A/N: How's it going, everyone? Anyone else doing the social distancing while the COVID-19 is going on? Anyway, I was hoping to space apart the posting of this chapter from my other story, but I'm a little impatient to do so. So, next chapter, coming right up!
All Elvhen used in this story is thanks to FenxShiral on AO3.
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age. That right goes to BioWare. The only things I own are my OC Herald and the plot. The Toymaker belongs to Flamewing80.
Still looking for a Beta Reader! PM me if you're interested!
"Hello" - talking
'Hello' - thinking
"Andaran atish'an" - Elvhen
Chapter 2
"Now, we were going somewhere?" I raise an eyebrow at them, a smirk on my lips.
Solas POV
The Seeker, Varric and I can only stare at the prisoner as she stands in front of us, a smirk on her face and posture relaxed. She has her left hand on her hip, right hand hanging at her side, and you wouldn't know by looking at her that she couldn't even walk just minutes before from the pain she was experiencing. And now she stands there, with all the confidence in the world. Where does she get this inner strength from? To be able to persevere through such a horrific injury as a child that most full-grown adults wouldn't have?
Shaking my head, a slight smirk pulls on my lips, as I stand up to join her. Cassandra and Varric do the same.
"Are you sure you're alright to continue?" Cassandra asks her, looking her over with her eyes.
She gives a light laugh, and my heart skips a beat at the sound. 'It sounds like bells.'
She rolls her violet eyes at the Seeker's newfound protectiveness. "I'd be more sure if I had my cane right now," she looks at the Seeker. "Speaking of my cane, was it found on or near me? It's made of wood with metal embellishments and can collapse into four pieces."
The Seeker thinks for a moment before replying, "I believe something like that was found near you. I think Leliana had her scouts put it in her tent back at Haven." The prisoner blanches at that. "Do you need it right now?"
She grins at us, "No, I'm fine for now." The grin then fades from her lips. "But the quicker we deal with all this shit and the Breach, the sooner I can rest my back."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" asks Varric, readjusting Bianca on his back.
We all nod as Cassandra takes the lead. She leads us to the remains of a wooden fence, before jumping over it. "This way, down the bank." is all she says as she waits for the rest of us on the other side.
Varric lumbers his way over it, but I hang back with the prisoner. I look at her back and leg, then the fence.
"Will you be able to get over unassisted?" I ask her, and I see her eyes widen a little. Honestly, I am surprised at myself as well for offering. 'What is wrong with me?'
Her eyes look towards me as she says, "'Ma serannas, for offering, but I can do this," before she runs for the fence.
Thank you
For a moment I fear that she will run into the fence, before she grabs onto the top of it with both hands, and vaults over it with more grace than most halla have, auburn ponytail flowing behind her. My ears burn at the thought. 'Why does she have this effect on me?' I ask myself as I follow her over.
We make our way down the path that hugs the side of the mountain. The path drops to a frozen creek on our right. It is as we descend the path that leads to a small lake that we all hear a sound that we recognize instantly.
"Demons ahead!" I yell as I bring my staff from my back to my hands. I see the Seeker draw her sword and shield and Varric prep his crossbow. Behind me I hear the sound of a bowstring being drawn, and look back to see that the prisoner has nocked an arrow, holding the bow angled down until the demons are in view.
I quickly cast a barrier spell over us as Cassandra charges ahead to engage, and I see the prisoner leap to the small incline above the lake, releasing an arrow into one of the wraiths in the distance. Her target disappears in an explosion of energy, and I throw spells of fire and lightning at one of the two shades. Varric fires bolts from his crossbow at the back of a Greater Shade that is engaging the Seeker, and I see the prisoner take out the other wraith before focusing on the shades as well.
Together, the prisoner and I focus our attacks on our targets, and I begin to notice a slight shine come from the heads of her arrows that I recognize as magic. Fascinating. Does she know she is augmenting her arrows? Or is this done subconsciously? I shake my head after a moment. Such curiosity can be satisfied later.
It isn't long before the fight is over and we are exploring the area. Besides a few coins and trinkets in the two cabins, the western one engulfed in flame, and a few more demons further west in a shallow cave, there is nothing else.
