaching or rather she was approaching something dangerous. She readied her sword in preparation. Behind her, however, Solas and the others also brought their weapons into a more favourable position but still carried on talking.

"I assume you mean the futile efforts of those small surface dwarf mines" Vivienne inquired. "I thought that the Chantry had closed them down" Varric rolled his eyes. Looking over to the Seeker he stopped as he saw the woman was almost growling. He smiled. He was annoying her and he loved it. It was hilarious at times just how fearsome the woman would become. Within a few moments, he knew that the woman would yell at him to shut up or for him to prepare for combat. It was the latter that was called.

"Darkspawn get ready" Almost as if on cue a loud unearthly screech rushed down the halls sounding like some great dark monster that was going to cut them and kill them all. They weren't wrong.

Charging down the corridor in front of them, the group instantly attacked the monsters as best they could. Cassandra took the most forward position with her shield brought out in front of her. Her hands gripped her shield tightly, waiting for the first creature to bash into it at full force.

With a blood-chilling scream, the first Darkspawn slammed into Cassandra' shield with a loud crash before gurgling and dropping dead as it fell upon the Seekers sword. Behind it, the Darkspawn kin also soon raced towards them. Loudly they barrelled into her crashing into her shield with a cacophony of noise as bodies piled up on top of one another. Cassandra grunted loudly at the weight struggling to hold back the ever-increasing number. As the numbers continued to increase, her muscles burned painfully begging her to push back or retreat from the number.

As she kept holding them back, the hairs on the back of her neck began to tingle with a familiar feeling. Before she could speak to confirm if such an action was going to take place, she could just barely see the glimmering of a red light glowing above the horde. Groaning with pain, she flared up her own power.

With a mighty blast, fire rang down from the small gap above the Darkspawn head. Lashing down like a tidal wave, fire engulfed the Darkspawn that pressed on top of her waving their blades in the air. Blasting and burning, the Darkspawn were set alight their flesh melting and skin cooking filling the entire tunnel with the stench of death. Those who had been closer to the initial explosion been incinerated but still it was everything in Cassandra's power to hold back the monsters from landing on top of her. Then it stopped. The fire extinguished and the weight had all seemingly vanished.

Panting heavily, Cassandra pulled herself to her feet. Gently an arm touched her shoulder. Spinning around, Cassandra came face to face with the concerned eyes of Varric. Briefly, her face tinted ever so slightly red.

"Seeker are you okay" Varric stared at the woman in concern. As much as he teased and joked with her, he was relieved to see when Cassandra nodded that she was unhurt.

"Yes," she muttered gently touching her cheek. She frowned as it felt warm. Concern blossomed on Varric's face as he brought out a slightly dirty piece of cloth and then pressed it to her cheek rubbing it. "What are you"

"Oh relax Seeker, I'm just making sure that your wound isn't infected." Varic looked towards the two mages sternly. Without further asking, Vivienne walked forward and raised her hand gently placing it on Cassandra's cheek. Calling forth her magic, a bright blue light appeared in the palm of her hand over the wound.

Quickly, the gash that had scarred Cassandras right cheek began to retreat as the skin began to knit itself back together at an exceeded pace. Within only a minute, the entire skin had been healed leaving no mark and unblemished skin.

"Thank you" Panting again, Cassandra leaned back against the damp mossy wall breathing in and out slowly as she allowed air to fill her lungs. "We need to move on, find where this leads and then close the passage." She eyed Solas. "Do you think that these attacks are the result of this Magister" Solas shook his head.

"No most likely the Darkspawn just tunnelled this part out."

"Well we should get moving, the faster we close this passage the faster we leave the Darkspawn" Varric shivered, as much as he tried not to think about that time when he had found the idol in that odd Thaig, it was no use. Constantly those memories haunted him. Whether it was the first time that his own brother had betrayed him and left him for dead or the ever lingering sense of death and decay from the Darkspawn, the DeepRoads was a bad time. On the other hand, one memory still struck him as bizarre. Even now he wondered how that odd Dwarven boy had managed to freeze that ogre and kill the rest of the Darkspawn with "Not Enchantment" whatever the Maker that meant. Then again considering what happened down there it was likely for the best if he didn't know.

