Chapter 5: Making Friends
Ruby and her group were heading out of Val Royeaux after their small meeting with some of the major factions. They met with the Chantry, and the sister basically accusing her of murdering the Divine and trying to take her place. Then they met the Templars, led by Lord Seeker Lucius, who deemed them nothing and blew them off. And finally they met with Grand Enchanter Fiona, who came to see the Herald of Andraste with her own eyes. Overall, the visit wasn't a total waste. Hopefully Ruby's speech about working together to close the Breach rattled the Chantry a bit. They also saw that several Templars expressed doubt over the Lord Seeker's choice to dismiss Ruby and the Inquisition.
They also received an invitation to speak with Grand Enchanter Fiona in Redcliffe, so there was that.
"Well, at least we didn't leave without making some impressions." Ruby sighed as they walked through the first gate into the walkway lined with Andraste and her husband statues.
"True, we do have more ground than we did before." Cassandra basically repeated. She was a little disheartened at Lord Seeker's response to them, basically shooting them down and calling them nothing. But, thanks to Ruby, they had done what they came to do.
"It's like I say, something is better than nothing." Varric added.
"No one asked for your input, Varric." Cassandra practically snarled.
"Jeez, what is with the two of you?" Yang questioned. Ruby and Yang had been thinking the same thing about Cassandra and Varric. Varric seemed to go out of his way to bother her and Cassandra just had a massive stockpile of anger against him.
"Well, the story goes the Seeker kidnapped me and forced me to tell the story of my friend Hawke." Varric quickly explained, the group stopped as Cassandra turned to him with an unhappy look.
"That is not what happened!"
"Then please, tell us how it did go?"
"I brought you to the Chantry to explain what happened in Kirkwall that lead up to the Mage Rebellion. You were a part of the group that was at the center of it all." Cassandra explained to everyone.
"Yeah, because that's what happened." Varric scoffed, waving his hand at the Seeker. Ruby saw that Cassandra was starting to get angry, so she stepped in.
"That's enough! The two of you need to learn how to get along!" Ruby barked, tired of the constant arguing. Varric and Cassandra glared at each other for a moment before finally looking away. Ruby buried her hands in her face and groaned as a man in very fancy clothing approached her.
"Pardon me, miss, but would you be the Herald of Andraste?" The man questioned. He was wearing a clean white suit and black pants with a silver mask that covered the upper half of his face.
"Yes, I am." Ruby answered, a little weirded out by the man's attire.
"I have an invitation for a gala event tonight being thrown by Vivienne De Fir. She specifically requested you receive this invitation." The man answered as he handed her the invitation. "You would have received this earlier for you to prepare, but you could not be found at Haven."
"Right, um, thank you?" Ruby replied as she took the invitation. The man bowed and left without another word. "So, what do you guys think?"
"I think you don't really have enough time to get something fancy to wear." Yang joked.
"Very funny. So, should I go?" Ruby questioned.
"They could possibly be a potential ally." Solas pointed out, looking at one of the statues.
"Or his could be a trap." Cassandra added. Ruby scratched her chin in thought since all of those were good points. This was a fancy event, she couldn't exactly just show up in her armor. Then again, it could easily be a way to gain favor with the higher end of the social hierarchy… or be a trap to get her guard down.
"Alright… I'm going. Never know who you're going to meet at things like this." Ruby exclaimed, thinking the benefits outweighed the consequences. The group nodded, understanding that it was important for Ruby to make appearances to promote the Inquisition. Ruby nodded, happy with her executive decision as she turned and started walking. The walk was unfortunately ended as an arrow landed directly at Ruby's feet, just a few inches of taking her big toe off.
"What the!?" Yang cursed as she suddenly went into defense mode. Everyone readied themselves for an attack, but nothing happened. Ruby put her scythe away and picked up the arrow, seeing that it had a note tied to it. She unwrapped it to see that it was written in a large flowing hand and was bordered with doodles.
"People say you're special. I want to help, and I can bring everyone.
There's a baddie in Val Royeaux. I hear he wants to hurt you. Have a search for the red things in the market, the docks and 'round the café, and maybe you'll meet him first. Bring swords.
Friends of Red Jenny"
There was a picture of the market of the market drawn on it, granted it was also a very poorly drawn picture, but it had the general locations marked on it. Ruby turned back to the group who all had confused looks on their faces, no one knowing what to make of it.
"Another trap?" Yang questioned.
"Or another ally." Solas added.
"It's all sunny side up for you, isn't it, Chuckles?" Varric sighed as he collapsed Bianca and put her on his back.
"Well, we aren't in a position to turn away friends… and we still have some time before the event. Might as well get this done." Ruby suggested as she pocketed the note. The group turned back and went on their odd scavenger hunt, finding notes hidden by red clothes. They followed the leads in the locations pretty easily, finding a key, a time and a location. The location was some secluded courtyard on the outskirts of the main city. Ruby was the first to go in, pushing through an iron bar gate into a courtyard with two floors to it.
There were three men in the courtyard, two on the same floor they were and one on the next floor up. The second they spotted Ruby, they drew their weapons, two swords with a bow on the next floor. The archer was quick, already drawing and firing an arrow at Ruby. Luckily, Cassandra had her shield drawn and blocked the arrow that was meant for her, the metal deflecting the arrow and sending it spinning into the air. Varric was next, shooting in front of Cassandra and firing a bolt at the archer, nailing him in the shoulder.