It is as we are exiting the cave heading back to the lake, and to a set of stone steps there, that I remember the wording the prisoner had used earlier. I look at her to get her attention in order to get some of my questions answered.
"I have noticed before that you referred to yourself and your mother as being separate from the Dalish."
She looks at me for a moment before she responds. "You are correct. The closest term to what we are would be Alas'lan."
"Person of the earth," I automatically translate. "So you have never lived in a city?"
She laughs, and I have to stop myself from reacting to the bell-like tone. "Wasn't even born in one!" She grins at me, "Spent most of my childhood exploring the woods near our house," she pauses for a moment, as if thinking of something, before continuing. "Though, there was a Dalish clan that we would trade with."
I raise an eyebrow at that. "I am surprised. Most clans would never associate themselves with non-Dalish elves."
She nods her head at that. "You'd be correct. But Clan Lavellan weren't as..." she pauses, "what's the word I'm looking for?" Was? Weren't?
"Hard-assed as the others?" Varric chimes in, she laughs and I can't help it this time, I grin at the sound.
"Not the exact words I was looking for, but close enough. We traded with them until the Blight, then they moved north out of Fereldan and haven't come through the area since. Mamae and I moved north shortly after them, but returned after the Blight was over."
"Fascinating. And it was Clan Lavellan this "Toymaker" was visiting when he heard about your situation?" I ask her. She nods again.
"Yes. He would usually come through the area once or twice a year. Though it's been a few years since his last visit, so don't be surprised if he shows up at Haven in a few days," the last part was aimed at Cassandra.
"How do you know that he will come to Haven?" Cassandra asks her.
"No matter how late he is, he'll always show up, sooner or later. That, and he can track any item that he's enchanted," she taps her brace for emphasis. "He's never told me how he does it, though," she complains, a pout on her lips.
At this point, we have walked passed the burning cabin and are on our way to the clearing before the stone stairs, when the prisoner's mark flares up. She lets out a grunt in pain as she shakes her hand. I see her clench and unclench her fingers repeatedly, as if the motions would help alleviate the pain.
"Shit... are you alright?" Varric asks her, and I can see her grit her teeth.
"My magic cannot stop your mark from growing further," I lament, wishing I could do more for her. "For your sake, I suggest we hurry."
The mark calms down and her body relaxes. "Then we better hurry," is all she says, determination on her face, before she picks up her pace. The rest of us hurry to follow after her.
"So," Varric breaks the silence as we start to ascend the stairs, "... are you innocent?" he asks her.
"I don't remember what happened," the prisoner states, seemingly agitated at that fact.
"That'll get you every time. Should have spun a story," Varric says.
"That's what you would have done," Cassandra scowls at him.
"It's more believable, and less prone to result in premature execution," Varric states back at her.
At the top of the stairs is another group of demons that we quickly defeat before we traverse the path up the mountain.
"I hope Leliana made it through all this," worries the Seeker, as we travel up the path.
"She's resourceful, Seeker," Varric reassures her.
We see a small set of stairs, and a faint green glow beyond them. It is at that point that the prisoner's mark flares, but in a different manner from before. A warning to a nearby rift, perhaps?
Climbing the steps as quickly as we can, we draw our weapons as we come into view of the closed gate that leads to the forward camp, as well as the rift and the demons surrounding it. There are also two soldiers, behind a set of make-shift barriers that are shielding them from the energy blasts of the two wraiths attacking them.
"Another rift!" yells the Seeker, charging into the fray.
"We must seal it, quickly!" I yell, slinging a bolt of ice off the top of my staff at a wraith.
The two soldiers notice us. "They keep coming! Help us!" one of them yells, ducking behind the barricade to avoid an attack before firing back with his crossbow.
Varric and the prisoner stay back, firing from their weapons, before the prisoner gets a contemplative look on her face.
"Cover me!" she yells, before darting for the rift.
"What the?!" Varric yells in shock, and I have to think the same thing. 'What is she thinking?'
We all see what her idea is as she raises her hand to the rift. We all watch as, instead of the rift being sealed as before, it releases a burst of energy that stuns the remaining demons. Taking advantage of their current states, we all hurry to defeat them.