"Yes, I agree. The quicker we leave this ugly cave the better" Varric said nothing, knowing that woman, as soon as she got back to Haven she was going to have some kind of fancy party or bath. Andraste's tits he knew he and the Seeker needed one covered in the blood and guts that they were.

Ten minutes later after weaving and bobbing through twisting and turning tunnels, the group finally emerged from the dark tight confines of the tunnel and walked into the cold dead bask of the Deep Roads. They said nothing as they stared at the barren and abandoned road of a once mighty empire. Once long ago it would have been used to transport goods underground from all corners of the continent. Now though it was just a stark reminder of the power of the Darkspawn. Curious as to how his dwarven friend would react, Solas looked at Varric

What he had expected to see was a man with some sense of loss or nostalgia for a time when his race was more powerful and influential. Instead, he just saw raw memories etched on the man's face and a sense of high discomfort. Not once in anywhere in the man's eyes did he see any sort of sadness for what his people had lost.

"I'm surprised you're not upset at seeing this place Varric." That caught the mans attention. "Your people were a mighty empire once. These roads ran all throughout Thedas connecting the Anderfells to Ferelden. Now they are gone, defiled by Darkspawn left as nothing but tombs and memories of a greater time" Solas stared at the dwarf expecting to see some kind of reaction on the man's that indicated that he could return to what his people were once.

"And why would that be the case Chuckles? I'm no Orzzamar dwarf, I have no connection to this place." Solas stepped back his eyes fluttered with shock. That had not been the reaction he was expecting. "What's the matter Chuckles, can't believe such a thing"

"I'm just surprised. Do you not feel any connection to the Stone?" Varric rolled his eyes in a bored fashion looking over at the remains of the once decorative area with a small sense of derision.

"No, I don't even know what the "Stone" is other than something that "Proper Dwarves" worship. I can't even see why a person would want to live underground. The air tastes like piss, it's far too dark and it's all so dull, like watching a bad romance novel over and over" Cassandra scoffed slightly offended.

"Do you not have any interest in learning?"

"Of course not, why would I want to be part of the Stone or some shit when I can be me. Who knows, if I became part of the Stone, would that make me no longer me?. I like being me, I like telling stories and meeting new people. If the Stone changed that?." Solas bowed his head slowly his eyes scrunched in intense thought. After only a brief time had passed, Solas gave his friend a smile.

"Very well Varric I will respect your choice" Solemnly Solas turned his focus back onto the deep roads. He felt sorry for such a mighty race, to be reduced to only one lone city from a continent-spanning empire was a social collapse if he had ever heard one. Worse if those who settled away no longer even considered themselves connected to the other dwarves. Idly he wondered if the dwarves could truly survive the way they have been or would instead they collapse and fade to nothing but a footnote in history.

With a quick minute of checking that there were no other tunnels or caves in nearby, the group nodded before turning around again and walking the same route out that they had come in appearing in the cold wet and still stormy terrain of the Storm coast.

"Chuckles if you would" Stepping forward, Solas conjured his power allowing it to flow freely through his body gathering in strength as a small light of red energy grew in size and brightness. Thrusting his staff forward, the ball of light flew forward with a powerful shove slamming into the stone wall above the tunnel entrance where it detonated with a loud explosion. Rocking the stone all around it, the tunnel collapses almost instantly with a miasma of heavy dust coasting the group from head to toe. "Now can we go home Seeker"

After a quick cursory glance at the tunnel's now barricaded entrance, the Seeker nodded her head and began the long trudging walk all the way to Haven.