Yang charged forward with a hard roar, ducking under a sword swing and delivering a hard strike straight to his stomach. Unfortunately, the other sword slinger was ready to cut Yang down, but Solas was able to cast a spell, freezing the swordsman in place. Yang didn't hesitate to rear back and swing at the frozen thug, shattering him into a few thousand pieces. Ruby felt all of the color drain from her face as Cassandra drew her blade and charged the lone swordsman. The dueled for but a moment, Cassandra obviously more skilled than the mercenary and cut him down with just a few swings.
Ruby saw all of the blood on the ground, the shattered pieces of the mercenary and the blood on Cassandra's blade and she felt her stomach drop. All she could think about was that Templar back at the Crossroads that she killed, that she murdered. Everyone started to put their weapons away, when the archer stood back up with an arrow ready to put one of them down. Ruby ignored the pit in her stomach and drew Crescent Rose, quickly taking aim and firing a round. The sniper bullet nailed the man straight in the chest, ripping through him as if he were just paper.
The man stumbled and then dropped to the ground, Ruby feeling her lunch start to lift up into her throat. She was able to keep it down, swallowing the lunch and moving forward up the stairs towards the large door that was in the back. She ignored the body by the railing and focused on her objective, the one that wanted to do the Inquisition harm. She pushed through the door and narrowly dodged a fire bolt that was aimed for her head. She looked at the attacker, seeing that it looked like an Orlesian noble wearing a slivery mask and fancy clothing.
"So… it appears you have found me. How much did it cost the Inquisition to do so? It must have set you back immeasurably!" The noble scoffed as he marched back and forth. Ruby looked at the group with a confused look, the rest of them simply shrugging their shoulders. The noble continued "My efforts will go down in the annuls of time!"
"Um… who are you?" Ruby questioned as she put Crescent Rose on her back. The noble looked at her with a look of confusion, and then a look of offense.
"Who am I!? I'm too important to be unknown to you! My efforts!" The noble went on. Ruby would have ignored the rantings, but someone jumped from the small walkway to her left with a bow in hand. She was wearing yellow and black plaid pants with a red top. Her hair was dirty blond and short like hers. She drew her bow and pointed it at the noble, aimed for his face.
"Say what." She announced in a cockney accent.
"What?" the noble attempted to ask, but ended up with an arrow in his mouth. Ruby's lunch decided to make another show, only she wasn't able to keep this one down. She turned away from the body and vomited, unfortunately it all landed on Cassandra's shoes, who simply stood there and took it as she patted Ruby on the back.
"Sorry…" Ruby groaned as she saw the mess she had made.
"It's… okay… it will was off…" Cassandra replied, ignoring the mess. Ruby wiped her mouth off and stood up straight, turning to face her possible ally. The woman had already removed her arrow from the noble and was putting it back in her quiver.
"So, you're the Herald, eh? Got ta tell ya… not too impressed… your friend said you were hot shit… but I beg to differ." The woman exclaimed as she looked Ruby up and down. Ruby felt a little demeaned since she was apparently not what everyone thought she was, but then she thought about what she just said.
"Wait, my friend?" Ruby questioned.
"Yeah… she was around here…" the woman stated as she started looking around. "Where'd she… there! In the shadows!"
Ruby looked over to the shadows where the woman was looking, but she couldn't really see anything. That is, until the target stepped out. They were easily female, the figure giving it away and wore black leather armor that really extenuated her figure. But the thing that filled Ruby with joy was the long black hair, yellow eyes and cat ears that poked out the top.
"Blake!" Ruby and Yang cheered as they ran to/ charged their friend. Blake simply smiled and held her arms out, accepting the tackle hug from the sisters. They fell to the ground with cheers, leaving the rest of them with a bit of confusion, but ultimately happy. They eventually go up and fixed themselves, but the mystery individual had to ruin the moment.
"Sorry to ruin the moment, but we got baddies comin in, ya? So, get some cover… an get 'round it." The woman announced as she drew her bow once more.
"No need. I took care of them once you left to deal with this guy." Blake responded as she brushed herself off.
"Aw, that's no fun! I was tipped their weapons shed!" the woman complained, but then chuckled "They didn't have any breechers."
"I know, but you didn't take their weapons."
"Because no breechers!"
"Anyway, this is Sera. She's a Friend of Red Jenny," Blake announced to the group. "And I'm Blake Belladonna, a friend of Ruby and Yang's."
Blake looked at Ruby and noticed one crucial detail about her.
"Hey Ruby, where's your cloak?" Blake questioned. It was the one thing Ruby always wore other than to bed. She wore it recreationally, she wore it with her school uniform… she wore it all the time. Ruby immediately thought about the blood soaked cloak back in the Hinterlands, her stomach starting to turn again just at the thought of it.
"It's… not around… anymore… so this is Sera?" Ruby replied, doing her best to change the subject.
"Nice to meetcha! I'm Sera! Friend of Red Jenny!" Sera reintroduced. Ruby went over to Sera and held out her hand.
"Hi Sera. I'm Ruby Rose, the Herald of Andraste." Ruby introduced as Sera shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Ruble. Really young, but that's not important. You glow, right? That's the important part."
"Yeah… I glow."
"Good, yeah? So, here I am, a Friend of Red Jenny!" Sera practically cheered as she held her arms out. Ruby shook her head, trying to get all of the nonsense to form one coherent point.
"I don't get it. Who are the Friends of Red Jenny?" Ruby questioned, hoping that she could get Sera to make some sense.
"So, here's how it goes. You got your big knobs up here all mighty and powerful. All of them 'I'll crush you', *deeper* 'I'll crush you', *kissing sounds* 'Oh, I'll crush you'." Sera went on to explain. Ruby simply stared at her with a raised eyebrow, still confused. Sera realized she was on a tangent and cleared her throat before continuing "Anyway, I'm part of the little people. Cooks, servants, maids and the like. People who can't do shite, but know a bad man when they see one. This guy was all cloak and dagger, but what gave him up? Some servant boy who don't know his arse from a blade, but know he's bad news."