As soon as the last demon falls, she raises her left hand again. This time, when the mark and the rift connect, the rift slams shut the moment she yanks her hand back. The rift disappears soon after.
"The rift is gone! Open the gate!" commands the Seeker, the two soldiers jumping to obey her.
I look back at Varric and the prisoner. The dwarf is checking over his crossbow for damage. I look to where the prisoner is, sipping on a potion while her weight is noticeably mainly on her left leg. 'So her back is bothering her again,' I think to myself while walking over to her.
She visibly starts when I place my hand on her lower back, my hand lighting up in healing magic. I can feel the tightness of the muscles in her mid to lower back, the areas most affected from the attack. And I concentrate my magic there, sensing the nerves that lead to her right leg being restricted from the muscle tightness. I slowly inject heat into my magic and watch her body visibly sag as the tension in her muscles disappears. After a few more seconds, I remove my hand to look at her.
"We are clear for the moment. Well done," I tell her, and her ears turn pink again. Curious. Is she really that unused to praise? Or from me helping her?
"Whatever that thing in your hand is, it's useful," states Varric, walking over while slinging his crossbow onto his back.
She snorts. "Let's hope it can seal the Breach," she mutters under her breath, but my ears pick it up.
"You do not believe it can?" I ask her, and she jumps in surprise. I hide my smirk from her as she turns to face me.
"If you haven't noticed, but every rift I close sucks more energy out of me, and the mark is constantly absorbing my magic. I just want to fall asleep right here and now, but there are who knows how many more rifts out there and the Breach to seal. Will I have enough left for that?" She tells me. And for the first time, I can see what she means. She looks tired, her eyes are drooping a little and her walking is a little uncoordinated. I can also feel that even though her magic reserves are recovering, it's slow to replenish, and some of it is being constantly siphoned off by the mark. But I can also see that she's putting up a strong front for everyone.
'How many times has she had to put aside her own needs for others? And is she right about the mark not having enough power?' are the only questions in my mind as we all step through the gate and into the forward camp.
The first thing I notice when I step though the gate, Varric and Solas behind me, is how hopeless the soldiers look. They're either just standing there, or huddled up at makeshift campfires, dejected looks upon their faces. Well, it's not as bad as that one soldier back on the first bridge who was rocking back and forth in the fetal position. On either side of the camp are weapons, tables and corpses, wrapped up and ready for transport.
There is a makeshift apothecary set up, and I ask Cassandra if it's alright if I go through it for more potions. She nods and I walk over to it, seeing what they have. I'm in luck. Not only do they have elfroot potions, but stamina draughts as well. I grab a couple more elfroot, and five of the stamina.
Immediately uncorking one of the stamina and downing it, I feel more awake as I walk over to the racks of weapons, looking for another quiver of full arrows. Spotting one, I unbuckle my now empty quiver and swap it with the full one, as well as a small dagger that I tuck into my belt at the small of my back. It is then that we all start to hear raised voices down the bridge that is acting as the camp.
We all walk towards the voices arguing back and forth and start to make out who, as well as what they're saying.
"I have caused trouble?" That's Leliana's voice! So the other one is Chancellor Roderick.
I groan in dismay. Solas and Varric look at me. "I have a bad feeling what this is about," is all I say before I turn from them.
"You, Cassandra, the Most Holy - haven't you all done enough already?"
"You are not in command here!" Argues Leliana.
"Enough! I will not have it!" He's even worse than in the game.
I mentally sigh as we walk over to where they are.
The chancellor is the first one to notice us. "Ah, here they come."
"You made it," Leliana almost sounds relieved. Relieved that we made it here safely, or relieved that she's no longer the sole focus of the chancellor's ire? "Chancellor Roderick, this is-"
He interrupts her. "I know who she is." And queue the blaming and threats of arrest. I mentally sigh, again, as I prepare myself for it.
"As grand chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution."
Yeah, Cassandra doesn't look too happy being ordered around like that. "'Order me'? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!" she practically spits the last part out at him.
"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!" he argues back.
"We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor," Leliana cuts in, "as you well know." She looks at us.
"Justinia is dead!" the man practically screams. "We must elect a replacement, and obey her orders on the matter!"
I mentally sigh, yet again. I've always just wanted to skip this conversation, but couldn't, and now I can't even if I wanted to! I feel like crying in exasperation but don't.