They didn't make it far up the coast however when once more they came under attack. This time unlike the last however was not punctuated by the gurgling and screaming sounds of tainted creatures with ichor pouring out of their eyes and mouth with bleach white skinned and malicious evil eyes. These attackers were humans or they were believed to be humans. Their stature was too tall for them to be dwarven and too broad to be an elf. They were almost certainly not a Qunari as then the attackers would have towered over them by about two feet on average; Far higher in Varric's case.

With good timing, Cassandra blocked the oncoming with her shield before then pulling it back slightly and rammed it headfirst into the attackers face with a jaw-shattering smash. Another one came at her, however, this time she noted the presence of Solas forcing her to rapidly raise her shield once more. Barrelling past her at ridiculous speed, the attacker's entire top half from the legs up was turned into a red paste as a fist of hard stone pounded the enemy. Turning her attention to Solas, she glared as once again she knew she was going to have to spend time picking blood and guts out of her hair.

"Why does magic have to be so messy" She growled. Her short black hair that had been doused in the blood of her enemies and had gone dry now began to trickle down her face as a freshly applied batch of intestines struck her face. Only by years of renowned skill and experience did she stop herself from swallowing a person tongue as it jammed into her throat. Throwing her body forwards, Cassandra spat out the tongue in disgust. Straight after she collapsed to one knee as she summoned her willpower and stared at the floor fighting the ever-increasing need to vomit. She understood now why Templars hated working with mages who attacked the front ranks of the enemy.

Off in the distance, the sound of a heavy bolt crunching through heavy armour told her that Varric had yet again taken down another foe. Heaving herself back onto her legs once more the dark-haired woman swallowed the small amount of vomit that she fleet in her throat and charged at an archer that had been left alone.

With a great slash, she split the woman from collarbone to waist pouring open the contents of his stomach spilling down onto the ground. Soon followed was the archer a look of cold fear and shock on her. Crying in rage, Cassandra was alerted to another attacking woman. Without any thought, she sidestepped the charging pike getting past her defences where she then thrust her blade into the woman's neck and pulled it to the side nearly decapitating her.

Once more after Cassandra had taken the life of another attacker this time a man where she had chopped of his legs, Cassandra was glad that she had the power of mages on her side. She would never want to be a mage, being born with such a curse was in her mind only a horrible experience to live with. Yet in battle, despite her fears of the sheer power and death that it could inflict onto others, she was pleased that she had the protection of mages.

With the free time now allotted to her, Cassandra took the time to observe Solas. The elven mage had always made her curious and set her on edge. Not only was he an apostate, but he was an apostate who according to him had spent more time in the Fade than any other Mage she had heard about. He was certainly gifted in his talents, and his time in the Fade fighting demons certainly showed clearly. His stance was strong, his spellcasting higher than that of the average circle mage and he easily knew what was around him preventing any type of ambush. His experience spoke volumes in his style. Other mages had a tendency to be flashy with their magic, giving little flourishes to their spells or extra gestures to help control the direction of their magic. Solas, on the other hand, did things in a very natural smooth way that indicated he had seen far more than his fair share of fights.

Yet despite this, she noted that while he seemed to favour fire in his more offensive repertoire, in general, he preferred to use more fade oriented spells. It wasn't the easiest thing to put into words, but she would describe Fade Spells as using more power in its raw form. Fire, Ice and Lightning were used by using the Fade to change reality in the material world. What Solas did, in contrast, was not call forth those powers often but instead use the fade itself to catapult enemies with force into the air and toss them around like ragdolls in a hurricane.

It was an impressive and awe-inspiring sight alongside being absolutely terrifying. She could only imagine what it would feel like to be in Solas's grasp once he took hold of you. One moment your feet were on solid ground and the next all you can feel is weightless as your mind caught up to where you were. Once it did, the mind then likely screamed itself hoarse as it shit itself coming to the realisation that they were about to die with nothing to stop it.

Solas was like a High Dragon trying to sneak around a store of pottery. Powerful awe-inspiring and an involved awful lot of screaming, explosions and guts flying everywhere.