"Okay… I get it… kinda like spies, but not spies." Ruby simplified.
"Yeah! You're getting it!" Sera chuckled. "But not just my friends, you're getting me. Whenever you need arrows in baddies, I'm your girl."
"Well, you can never have too many friends. Welcome to the Inquisition, Sera." Ruby replied as she held out her hand. Sera smiled and shook Ruby's hand, solidifying their alliance.
"Well, looks like we're that much closer to getting the team back together. So, where to now?" Blake questioned as she stepped up to Ruby.
"Well, Ruby has a party to get to. Another possible alliance to make." Varric stated as he moved up to the group. "Come on, let's get moving."
Everyone nodded and started making their way towards the gala event, which was luckily nearby. They arrived, finding the event to be very large scale with a number of guests and guards. Ruby and her group stepped up, but two of the guards stopped them from entering.
"Apologies, Herald of Andraste, but the invitation was only for you… not the rest of your group." The guard apologized and explained. Ruby looked back at the group, seeing that none of them were too happy about the arrangement. She simply smiled and gave a thumbs up, assuring the group that she would be alright. Ruby proceeded up the steps into the building on her own, several of the Orlesian nobles talking in hushed tones about her as she walked by. Ruby entered the building and a noble made her arrival an announcement.
"Ruby Rose, the Herald of Andraste." The Noble announced like it was his job to do so. Ruby saw all of the eyes land on her, which made her extremely uncomfortable. She stepped in and was immediately met with a familiar face. They were wearing a lovely white dress with blue trim, matching her perfectly snow white hair that was held in a ponytail that was slightly off to the side and her icy blue eyes.
"Herald of Andraste, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Weiss Schnee, apprentice to Madam de Fir." Weiss greeted with a small curtsy. Ruby smiled wide as she returned the curtsy. Both of them stood up, Ruby immediately hugging Weiss.
"It's so good to see you!" Ruby cheered as she hugged Weiss.
"Ruby! Get off me!" Weiss snapped. "You have an appearance to keep up!"
Ruby and Weiss immediately separated, Weiss adjusting her dress since Ruby messed it up. There were a few giggles and laughs from the nobles around them, but they ultimately kept to themselves.
"It's good to see you too, Ruby. I heard that the Herald of Andraste was just a child, but I never thought that it would be you. Or for you to be a part of the Inquisition." Weiss pointed out. Ruby was about to speak when a loud mouthed noble decided to speak.
"The Inquisition, just a farce." The noble declared as he walked over to Weiss and Ruby. "Some heretical movement for crazed Seekers and dishonored Chantry sisters to grab at power."
The Noble then turned to Ruby and pointed at her with a look of disdain.
"If you were truly a woman of honor, you would step outside and face these charges." The Noble growled as he went for his sword. Ruby froze thinking about having to kill this man just because he disagreed with the politics of the Inquisition. Luckily, he froze first, literally. His entire body was covered in ice, similar to how Solas dealt with the mercenaries earlier, but thinner.
"How dare you, Marquis, insult my guest at my gala?" A woman's voice echoed. Ruby looked up to the upper floor, seeing a woman in a white suit almost in a silver horned mask walking down the stairs with ice magic alive in her hand.
"Madame Vivienne! I didn't realize she was your guest! I apologize!" The Noble immediately apologized. Madame Vivienne came down the stairs and stood between Ruby and the Noble. She reached out and gripped the Noble's frozen chin and addressed Ruby.
"It is not me you should be apologizing to. My dear Herald, you are the offended party here. What shall I do with him?" Madame Vivienne questioned as she looked back at Ruby. Ruby looked around, very confused on what to say or do.
"Ruby, either let him go, get rid of him or let Madame Vivienne decide." Weiss whispered to Ruby to help her out since she seemed like she was struggling.
"Oh! Let him go… not really worth the trouble." Ruby replied, not wanting to cause any more problems. The last thing she needed was to have even more deaths on her conscious.
"The Herald has chosen to spare your life… use what's left of it wisely." Vivienne declared as she snapped her fingers and the Noble was freed. He went slack for a second before retreating away like a wounded animal.
"Thank you for attending, Herald. Let us take this chat elsewhere." Vivienne said as she turned to face Ruby. Ruby nodded and followed Vivienne to a secluded part of the building so they could talk in private. Once they were alone, Vivienne introduced "We still haven't formally introduced each other. I am Vivienne de Fir, leader of the last loyal mages."
"Ruby Rose, Herald of Andraste, I guess. What do you mean, loyal mages?" Ruby questioned since the phrase was a tad confusing.
"Mages that remained loyal to the Chantry, not like the rebels that abandoned their duty and started this pointless war." Vivienne answered, giving her own personal input.
"Oh… okay… so, you want to join the Inquisition?" Ruby asked, trying to avoid getting into a political argument. From what she had heard about Circles, they were more like prisons than anything and she could see why the rebellion started.
"Yes I do. The world is going mad and the Inquisition is the only ones willing to do anything about it. I am willing to lend my expertise to you and the Inquisition."
"Well, welcome to the Inquisition, Madame Vivienne."
O00000O00000O
The ride back to Have was a little rough with so many conflicting personalities crammed into one caravan. Sera's rambunctious nature really plucked on Weiss' nerves and Yang didn't do a whole lot to calm her down. In fact, she just fueled the fire for the sole point of annoying Weiss. The caravan parked and Ruby was the first off, happy to be back at Haven and to show her friends everything she had been up to. Unfortunately, work got in the way of that as Cassandra started guiding Ruby towards the Chantry.