"Isn't closing the Breach the more pressing issue?" I ask, moving this along. I sense Solas coming closer to us.
"You brought this on us in the first place!" he yells, gesturing towards me with his left hand. His Scottish-sounding accent is popping through with that rolling 'r' in 'brought'. Which shows that he's from Starkhaven, as Sebastien had the same accent, if I'm correct.
His anger seems to deflate as Cassandra walks toward the table. "Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless." he says dejectedly.
'Oh, Hell no. We are going to do this!' I look at my palm.
"We can stop this before it's too late." says Cassandra, placing a hand on the table.
"How?" asks the chancellor. "You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers." Oh ye of little faith, Chancellor.
"We must get to the temple. It's the quickest route." Cassandra states.
"But not the safest," starts Leliana. "Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains."
"We lost contact with an entire squad on that path," argues Cassandra. "It's too risky."
"Listen to me. Abandon this now before more lives are lost!" urges Roderick.
At that moment, the Breach expels energy again, and even mentally preparing myself for it doesn't help the fact that my mark flaring up is painful. Etunash! Thankfully, I am still on my feet, but I have to grip my wrist with my right hand. I feel a hand on my left shoulder and glance back to see that it is Solas. I feel it as he sends his magic into my body, and I can also feel the mark absorb it, calming down after a moment.
Shit!
Cassandra walks up to me as the mark fully calms. "How do you think we should proceed?"
I look at her, incredulously. "Now you're asking what I think?" It's even more absurd going through this situation in real life. Really?!
"You have the mark." Solas' remark has me looking back at him with a look of flabbergasted disbelief.
"And you are the one we must keep alive. Since we cannot agree on our own..." I look back to Cassandra and think of the options. We could do the mountain path and save the squad, but I don't think my back could handle climbing all those ladders. If we went to the valley, there would be less life lost in the soldiers but the squad in the mountains could be lost. Which one to pick? Or do I?...I have an idea.
I look at Leliana, then Cassandra as I tell them my plan. "We," I point to our current party of four, "will go into the valley. I probably won't survive long enough for the trial. Whatever happens, happens now." I look at Leliana again, "You and a group of your best people will go into the mountain path. If that squad can be saved, we won't leave them to die. The fighting in the valley should hopefully draw the demons away from your group."
They all look at me as if I suddenly sprouted two heads. "What?" I ask them.
"Most people would just pick one or the other," states Varric, and I look back at him with the stink eye.
"Then obviously they didn't care about any potential loss of life that could be lessened," I retort back to him.
Cassandra stares a moment longer before looking at Leliana. "Pick your group, then send a runner to gather everyone left in the valley." Leliana nods and then leaves, but not before glancing back at me. I ignore her as best I can by checking my bow before slinging it on my back.
As we leave for the trail that will take us to the valley I hear Roderick warn Cassandra. "On your head be the consequences, Seeker." What the fuck, Chancellor? It wasn't Cassandra who made the choice. It was me. If anything, he should be blaming me, not her! Jackass.
I slow my pace so that Varric and Cassandra take the lead, and wait for Solas to catch up.
"'Ma serannas for calming the mark. It seems to easily accept your magic." I look at him from the corner of my eye, keeping pace with the group. I see his eyes widen in slight surprise at the remark about my hand and his magic.
Thank you
"Sathem lasa halani, but no thanks are necessary. Tell me, though, how do you know that it easily accepted my magic?"
Pleased to give assistance.
I grin, and I know he sees it as I see his eyes narrow. 'How inquisitive, vana'fen. Trying to ferret out information from me.' "I can feel my magic. And I can also feel the magic in the mark," I clench my fist for emphasis. "Where the two magics merge is turbulent, chaotic. The mark is slowly absorbing my magic, but it readily took in yours." I see him tense, so I defuse his suspicion the best way I can. "Is it because your magic is saturated with the Fade, from your studies?"
Silly Wolf
His body doesn't relax, but I can see that he more surprised at my question than suspicious.
"That could be the case," he starts off slowly, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "I have never met another mage who has studied the Fade as extensively as I have, so I have never had the chance to compare my magical signature to another's before."