Vivienne, on the other hand, was far more predictable in how she faced her attackers. Having been raised in the Circle, she used that knowledge and education bringing forth the power of the three offensive elements. Like Solas and Valeyna did when they entered combat, Vivienne called forth a barrier around herself granting a temporary reprieve from damage. While it did not last long with her being forced to renew it on a constant regular basis as it ran out, in that time that she was safe she wiped out opponent after opponent.

Compared to Solas's practical fighting which had been formed by a lack of formal teaching, Vivienne was like a dancer on the field. Her legs did not move much beyond the slight repositioning of her feet so that she could bring her staff forward in its swing. Her hands and head, on the other hand, swayed beautifully like a leaf dancing merrily in the wind during a gentle autumns breeze only to be interrupted by the unneeded twirl of her staff and elegant movement. Alongside her more noble clothes, she really did stand out of the background.

With her cocky attitude, Cassandra had a feeling that she wanted to be seen by the enemy. She wanted to either punish or pleasure them with her opponent's last thoughts being of her with a smug smile gracing her lips. She was the centre of attention, the one who at balls would make loud announcements and draw all eyes to her so that she could impress anyone who saw her. For the First Enchanter, an act it seemed always had to be put on.

"That was some fine work Enchanter."

"Oh. It is good to know that you can see talent when you see it, Darling. However to you as well" Solas bowed his head and gave the woman a respectful look.

"Why thank you. I withheld my concern about your skill until after we faced a more deadly opponent. Darkspawn are not particularly skilled in combat" Cassandra wondered if she should debate that. Darkspawn had killed hundreds of thousands of people maybe even more over the five Blights, they had also killed Grey Wardens, Kings and even the greatest warriors and mages.

"What makes you say that Chuckles."

"The only strength the Darkspawn possess is their numbers. Without that, they are nothing but mere beasts. To determine one's proper skills, they must see how they fare against an intelligent opponent." Varrick thought back to that Magister back in that tower. Perhaps it was only certain Darkspawn that had that level of intelligence, maybe all of them did. Didn't Blondie once mention something about some strange Darkspawn called the Architect that the Hero of Ferelden had killed? Not to mention that he had also given the other Darkspawn the ability to talk. He shivered at the idea of talking Darkspawn besides that magister. What the fuck was wrong with the world?

"I concur, although I much would have preferred to see how you would have fared against a Templar or Mage. The opponents who are resistant to our powers makes it all the easier for us to see which one of us has been taught the greater techniques. Tell me where did you learn your powers Solas, they certainly aren't taught by the Circle." It was rather easy to pinpoint what the Enchanter meant Solas knew.

It was a common trait among all circle mages to cast their spells in a certain pattern going step by step by step. With time it became second nature like how a blacksmith would strike the steel on an anvil with complete accuracy. Less known however, was that with time, the pattern became harder to detect as sharp instruction like motions were gradually replaced with flowing ones.

Solas could still see the pattern that Vivienne used when she fought. Even though Vivienne possessed a lifetime of experience and casting spells likely on a daily basis, her lack of combat experience still shone through clearly. She refused to take some shortcuts on her spells that would increase her casting speed, and her feet were unused to unsteady ground. Her staff was also apparently a hassle as the normally heavier staff that was used for aesthetics to impress many a noble was now hindering her ability.

"I'm self-taught. There was nothing for a young boy in a small village to do when he had magic so I taught myself everything that I could. When I experienced the Fade I spoke to Spirits befriending them learning from them and helping them from time to time. With time I was able to recognise demons and how to avoid their tricks." Vivienne narrowed her gaze sharply at the man.

"So you were vulnerable to demons in your youth then? How did the Templar's not discover you?."

"I was very careful apostate, Enchanter." Smiling at her, Solas took great delight in the way her eyes glimmered for a brief moment in annoyance. Knowing her, the woman would have used any contacts she might have had to try and discover all the information that she could on him. Most assumedly she would want to gather blackmail on him and use it as leeway for some sort of political machination. What? he did not know, yet he had little worry. There was very little an eleven apostate could offer a Grand Enchanter besides joining one of her ridiculous circle towers.