"Don't worry Sis, I'll show them around and fill them in on everything." Yang offered as she patted Ruby on the shoulder. Ruby smiled and nodded, going with Cassandra to the Chantry. On the way, Cassandra decided to share a few words with Ruby.
"Ruby, I would like to… apologize." Cassandra sighed, her voice heavy with guilt.
"For what?" Ruby questioned, looking up at Cassandra with a raised eyebrow. They entered the Chantry, stopping about halfway from the war room.
"For… how I treated you when we first met. I was so focused on finding the one responsible for the Divine's death… I threw the blame on you… I'm-." Cassandra explained as she was about to apologize. But Ruby cut her off, putting a hand on her arm with a smile.
"Cassandra, it's okay. You had your reasons… and you've more than made up for what happened."
"Thank you, Ruby."
Sadly, the moment ended as Cullen, Josephine and Leliana approached the two of them. They more than likely wanted to talk about what happened in Val Royeaux involving the Mages and the Templars.
"Well, that was less than fruitful." Cullen grumbled as they gathered to discuss.
"At least we made contact. It is a start." Leliana pointed out as she put her hands behind her back. "I say you go to Redcliffe and hear what Grand Enchanter Fiona has to say."
"I still say we approach the Templars. Even if Lord Seeker rejects us, there are bound to be those who agree with us." Cullen argued, still going for the Templar angle.
"So… who should we approach? I mean, both sides have their own advantages." Ruby explained since she didn't really know which group to choose. "The mages are certainly powerful and are openly willing to help us… but pouring that much magic into the mark might over load it. Then the Templars might be able to weaken the Breach… but that's only theory."
"You have a very strong grasp of the situation. It's very impressive." Cullen complimented. He was very impressed that one so young could tell the advantages of both sides and weigh them.
"At the moment, we don't have enough reputation to approach either group. I shall start seeing what we can do to change that." Josephine proclaimed as she started taking a few notes on her board. Cullen, Cassandra and Josie started walking away, but Leliana remained with Ruby.
"Ruby, a moment. Would you happen to know what a Grey Warden is?" Leliana questioned. She was already sure that Ruby didn't know since she was ignorant about the entire country, but it never hurt to ask.
"Gray Warden? No… I don't." Ruby responded. She knew that she was eventually going to have to learn more about the world she was currently trying to save. Thedas was a whole new world to her that seemed so alive with different cultures and even the concept of religion, which was something that Remnant lacked.
"I thought so. The Grey Wardens are warriors that combat the Blight, which is when an Old God is corrupted by Darkspawn. There was a Blight ten years ago, but it was stopped by the Hero of Ferelden. I was there with her." Leliana explained, or at least tried to since Ruby knew nothing about Thedas.
"Okay, I follow a bit. So, what about the Grey Wardens?" Ruby questioned, trying to get to the point of the conversation.
"Grey Wardens travel Thedas dealing with Darkspawn and recruit, but recently, all of the Grey Wardens in Fereldan have vanished. I tried to contact the Grey Wardens in Orlais, but they too have vanished. I cannot see this as a coincidence." Leliana explained.
"That doesn't seem like coincidence. Have you brought this up with the others?"
"They do not share my concern, but there is one person that would. A Grey Warden has been spotted in the Hinterlands; Warden Blackwall. Maybe he will know about these disappearances."
"Makes sense. I'll swing by and see if he knows anything."
"Thank you."
Leliana walked off towards her camp section just outside the Chantry while Ruby went out to find her friends. She started walking, only to be intercepted by Raphael in his full armor, hiding something behind his back.
"Ruby! I'm glad I found you before you left on your next mission." Raphael proclaimed as he stopped in front of her.
"Hey Raph, what is it?" Ruby questioned, leaning a bit to see what he was hiding behind his back. Raphael smiled as he pulled her cloak out from behind his back, revealing it to be perfectly clean and free of blood. Ruby couldn't help but smile, happy to see her cloak again.
"You didn't! You cleaned it for me!?" Ruby cheered as she took her cloak from Raphael's hands. She threw it on, feeling like a massive weight was lifted from her shoulders.
"Yeah. I found it still… dirty… and figured you'd like it if it were cleaned off." Raphael answered as he scratched the back of his head. Ruby couldn't help herself, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you so much Raph! You're the best!" Ruby thanked and complimented. Raphael smiled and hugged Ruby back, happy to make her feel this level of joy.
"You're welcome."
The two separated and Ruby had a bit more skip in her step towards the one place there was to hang out in Haven; the tavern. She stepped inside and immediately spotted her friends sitting at a table, Yang having a large flagon in front of her as she talked.
"Hey guys. Everyone caught up?" Ruby questioned as she took a seat with them.
"Pretty much. So, what do you do for fun around here, Herald of Andraste?" Blake questioned with a small smirk. She had heard the stories about the one that walked out of the Fade with Andraste leading them and how they stopped the Breach from spreading. But the last thing she expected was for the Herald to be Ruby.
"I don't know… I don't get a ton of down time. But that's not important. How did you wind up working with Sera? And Weiss and Vivienne?" Ruby questioned, wanting to figure out how her friends got mixed up with these two different people.
"Well, I met Sera when I finally woke up from going through that mirror. I was in the city and no one would help me out. They all just brushed me off and ignored me completely. Sera found me during the night when I was forced to sleep by the docks. She gave me a place to stay, and in turn, I started helping the Friends of Red Jenny." Blake explained. Sera really did help her out, instead of just ignoring her because of her clothing or her accent.