"We are almost there!" Warns Cassandra, and we can see the edges of a small camp the soldiers have created, where they briefly rest from the fighting and heal the injured.
We enter the small camp, and look around. I see Cassandra walk over to a soldier, questioning him about something out of earshot. Varric grabs more bolts for Bianca, as well as poking his nose around. And Solas is looking at the racks, probably for a stronger staff to wield.
I see a squad of soldiers charging through the gate separating the camp from the battlefield, and Cassandra runs back to me as the others join up.
"We go now!" Yells Cassandra, and we rush through a dust cloud to see soldiers and demons fighting all around us. We jump into the fight, Cassandra charging in as Solas casts barriers over us and any nearby soldiers before a torrent of lightning leaves his staff, paralyzing a few shades. Varric and I take the high ground to pepper our targets with arrows.
At the edge of the battlefield towards the temple is a large rift; not as large as the Breach, but still larger than the other ones I have sealed.
"Be wary - another fade rift!" Warns Solas. No duh, it's right there. No warning needed.
Closer to the rift there is a sole fighter, and squinting through the light of the rift, I recognize the reddish-black fur mantle the man is wearing over his armor. 'And there's Cullen.'
After clearing out the demons near the gate, we run towards the rift and Cullen. As we reach him, more demons are spat out of the rift. Cassandra and Cullen let out war cries, taunting the wraiths and shades to them, while Varric and Solas attack from a distance. I, on the other hand, make it to the rift unhindered and lift my hand to it. I feel the tug on my magic and tug back, disrupting the rift and stunning the demons. Quickly drawing my bow, I rejoin the group in bringing down the demons before they can recover.
"How many rifts are there?" Asks Varric in the lull between rounds.
"Don't know; don't care right now!" I yell at him, before downing an elfroot potion to recover from a shade's attack.
"We must seal it if we are to get past!" Solas says as only two new demons appear from the rift.
"Quickly, then!" Cassandra urges as and Cullen charge at one of them.
Ah shit, they're Greater Terror demons! Staying as far back as I can from them, I aim at the one that Cassandra and Cullen aren't engaging with, Solas helping me, while Varric aids the two warriors.
I keep wondering why I feel minute drains on my mana whenever I fire my arrows, and it isn't till another is fired that I figure out why. At the head of the arrow is a glow that can only be magic. 'I'm augmenting my attacks?' I think in slight shock.
I then give a shit-eating grin as I get an idea. Drawing my next arrow, I feel for the magic as I draw the bowstring back, but this time I imagine the head being covered in ice. Releasing the arrow I watch as it impacts the Greater Terror in the side, ice erupting where it hit. 'Yes!' I mentally cheer as I keep up the attack. I don't notice Solas look at me with slight shock on his face as I am too elated at my success.
It is not long after my discovery that the two demons are down for the count and I am standing again under the rift. This time the large rift closes with a snap, but not before the mark drains me of more magic than before.
I stagger back in exhaustion, and Solas steadies me so I don't fall over.
"Sealed, as before. You are becoming quite proficient at this." He must have noticed how magically drained I am, as he hands me a lyrium potion.
"You didn't grab any lyrium at the camp because...?" He asks me with a raised eyebrow and slight frown on his face.
I raise my own in response. "They didn't have any," I drawl at him, shivering at the feeling of my mana reserves rapidly filling, but not fully, from the lyrium.
He gets a slight look of realization on his face. "Ah," is the only thing he says as he slowly lets go of me, now that I am steady on my feet.
Varric comes over to us. "Let's hope it works on the big one."
'It won't.' I think to myself, looking towards the temple, and the Breach hanging above it. 'At least, not fully.'
Cullen walks towards us, sheathing his sword. "Lady Cassandra. You managed to close the rift? Well done." He says.
Cassandra turns her body to face me. "Do not congratulate me, Commander. This is the prisoner's doing." I take a couple of steps towards them as they both look at me.
"Is it?" Cullen asks. "I hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of people getting you here." I narrow my eyes at that. 'I'm not the one who unleashed this catastrophe, so it's not my fault that people have and are dying.'
I go for the more diplomatic approach. "I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best." With the best fake smile I can manage on my face. It's either that, or I punch the idiot straight in the mug for blaming me for something that I didn't do.