"So it seems. Although one does wonder what your plans are after the Inquisition has completed its mission." Inspecting her staff, Vivienne tutted as she noticed a stain of red blood situated on the top of the golden Orlesian lion. It had been a gift from Empress Celene when she had first entered her employ, a way for her to represent the Empire. She may have only been the court Enchanter, but ultimately such a symbol represented the power of not only Celene but also of Orlais a whole. It was only a few specks of blood, nothing major and nowhere near in the state that Cassandra was with her armour coated red to toe in blood. Sighing, she mentally thought of the best time to add it to her schedule.

There were so many things for a busy woman like her to do. There was meeting with the few nobles that had bothered to turn up to Haven and see what this Inquisition was all about. There was the footbath that she had brought, her feet needed regular care and maintenance to look as good as they did and there was also her attempts to make contact with the Herald and advise her.

"I will do as I have. I will travel the world visiting places of interest and learning their secrets in the Fade"

"You do not seriously believe that you would be allowed to wander once this is all done, my Dear. You are an apostate, under normal circumstances, you would be inducted to the Circle." Solas gave the woman a small smirk shaking his head lightly. Staring into the distance, he idly thought about where that dragon had flown off; So powerful and free, it would make for a good symbol for the rebel mages.

"I will leave the Inquisition once this is all done"

"And if the Templar's tried to stop you" Curious as to what the bald elf was gazing at in the distance, Vivienne grunted as she only saw the dark storm clouds raining above them covering her nice dress in rain. Ferelden truly was a terrible country. It was a good thing then that King Marric had won the war lest other Orlesian's be forced to live in such a dire and dreary place.

"I would kill them" Solas sounded almost happy in his words. Cassandra resisted the urge to stare at him in concern. Solas was an ally of the Inquisition, he was their expert on the Fade, the one who had inspected the mark on the Heralds' hand. Alongside young Nathanael, he was one of the first mages to lend their aid to the cause of the Inquisition and had already proved his worth to the order. He may not agree with the Templars, but to outright state that he would kill Templars if they attempted to prevent him from leaving.

"You would not try to reason with them?" Vivienne inquired carefully. Solas was powerful, he may have had the least flashy magical fighting style she had ever come across in the entirety of her career as a First Enchanter, but he was a powerful mage and one who without a doubt knew what they were doing. With the Templars already weakened, it was obvious that pursuing or hunting a mage of Solas's calibre and knowledge would prove difficult.

"What could there be to reason First Enchanter. The Templar's would desire for me to stay with the Inquisition and when I would refuse, they would draw their swords and attempt battle. Should I spare their lives then more would come after me, should I take them then the same occurrence would befall." Getting bored of this conversation, Solas walked over to Cassandra who had been inspecting the bodies of the men they had just killed.

"These aren't bandits Seeker, their faces are too well groomed and they all seem to be wearing blue. Their clothes aren't as thick as they should be if their living out of tents" Kneeling down next to one of the corpses, Varric, inspected the clothing the attackers had been wearing for any more clues.

Besides the rich blueness of their clothes, something that would not normally be possible because of the cost of such a fine royal colour, their clothes did not appear in the slightest that they had been torn up and attacked. There were no stitch marks where more material had been sown leaving patches, and the chainmail was also of a higher quality than that of what bandits could afford.

Picking up one of the discarded weapons, Varric peered at it closely inspecting the quality of the steel with a well-trained skill that came after years of being in not only trade but also killing people. The latter of which, may have had more to do with his skill.

"Seeker, these guys definitely aren't bandits" It was almost certain, the few times a Bandit could get hold of a good weapon or set of armour was before during or after a war. When armies were equipped with weapons, there would often be stragglers who ran away and some who tried to smuggle out the weapons that they owned. That was how during the blight in Ferelden so many bandits had good weapons and why the quality of bandits around Kirkwall with Hawke was so poor.