"I found Vivienne in Val Royeaux. Just like Blake, I woke up in the city and had no idea where I was… then I made a huge discovery." Weiss stated as she held up her hand at face level. She waved her hand around a bit and started to conjure a small mist around the top of her hand.
"You're a mage!" Ruby gasped as Weiss dissipated the mist.
"Yes. I tried to find help, but most just called me a 'Filthy Mage' and chose to spit in my direction instead of helping me. Luckily, one sent me towards Vivienne. She gladly accepted me and helped me understand what was happening." Weiss answered as she crossed her legs and put her hands on her knee.
"Wow, that was really nice of both of them." Ruby responded. She was about to say something else, but an individual she really didn't care for decided to join them. Brianna's Company Assassin pulled up a chair and joined them at their table. Ruby groaned "What do you want, Malachi?"
"Nothing, just to join a lovely lady for a drink." Malachi responded as he waved the server girl for a drink. "So, Mr. Smooth Templar got your cloak clean? Sounds like he's trying to butter you up."
"What are you really doing here?" Yang questioned before taking a drink from her flagon. She still didn't approve of Malachi since she found out he was spying on Ruby while she was changing her clothes.
"To butter Ruby up." Malachi admitted as he reached into his pocket and pulled out something wrapped in a piece of cloth in the shape of a tube. It was about two inches wide but six inches long and wrapped in a white cloth. "For you, Ruby. I think you'll like it."
Ruby looked at the cloth with extreme skepticism, since she trusted Malachi about as far as she could throw him. She started to unwrap it, finding it to just be a bunch of chocolate chip cookies.
"Cookies?" Ruby questioned as she looked at Malachi with a raised eyebrow. Granted, she was doing her best to keep from jumping in joy since she really wanted some since she got to Thedas, but she had to ensure that Malachi didn't do anything to them. "You didn't steal them, did you?"
"No, I didn't. Made them myself. Overheard you talking with Yang here, said you wanted some since you got here. Figured it would be another step in my apology process. Go on, let me know how I did." Malachi answered and then urged. Ruby took a deep breath and sighed as she picked up one of the cookies. She took a bite and she couldn't believe how amazing the cookies were, they rivaled her mother's baking skills they were so good. She contained her excitement and responded "They're pretty good."
"So, less mad at me?"
"Just a bit."
"I'll take it. See you around, cutie." Malachi flirted as he got up and walked out. Ruby unintentionally watched him go, thinking about his toned figure. The other girls noticed Ruby's stare, a little amazed that Ruby was taking an interest in something other than weapons.
"Wow Ruby, never saw you as a 'bad boy' kind of girl." Blake chuckled a bit. Ruby snapped back to reality, grabbing Yang's flagon and taking a drink from it.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ruby replied, taking another drink.
"Oh yeah, you're into red headed Templars, right?" Yang poked at as she took her drink back. Weiss and Blake chuckled as Ruby started to blush. "From what I heard, you were checking him out before you went to the Hinterlands."
Ruby just wanted to disappear at that moment, but she couldn't since someone else was calling her name. Brianna walked over to her, clapping her shoulder with a guy following her.
"Talking about my boys again? Nights with them aren't covered under my pay, Ruby." Brianna chuckled as Ruby sunk lower into her seat. She patted Ruby's back and introduced "Brianna White-Steel, Captain of the Misfits Mercenary Company. Those two boys are mine, so it's extra if you're looking for some quality time."
Ruby was still sinking lower into her seat as the girls laughed a bit at her expense.
"I'm kidding kiddo, they're after you on their own. So, down to the actual business." Brianna chuckled as she pulled Ruby up so she was sitting up straight. Ruby turned towards the guy that Brianna walked in with. He was as tall as Brianna was with dark brown hair that was slicked back and wearing heavy plate armor.
"Cremisius Aclassi. I'm a lieutenant for Bull's Chargers. The boss is making an offer to come work for you." The man introduced. Ruby decided to stand and introduce herself.
"Ruby, Ruby Rose. So, why is your boss making us an offer?" Ruby introduced and then questioned. It seemed strange for another mercenary company to try and work for the Inquisition, especially since it was Brianna leading them around.
"Because, he likes what your Inquisition is about, wants to help out too. We're very professional and always get the job done." Cremisius responded and explained.
"It's true. We've worked with the Chargers before. Some of the best there is." Brianna preached. Ruby looked at Brianna with a raised eyebrow, thinking it was a bit strange for her to be promoting another Company.
"So… do you think I should hire them?" Ruby questioned since Brianna was the one who was more knowledgeable about the workings of mercenaries.
"We don't expect you to hire us just from word of mouth. We're going to be out on the Storm Coast if you want to see us in action. Boss wants to speak to you personally. Figure you'd want to hear it straight from the big man himself." Cremisius answered.
"And big is putting it loosely. The Iron Bull is bigger than any Qunari I've ever met, and that includes Great Horns and Ataashi." Brianna chuckled. "But you should go talk to him, and I want to be there. Been a while since I've seen Bull."
"Yeah, sure. I'll go talk to Iron Bull. We'll see you out there." Ruby responded as she held out her hand to Cremisius.
"Agreed. Hope to be working with you soon, Herald." Cremisius replied as he shook her hand and left. Ruby sat back down and sighed since she was getting ready to go out once more into the world. All she wanted at the moment was to sit down and relax for just a moment.
"You good, Ruby?" Yang questioned, pushing her drink towards Ruby.