It seems he'd realized what his tone and words were insinuating, for his voice is more neutral as he next says, "That's all we can ask." Cullen turns to Cassandra and points in the direction of the temple. "The way to the temple should be clear. A runner said that Leliane went through the mountain path? She should be meeting you at the temple soon."
"Then we'd best move quickly. Give us time, Commander," she says first to us, then to Cullen.
"Maker watch over you - For all our sakes." Cullen says, falling back to help an injured soldier retreat back to where they created the small camp.
Moving on towards a drop, we leap and land in the outer parts of the Temple of Sacred Ashes. In front of us are rubble and corpses, lots of corpses. The corpses are arrayed either lying on the ground, kneeling or standing in various poses of horror. All are husks, charred black, fire still licking at them. And all have their mouths open in screams forever silenced in death.
"The Temple of Sacred Ashes," Solas whispers, in horror at the sight in front of us.
"What's left of it," Varric chimes in, just as morose.
Cassandra gestures towards the inner sanctum of the temple. "That is where you walked out of the Fade and our soldiers found you. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was."
We slowly walk towards a miraculously intact hallway that leads to the inner chamber of the temple, looking at the devastation around us. I hear Cassandra and Varric muttering prayers under their breath, prayers for the fallen. And I mutter a small prayer myself, for their souls' safe passage to the i've'an.
Fade
"Do you believe in the Creators?" Solas asks, and I know that he is not happy at that thought, despite the fact that I don't wear vallas'lin.
Blood writing
I am silent for a moment, searching for the memories that come almost instantly. Gathering my thoughts, I speak, "It's a bit complicated. I believe that the Creators were powerful, but not gods. More like powerful mages that ruled over the elves of Elvhenan. At the same time, I believe that there could be many divine beings that co-exist in this world. That's how Mamae and I justified there being so many religions. Whether they actually do?" I shrug my shoulders. "Who knows?"
I can tell that my response has thrown Solas off, while Cassandra and Varric look at me with unreadable looks on their faces.
"So you are an omnist?" He asks me.
Huh. Never thought of it like that.
"I don't know about that," I slowly say, "I'm just more open-minded and tolerant of others' beliefs than most would be."
"If only more people thought like that, there wouldn't be so much conflict," remarks Solas, and I feel my ears burn in what's probably a blush from that comment.
My face takes on a serious look as we walk into the intact hallway. Inside is more rubble, as well as corpses. Taking a 90 degree turn left, then right, we get our first look at the inner sanctuary of the temple. As well as the giant rift being sustained by the Breach high above us. In the inner chamber - the ceiling having been ripped off in the initial explosion - there is a statue of Andraste standing intact, with the exception of its head; that is floating around a beam of energy connecting the rift to the Breach. The rift floats directly in front of the statue, crystals grinding and shifting as it undulates with Fade energy.
"The Breach is a long way up," Varric says, taking a slow turnaround to see as much as he can.
I hear footsteps behind us, and turn. It's Leliana and her group. "You're here. Thank the Maker."
"Did you find the squad?" I ask her, already knowing the answer if she was in time.
"We did. How did you know they were still alive?" she asks me.
"I didn't. I asked you to take that route hoping that they were," I say, and her expression softens a bit.
"My thanks for doing so. The squad contained some of my best scouts," Leliana thanks me and then turns to Cassandra.
"Leliana, have your men take up positions around the temple," Cassandra orders her, and Leliana nods as she then turns to relay the soldiers behind her their orders.
"This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?" She asks me, and I take another look at the rift in front of us.
"I'm not sure how to even start getting up to that thing," I truthfully state.
Solas shakes his head. "No." He says. "This rift was the first, and it is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach."
Cassandra nods. "then let's find a way down. And be careful."
At that, we start moving around the perimeter, Leliana joining us as we find our way down. A few dozen feet later, a deep voice booms around us.
"Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice." Even knowing who that voice belongs to, I still get shivers down my spine from the evil feeling and dread it gives me.
"What are we hearing?" asks Cassandra, caution in her tone.
Solas answers that. "At a guess: the person who created the Breach." Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. But you already knew that.