The other way to get hold of good weapons besides stealing them was to purchase them, and as every commoner knew, weapons were expensive. Basic weapons cost several silver, decent quality ones even more and high-quality weapons were several gold. It was why weapons pedlars only ever brought a small number of weapons or armour with them when they travelled on their little carts. Only Templars were able to purchase such weapons.

"Do you have any idea Varric" Concerned, Cassandra gripped the sword in her hand a little tighter. If these people weren't bandits, then the most likely conclusion she could come up with was that they were the ones who were responsible for the Divines death.

"They're not Venatori, Tevinter's generally wearing black and they had no mages with them. I think they could be part of some kind of cult"

"A cult" Vivienne scoffed loudly. "Whoever would put their cult on the side of such a place like this?"

"They could be trying to hide from the authorities or they may be using the threat of the Darkspawn to deter people from visiting" Cassandra replied also confused.

"If they wished to hide, then there are better places to do so. Attacking people out in the open is not a very sensible idea especially one as well armed as we are. More likely the group attacked us for another reason" Cassandra agreed with Solas, if these people had truly desired to hide, then they would have done a better job staying out of the way and hiding from anyone that came near them. Going around attacking people was not the best way to direct attention. In fact, they had only gained their attention.

"There could be something else going on" Varric commented. "If a cult wears this type of clothing, then they won't attack just anyone "Cassandra's eyes widened and a small amount of anger bloomed within her.

"They knew we are part of the Inquisition. But why would they attack us?" Varric racked his memories for any specific group of people he knew who would try to kill the Inquisition besides the usual suspects. They hadn't been hired to attack to them if they had then they would have worn higher quality armour not to mention something less flashy and uniform in look.

"Could it be the Chantry?" Solas asked Cassandra.

"No, if it was the Chantry then they would have sent someone less obvious. This is someone different entirely" Blinking, Cassandra looked at the others seriously. "We need to check the area, make sure that there aren't any others. If there are then we kill them all" The others nodded in agreement although Cassandra wished that she had come on a day when the Storm Coast wasn't experiencing a storm.

Touching her face gently, she coughed revolted as the blood still spilt down the rest of her face and onto her armour. On the plus side, being in the middle of a buffeting storm with howling blasting winds and a never-ending heavy downpour of water allowed for the rain to slowly wash the blood off her face and hair cleaning her. All the same she as taking a bath the moment they got back to Haven.

"I'm surprised that we didn't receive any reports from the scouts, in fact where are the scouts?" A sense of horror and dread poured down Cassandra's back as she heard Solas's comment. So far they had witnessed a bunch of Darkspawn, a High Dragon, a Giant and a bunch of raving lunatics who went around attacking anyone they could. Their disappearance with nobody at the camp could only mean that they had all met some kind of gruesome end.

She didn't know which one would be worse, slaughtered by mindless Darkspawn where they would consume the corpses, eaten whole and alive by a giant flying lizard that spouted fire and could easily cook them all to death. Perhaps the giant had taken them and roasted slowly them over some type of giant-sized fire. Maybe even this bunch of crazy cultists had taken them to their secret hideout and eaten them there. All in all, she couldn't decide which fate would be worse for the poor scouts.

"Were the scouts assigned here female" Cassandra knitted her eyebrows in confusion at first before they rapidly turned to ones of horror. She thought back to the mission briefing that Leliana had told given her. That briefing had included the names of the scouts in the area. All of them had been female.

"Oh that isn't good" Varrick shut his eyes tightly silently in respect for the dead. It was too late for the scouts if what they believed was true. If the scouts had been taken, then it was highly likely that the Darkspawn had taken them back through the tunnel they had collapsed into the Deep Roads. From there the women would be subjected to the cruel torture of being corrupted into Broodmothers.