"Yeah, just another day in the life of the Herald. So, I've got to go to the Hinterlands and speak to Warden Blackwall, and then go to the Storm Coast and talk to the Iron Bull." Ruby explained as she took the flagon and took a heavy gulp from it.
"We. We're in this together, Ruby. All of us." Weiss corrected.
"Wherever you go, whatever you do, we'll have your back." Blake assured. Ruby couldn't help but smile, happy that her friends had her back in this strange world. Yeah, she met some good people and was happy to have met them, but it was good to have some familiar faces with her.
O00000O00000O
The team arrived at the Hinterlands, happy to see the region had been stabilized a bit more since the Inquisition showed up. Luckily for Ruby, the Misfits had been earning their keep when Ruby went to Val Royeaux. They cleared out a mess of bandits that were a little more organized and well supported to be bandits, gathered food and blankets for the people of the Crossroads and even managed to recruit a horse master for the Inquisition. She was happy to have someone around to help her with the small things so she wouldn't have to work on everything herself. Ruby and her friends with the addition of Brianna walked along the waterfall in the Hinterlands.
Leliana's spies told Ruby that Blackwall had been seen near the waterfall, possibly recruiting for the Wardens. They followed the trail and Ruby spotted a cabin that had a few men standing by it, so she picked up the pace a little bit. There were three men, all of them holding shields and swords with one that was obviously more experienced. He was as tall as Brianna and had thick brown hair and brown bushy beard with a mustache to match. He was wearing think clothing to help with the natural cold with a shining silver breast plate.
He carried a sword and shield like the rest of the men, probably training them in the method since it was what he was proficient in. The group finally made it to the man who was presumably Blackwall, but he was in the middle of a speech.
"Remember, this is your land, your home. I've given you the tools to take it back from the men who stole it from you." The lead man exclaimed in a think gruff voice. He had the air of a leader around him, almost instantly commanding respect from everyone.
"Warden Blackwall!" Ruby called out as she reached the men. Blackwall turned towards her and moved with a sense of purpose straight to her.
"Who told you my name?" Blackwall questioned as he stood a foot away from Ruby. Ruby heard the arrow fly through the air, but luckily Blackwall was fast with his shield. He moved his shield in the way of the arrow, blocking it since it was aimed at Ruby's head. Ruby turned to look and saw a group of men charging them with weapons and shields raised. Blackwall ordered "Whoever you are, we can talk later. Let us deal with this lot first."
Blackwall charged forward, the men he was instructing charging with him. Ruby couldn't just stand by and let Blackwall deal with these guys himself and risk losing a valued ally. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and charged with them, hearing her friends do exactly the same. Blackwall and his group slammed shields with the men that were intent on killing them, but there were still more to deal with. Ruby swallowed a bit as she swung her scythe at a man that was going for Blackwall's side… and sliced a massive chunk out of his side.
Ruby ignored the dying man and pressed on, blocking a swing that was meant for her, and allowing Brianna to come in and drive her axe into the man's shoulder. Ruby swallowed the next stream of vomit to come up and pressed on, seeing where their archers were, easily spotting them towards the trees and using them for cover. Ruby would have charged them, but large white blue glyphs appeared beneath their feet and then exploded in a shower of snow. Once it settled, it revealed the two archers completely frozen, which allowed Yang to rush forward and slam her fists through both of them, shattering them. The other men that were dealing with Blackwall were pushed off, leaving Blackwall to deal with two of them at one time.
Luckily, Blake jumped one of the men from behind using her blade, Gambol Shroud, and sliced one of the men's back into ribbons. The other turned to look at what happened, which gave Blackwall an opening to rush forward and bring his blade down through the man's shoulder and into his chest. Blackwall yanked his blade out and the man dropped to the ground, which was the breaking point for Ruby, who leaned on the tree next to her and threw up.
"Sorry bastards." Blackwall grumbled as he stabbed his blade into the ground to clean the blood off of it. He pulled the blade out and sheathed it as he approached his charges. He proceeded to speak "These men had a choice in life. Everyone does. All I can say… thieves are made, not born. I have nothing more to teach you, you can fight on your own. No go and reclaim what is yours."
The men started to walk away as Ruby walked over to him, wiping her mouth free of vomit and spit.
"Warden Blackwall, I'm an agent of the Inquisition." Ruby introduced as she approached the Grey Warden. The gruff man looked at the small girl that had just got done puking her brains out and sighed.
"Kid, what are you doing out here? It's dangerous!" Blackwall scolded. A kid didn't belong out here in the Hinterlands, not while Mages and Templars were busy running around and trying to kill each other. "Where are your parents?"
"Um… what?" Ruby questioned out of pure confusion. This was the first time anyone had brought up her age in anything. Everyone just treated her like an adult since she got her, Blackwall being the first to actually treat her like a child.
"Here, I'm going to take you home and make sure you're safe." Blackwall sighed as he offered her his hand. Ruby gave him a flat look of annoyance and held out her left hand, revealing to him the mark. Blackwall's eyes went wide as he saw it, hearing the stories all the way out here. He gasped "By the Maker, you're the Herald of Andraste."
"Yep, and I'm here to ask you about the Wardens. They've all gone missing. Know anything about it?" Ruby questioned. She was a little miffed at the Grey Warden for treating her like a child, so she wanted to get this over with very quickly.
"No, I haven't. But the Archdemon is a decade dead, so we aren't exactly needed, now are we? Blight's gone and so are the Wardens." Blackwall answered, feeling a bit guilty for talking down to the great Herald of Andraste. "Why?"
"Well, no one has seen any of the Wardens since the explosion at the Conclave, so we wanted to see if there was some connection. So, what are you doing out here?"