We keep walking until we see a red glow ahead of us. I know what it is, and the game does not describe the humming or how it draws you to it. I have to fight the seductive call of the blighted lyrium, telling me to get closer to it; to touch it. Instead I move away so that I am walking on the other side of the path across from it. Solas gives me a look as Varric notices the source of the glow. I don't pay any attention to the discussion, trying to drown out the humming from that blighted-be-damned rock.
We continue walking away from it as Solas gives me a look. "Are you alright?" he asks me.
"That took too much concentration to drown out the humming from that rock," I whisper to him, face a bit pale. Before he can respond, the deep voice is back.
"Keep the sacrifice still."
A new voice appears, a woman's. "Someone help me!"
"That is Divine Justinia's voice!" Cassandra exclaims in shock.
We quickly descend a set of stairs, having to duck under a spike of fade-touched rock growing horizontally from the wall. Stopping at the foot of the stairs before a drop to the ground, we prepare ourselves. I grab an elfroot potion and down it, hoping to stave off the pain in my back. Then we drop down to the ground.
Landing in a crouch, I straighten up and make my way towards the statue, and the rift. The mark in my hand reacts to the close proximity of the rift, and I bring it to my face, readying myself for the vision to come.
"Someone help me!" comes Divine Justinia's voice again.
Then my voice is heard, but what we hear is different from the game. "Release the Divine!"
"That was your voice." Cassandra states, a bit shocked. "Most Holy called out to you. But..."
The rift gives off a bright light before the vision forms in front of us. In it, there is the shaded being that I know to be that blighted magister. Across from him is the Divine, restrained by red magical energy and held up in the air. Then in the vision, an image of me appears, bow drawn and arrow sparking with magic.
"Release the Divine!" the vision of me yells out, aiming the arrow towards the shadowed being.
"Run while you can! Warn them!" The Divine yells at Vision Me.
"We have an intruder." the Magister states. He points a long finger at the image of me. "Slay the elf!" The command is heard before the vision explodes in light.
When the light fades and our vision recovers, Cassandra rounds on me. "You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine,is she...? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?" She walks in front of me.
I am exasperated with her questioning and truthfully grind out, "I don't remember!" Not personal memories, at least.
The rift continues to grind and shift above us as Solas explains. "Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place." He turns to face us as Cassandra and I walk towards him. 'When did he get in front of us?' "The rift is not sealed, but it is closed... albeit temporarily. I believe, that with the mark, the rift can be opened, and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."
"That means demons. Stand ready!" Cassandra commands to the soldiers stationed around and above the statue. I hear the soldiers as they ready themselves, drawing their swords or nocking arrows onto bowstrings, my eyes focused on the rift in front of me.
I steel myself for the fight to come, hoping things don't deviate too much from the game, before looking at Cassandra. She nods at me before drawing her own weapon, and I take a few steps closer to the rift before raising my hand. The feeling is similar, yet different to before. I can feel the energy of the rift as my mark latches on, but instead of sealing it, I allow the pathway between the rift and the Fade to strengthen. Until the rift shifts and lets out bursts of energy.
One large burst aims for the ground and when it fades, a large demon covered in horns with seven eyes appears.
Cassandra raises her sword. "Now!" she commands and the archers release their arrows. Unfortunately, as I remember, the Pride demon shrugs them off before letting off a wave of lightning, a dark chuckle leaving it.
As everyone else attacks the demon, I stay out of the way, trying to find an angle to disrupt the rift. I hear Cassandra yell out as she realizes the demon has a barrier, "We must strip its defenses! Wear it down!"
Already on it.
As I get into the perfect position away from its sights, I raise my hand to the rift and yank when the connection is established. As expected, the rift lets off an explosion of energy and the Pride demon falls to its knees.
"The demon is vulnerable - Now!" Cassandra yells, and we all attack it. My arrows are quickly released from my bow, glowing an ice blue as they fly towards the demon and impact, freezing where it impacts. A soldier takes advantage of that, and swings at the demon's abdomen that I had frozen. The demon roars in pain and fury at that and swipes the soldier away from it. I don't see what happens next as I look away and keep firing more arrows until the barrier reappears around it. Then it is more running around for me.