"Seeker perhaps they got delayed by something or were taken by the Cultists" Speaking up, Varric tried to give Cassandra some form of hope. Briefly, the woman seemed to gain some, but it was lost soon after with the reality of their world set in. She hadn't thought much of the camp when they had arrived, other than being abandoned which was a bit suspicious, there had been no signs of battle.

There was supposed to be at least one agent who would have met them and give them an update on the Storm Coast. It wouldn't have been Harding as she was currently in the Hinterlands keeping an eye on Redcliffe, but there would have been someone else.

"Or perhaps they were eaten by the dragon" Vivienne cheerfully piped in. "Only once we take out these cultists or whoever they are will we know what happened" Varrick rolled his eyes at the woman.

"You just want to get out of the rain don't you" Vivienne sniffed upwards haughtily.

"This weather is hardly reasonable" She replied tersely glaring at the storm above as if she was trying to command it to bend down to her will and follow every single order she commanded. Unsurprisingly, the weather did not care about what one stuck up mage thought and instead pelted the nearby area with water.

"You know you could have worn something more practical then a dress to this place Iron Lady" With their new objective in their minds, the group followed Cassandra as they trod on dirt paths, squelched through large soggy grass coating their shines with so much water that their woollen clothes stuck to them like a second skin. As they kept on advancing, they came across another group of cultists but like before they were unable to call out to them to negotiate any sort of settlement to stop the violence and prevent the wholesale destruction of the attacking group. Before the group knew it, they had all been butchered leaving nothing but corpses to be looted or fed upon depending on the individual that found them.

A little while later, they started to face more of the attackers and their numbers swelled. They charged the moment they saw Cassandra's group and they were killed rather quickly as magic, and crossbow bolt struck them before Cassandra had a chance to approach them. Finally, after hours of fighting and exploring this Maker forsaken coast, they came across the enemies base.

It possessed a small wooden palisade around some small wooden houses. Sounds of thundering feet were apparent as a bunch of archers rushed to the battlements drawing their bows ready to shoot at the Inquisition they moved into range. Then a man came forth. Unlike the others, he was dressed in a crimson red and was an older tougher looking man who had seen some things during his life. Through it was only a brief view inside the fortress, it was all that was required for the group to determine that the scouts had not been kidnapped by this cult.

Vivienne turned to Solas. "Fire?"

"Fire" Without a further word spoken, the two mages casually walked to an equal distance space form the wall outside of the range of the archers. At first, the archers seemed confident in the strength of their wooden palisades, it would require more than an elf, a dwarf, a human and a qunari to beat them. That confidence rapidly turned to panic as Solas and Vivienne began channelling their magical power visibly showcasing the spells that were casting. Fire sprang forth from their staffs and the soldiers of the cultists instantly brought open the gate jumping from the battlements in some form of cover.

It was too late.

Fire sprang forward from the two staves, crashing into the wooden palisades with a mighty roar louder then any dragon. Archers were lifted off the ground by the shockwave sent tumbling into the air and smashing into the stone sides of the mountain that had surrounded their encampment smashing against them. Other's were cooked alive in an instant, their skin charred black as smoke rose up. The majority were wiped out instantly, incinerated by the initial blast reducing them from life forms to nothing but ash blowing in the wind as their encampment caught fire and blazed out of control killing anyone who might have escaped the blast.

"Okay time to go home" Placing his crossbow on his back, Varric did his best to mute the sounds of screaming as the last few survivors choked on the smoke and ash falling into their lunged suffocating them. Had he turned around to watch, then he would have witnessed as men and women clutched at their throats collapsing to the ground vomiting violently unable to move.

He was just glad that the Herald was going after the Mages then the Templars. Templars could cut him up and stick an arrow in his chest but mages were terrifying at times. As much as Hawke was his friend, the sheer ease in which she could feel entire groups of enemies by frying them with lightning, or incinerating them with fire or even turning a bandit into an icicle was frightening. The last thing that the Herald needed if she close to going with the Templars was a bunch of angry mages who could very likely wipe out entire armies if they so desired.