"Recruiting mostly. That's what we Wardens do when there isn't a Blight."
"And train random farmers?"
"Wardens can inspire people. These men needed to learn to defend themselves and their livelihood."
"That's… really cool, but not what I was looking for. Thank you for your time." Ruby thanked as she started walking. Her friends joined her and sighed heavily, upset that the whole thing was a waste of time.
"Wait, agent you said?" Blackwall called out after thinking for a moment. Ruby turned towards the Warden, who was walking over to them. "The Wardens disappearing, and the Conclave. Thinking the Wardens had something to do with it is worse than them just disappearing. I have a few treaties from the Wardens that may be of use, and I would like to join you."
"Are you sure? Would you be comfortable working with a child?" Ruby questioned as she crossed her arms. Blackwall scratched the back of his head, embarrassed from his actions.
"I apologize for my manners, or lack thereof. I would like to assist you in finding out what is going on in this world, with your permission, Herald." Blackwall apologized and then requested.
"Yes, you may. Welcome to the Inquisition, Warden Blackwall." Ruby replied with a smile. Ruby could see that he just made a simple mistake and was a caring man. Plus, it would be helpful to have such a powerful ally on their side, so there was that. The group allowed Blackwall to grab a few things before they left for Haven and then to the Storm Coast.
O00000O00000O
Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake and Brianna arrived at the aptly named Storm Coast, considering it was nearly pouring rain constantly since they arrived. They hopped off the caravan, Ruby putting her hood up as she went over to Scout Harding, who seemed completely fine with all the rain.
"Welcome to the Storm Coast, Ruby. Pretty appropriately named if you ask me." Scout Harding joked. Ruby laughed a bit after shuddering since the rain was nearly freezing cold. Thunder cracked overhead as lighting struck the ocean in front of them. Trees leaned heavily due to the soaking ground as heavy drops of water fell from branch to branch.
"No kidding, so what's the word Scout Harding?" Ruby questioned with a shiver.
"Well, we've got a few things. A Dragon was spotted nearby."
"A dragon? Really? Where?"
Almost as soon as Ruby asked, there was a loud roar that echoed through the drenched forest. Ruby looked around and spotted said dragon flying over the ocean, dipping and slithering through the sky like a massive snake. Ruby watched in awe as the great beast flew through the sky with a kind of primal grace, vanishing behind the mountain ridges with a final, booming roar.
"Wow… so cool…" Ruby gawked, happy she got to see such a majestic creature in the wild.
"Cool, but deadly. So far it hasn't attacked us, but that's only a matter of time. There is another threat, mercenaries have an encampment around here. We had some scouts go to the nearby ridge, but we haven't heard from them in quite some time." Scout Harding continued.
"Alright, we'll get to work on searching for the scouts. Any news on the Chargers?" Ruby questioned.
"Yes, they're down on the beach. From what I saw, they were ready for a fight."
"Awesome. Thanks."
Ruby started towards the beach, her group just behind her. The rain was unrelenting, drenching them within seconds of standing out in the open. The walk was short, arriving on the beach and seeing the conflict that was predicted. There were clear differences between the two groups fighting, one side wearing full plate like Cremisius was earlier and the other wearing more cloth armor with one arm being armored like a gladiator. They also wore strange metal helmets that were balled around the head with a metal spike coming out of the top at a 45 degree angle.
Ruby spotted Cremisius fighting alongside a massive Qunari that swung a huge axe. Ruby watched as the Qunari slashed one of the opposing soldiers in half with a single swing. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and charged in with her scythe raised. As Ruby charged, she saw several blue orbs fly through the air and slam into the soldiers. She looked back and saw Weiss with a white blue rune in front of her, Ruby happy that they had a mage backing them up.
Ruby smiled as she swung her scythe, slicing one of the soldier's backs open in a spray of blood. Ruby felt a twinge in her stomach, but no vomit coming up. Ruby saw Blake charge in and deflect a blow from a soldier, then proceed to swing her two blades repeatedly and open up the soldier's exposed chest. That's when Yang charged straight through the battlefield, delivering deadly uppercuts that nearly took off some of the soldier's heads. Yang charged the mage of the enemy soldiers, who was currently squaring off against three of Bull's men.
Yang jumped and used one of the soldiers to push off of, sending her straight at the mage. The mage didn't have enough time to react as the golden meteor of Yang Xiao Long flew at him and drove her fist through his head. The two slammed to the ground, Yang standing up straight with a wide grin and her hair starting to burn. Ruby watched as the Chargers cut through the last of the soldiers except for one. The behemoth was as tall as the Qunari and wielded a hammer that looked like it could shatter the planet's crust with a few good swings.
The behemoth was currently in a duel with the Qunari, both dodging and avoiding the swings of the other to no real effect. Ruby looked to Weiss, the two's mental connection kicking off as they both started to move towards the fight. Ruby jumped up as Weiss summoned a glyph beneath her feet, the glyph propelling Ruby forward towards the fight at high speeds. Ruby slashed the behemoth and giving the Qunari an opening to drive his axe into the behemoth's stomach. Weiss summoned another glyph as Ruby flew by, Ruby shooting forward again and this time taking the behemoth's head off with a hard swing.
Ruby slid across the rocky beach, turning back to see the Qunari rip his axe from the headless corpse as it squirted blood like a fountain. Ruby felt her stomach turn a bit, but no need to vomit anymore. She stood up and collapsed her scythe, putting it on her back as the Qunari gave his orders.