After another disruption of the rift, shades start appearing. Just what we need! I ignore the shades, making sure I am not left alone with them, as I concentrate on firing my augmented arrows at the Pride demon.
The barrier reappears, and now I concentrate on the shades. I reach for an arrow, only for my hand to feel air. "Fenedhis!" I curse aloud, dodging around shades while staying out of sight of the Pride demon.
"Catch!" I hear, and turn around in time to see a closed quiver fly my way. I catch it with my free hand and look up to see that Leliana was the one who had tossed it to me. I nod at her and she nods back before concentrating back on the fight.
It isn't long after that that Varric, Solas, Cassandra and I are penned in on one side of the battlefield, shades blocking us. While Leliana and the soldiers are fighting off the Pride demon on the other. I have been disarmed, my bow having broke while blocking a shade demon's attack, and my dagger is too short to be useful in combat.
I look around me. 'We will be overrun soon,' I think, seeing the fatigue starting to set in the soldiers' movements. I can also see that our group starting to tire as well.
Looking at the remains of my bow, I get an idea. A crazy one, but one that will hopefully work.
"Keep them off me!" I yell to them.
"Will it help?" Varric asks, loading Bianca.
"It'll either help, maim me, or kill me," I chirp back to him.
Cassandra looks at me for a moment before nodding. "Just get me to the rift, then keep them off of me," I add on.
With that, Cassandra lets out a war cry and runs for the right, away from the rift and towards the archers stationed above. Taunted, most of the shades follow after her. At the same time I make a break for the rift, Solas' barrier cast on me and Varric covering me with his crossbow.
Reaching the rift swiftly, I thrust my hand into the air, and probably using a bit more energy than necessary, yank at the connection between the rift and the Pride demon. As soon as the barrier's disrupted, I change gears.
Knowing that I don't have much time before the demon's barrier reappears, I close my eyes to concentrate. Lifting my left arm in front of me as if I were gripping a bow, I concentrate my magic there and push it out of my skin of my palm. I don't open my eyes but know that I've succeeded in that, I then raise my right arm as if I were drawing an arrow. I imagine an arrow of ice, pushing more magic out. I start to sweat, but don't let up as my magic fluctuates to bend to my will.
When I feel the fluctuations cease, I open my eyes to look at the Pride demon. I don't know it, but there is an aura of magic around me, my eyes glowing from within. No, all I am aware of is the magic in my arms and my target.
Narrowing my eyes, I take a moment to aim, then release my magic arrow. It flies through the air with great speed, the magic morphing into the shape of a bird in flight, freezing any shade that it zooms close by into instant blocks of ice, until it impacts the Pride demon dead in the chest. Instantly, before it can realize what had happened, the magic flows from the magical construct into it, until the giant demon freezes from the inside out into a giant block.
A few seconds pass, everyone looking at what was a rampaging demon. Others are looking at the various frozen shades. While some are looking at me, with my arms still raised and magic aura starting to settle. Then, a loud *crack!* is heard as the demon shatters into hundreds of pieces, the frozen shades shattering as well.
All is quiet, the last demon having fallen, before I stagger and look at the rift.
"Seal the rift!" Cassandra yells and I nod at her, even knowing that it will fail this time.
I lift my hand, mark connecting with the rift, and I feel the mark absorbing more magic from me than ever before. I grimace, but continue to try to seal as much of it as I can. More and more, I feel the mark take from me, until there is a loud boom as the energy of the rift shoots upwards to the Breach.
I don't even see that happen, my vision blackening long before I fall.
'Ma serannas - thank you (lit. my thanks)
Alas'lan - Person of the earth. Elves or humans who have been raised within nature, or outside of civilization.
Etunash! - Shit!
Sathem lasa halani - pleased to give assistance
Vana'fen - silly wolf
i've'an - Fade
vallas'lin - designs written in blood upon the face or body of the dalish, used to denote not only clan, but also the personal signature of that person, as well as the god within the elven pantheon that they have chosen as their patron. During Elvhenan, was the blood writing written upon the faces of slaves.
Fenedhis - Fuck
A/N: So, what do you think of the changes I made from canon? Please review. It let's me know what you all think, and I may even use any ideas that are suggested to me in later chapters. With that said, Whitewolf3190 signing off!