"Chargers! Stand down!" the Qunari shouted. Ruby got a closer look at him, getting more details of him. He had a goatee that formed perfectly with his triangular head, two large horns coming straight out from the sides them straight up at a 90 degree angle. He wore a harness with a leather pauldron and a pair of pants that were very puffy. He was heavily built, looking like he lifted rocks for fun. The biggest thing about him was the eye patch he had over his left eye. He continued "Krem, how are the men?"
"A few injured, none wounded." Cremisius or Krem responded.
"Good. That's what I like to hear. Have the throat cutters finish up and then break out the casks." The Qunari Ruby could only assume was the Iron Bull. He walked over to Ruby and towered over her, actually shielding her from the rain and wind he was so huge. "So, you're the Herald? Figured you'd be taller."
"Everyone is short to you, Bull." Brianna called out after she was done cleaning her axe off. The two cheered and approached each other with open arms. They gave a hard hug and proceeded to chat between each other.
"Been a while, Bri." Bull exclaimed as the two separated. "Looking to ride the Bull again?"
"You too, Bull, and no, I'm quite alright. I enjoy walking in the morning." Brianna chuckled. "Besides, you've got business to do."
"Right. Herald! I'm the Iron Bull." Bull introduced, returning to Ruby.
"Ruby Rose. So, you want to work for the Inquisition?" Ruby questioned as the two moved towards a washed up tree, Bull taking a seat on it.
"That's right. We're not cheap, but we're worth every coin. But you aren't just getting my men, you're getting me. Whenever you need me, I've got your back." Bull explained. Ruby thought for a second, weighing the pros and cons of adding the Chargers to their payroll. The cons; it was more coin the Inquisition was losing to go to other parts of their organization. The pros; they were getting a group of professionals and Ruby was getting a massive bodyguard.
"Well, you've certainly got my attention." Ruby admitted, still unsure of her answer.
"There's also one thing you should know about me. Ever hear about the Ben Hassrath?" Bull questioned.
"Nope."
"Well, they're the peace keepers of the Qunari, and the spies. Well, more… us. I'm Ben Hassrath."
"Wait… so, you're telling me you're a spy? Why wouldn't you keep that secret?"
"From a group called the Inquisition? I would have been made sooner or later, especially with that red headed spymaster of yours."
"How did…" Ruby questioned with a raised eyebrow. Bull simply chuckled at her reaction.
"Like I said, spies. The Qunari are freaked out about this whole 'Breach' thing and the Inquisition dealing with it. They wanted me to look into it and what better way to do that then to be there? Anyway, I'm supposed to send reports on everything the Inquisition is up to, but you'll also be getting my Ben Hassrath reports."
"So… intel for intel? That makes a bit of sense… I guess. And I appreciate the honesty." Ruby replied. She made her decision there; she wanted the Chargers. The pros seriously outweighed the cons at this point. "I would like the Chargers to join the Inquisition."
"You won't regret this one, Boss. Alright Chargers! Finish your drinks on the road! The Chargers just got hired!" Bull announced to his Company.
"But Chief! We just opened the casks! With axes!" Krem complained as he walked over to Bull.
"Figure something out. You're Tevinter, use Blood Magic." Bull chuckled as he walked by. Ruby couldn't help but smile, happy to see the Inquisition growing in numbers and strength.
O00000O00000O
The caravan finally arrived at Haven in the dead of night, only the guards and the few traders still awake at this hour. Ruby and her friends dragged their feet back to the group room, Josephine gladly getting a few more beds for the room. One thing was different as they approached the door, there was a rose tied to the door handle. Ruby pulled it off only to find a note on it.
"Hope this helps. A rose a fraction as beautiful as you, Rose.
From, Malachi"
Ruby smirked a bit as she felt her friends lean against her to see what the note says.
"He's really trying to get on your good side." Yang pointed out.
"Yeah… he's doing pretty well." Ruby commented as she opened the door. She stepped in seeing that the room had been rearranged, the tall dresser now taking the center of the room with two beds on each side of the room. Ruby looked to her right, seeing a large bouquet of roses in a vase on the table with a note on it as well. Ruby picked it up and read it.
"A bouquet that pales to your beauty, my Rose
From, Raphael"
Ruby giggled and blushed as she placed the note and the spare rose down, the rest of the team looking at the roses.
"Wow, not one, but two men after Ruby's heart." Blake pointed out as she went to a bed and claimed it. All of the girls started stripping her armor, getting into casual, more comfortable clothes to sleep in. Weiss finding a night gown that was similar to hers back on Remnant, Ruby and Blake simply wearing a shirt and Yang going all out and stripping to the nude. Ruby slid into bed and was about to fall asleep when Blake asked "So, Ruby, tell us about these boys who are after you."
"Well… there's Malachi, the bad boy. He started off on the wrong foot." Ruby started to explain.
"He snuck a look at Ruby while she was changing." Yang quickly reworded.
"Yeah… but still… the whole bad boy thing… it's attractive."
"Dear Dust…"
"What about this red headed Templar Yang mentioned last time we were here?" Weiss questioned since it seemed like it was going to be a minute before they were going to go to sleep.
"That's Raphael, a real sweet heart. He cleaned my cloak and gave it to me… and the roses…" Ruby sighed happily. It was nice to actually have boys chase after her, giving her this much attention. Usually they were more interested in Yang, so this was a nice change of pace.
"Alright, I think we've earned a rest now. Goodnight girls." Yang grumbled as she tried to sleep. All of the girls gradually fell asleep, happy to finally have a rest.
A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone. But here you go! The next chapter in the Young Inquisitor! Hopefully everyone's happy with the chapter. I'll figure out a way to incorporate everyone into the story. Until next time!
-Chief