A/N: Bada-boom! And there you have it. The beginning of Inquisition. Triple T 123, the world may never know! Hehehe but, cliffhangers make for more ravenous readers. Apologies: This one's going to be a bit longer than they usually are. Hopefully it's ok with everyone. Are we having a good time yet? No? That's too bad, darling. Yes? Great! Let's keep going~
Mina couldn't believe her eyes. It really was her brother. Varric swaggered over, smiling as usual, and… Introduced himself?
"Varric Tethras, rouge, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome tagalong." Cassandra snorted with disgust. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to tie him in a bag and dump him off on the side of the road in some far off countryside.
Mina pieced together, rather quickly, that Cassandra was this Seeker that had been looking for Hawke. And apparently ended up taking Varric with her. So, she'd ended up being right where Varric warned her not to be. She'd done a bang up job ignoring warnings lately! Really, fantastic!
Mina decided to play along trying to phrase a question in a way so it didn't bring suspicion, "Are you with the Chantry or…?"
Varric chuckled, "Technically, I'm a prisoner like you."
The Seeker jumped in, "I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine. Clearly that is no longer necessary."
"Yet! Here I am," Varric quipped, "Lucky for you, considering current events."
Mina coughed to ease the tension, "Um… Well… it's good to meet you, Varric."
The male Elf raised his eyebrows, "You may reconsider that stance in time."
Varric made a dramatic sad face, "Aww! I'm sure we'll become great friends in the valley, Chuckles."
"Absolutely not!" protested Cassandra with a sigh, "Your help is appreciated, Varric, but—"
"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me." Mina could hear the annoyance in his voice. He was starting to get angry. Something, Mina hadn't seen very often. Again, Cassandra snorted in disgust and turned around, done arguing. Mina rolled her eyes.
"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see that you still live," said the male Elf a little bit too cheerfully. Again, Mina had the strangest feeling about him. It unnerved her a bit.
Varric snorted, "He means, 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept'." Mina's eyes widened. So it was his magic that she'd felt. It was absolutely amazing! She'd guessed by his clothing that he wasn't a city Elf, but he didn't look Dalish either. She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
"You, um… seem to know a great deal about it all."
"Solas is an apostate; well versed in such matters," said the Seeker, not unkindly.
"Technically, all mages are now apostates, Cassandra," he defended, "My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade. Far beyond any experience of any Circle mage. I came to offer any help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed, regardless of origin."
"That's a good way to look at it. Thank you, Solas." Mina looked around at the rubble and dead bodies. It was a terrible sight. Worse than any skirmish she'd gotten into by far. This was war of a sort. She felt sick to her stomach that she'd even thought about fighting on such a large scale when she was with her Clan. She had no idea it was like this. 'Though,' she thought, 'what else would it be like…?'
Solas looked at Cassandra, "You should know, Seeker, the magic here is unlike any I have seen. She is indeed a mage, however I find it hard to believe that any mage would hold such power." She nodded and stood there thinking a moment. Mina tilted her head at Solas. Was he defending her? It sounded as if he was sure she hadn't done it. A welcome change.
"We should get going," the Seeker suggested.
"Well… Bianca's excited!" Varric said before following.
No one really had the energy to talk much, but the silence was driving Mina crazy! It wasn't actually quiet. The roaring sound of the wind that wasn't blowing was something. But, there were no birds, no bugs, no flowing water, nothing. It was as if the world was dead. She'd seen a frightened hare run across the frozen river bank into a small patch of dead bushes. The world was in shock. It was dying and didn't know how to fight back.
Mina stopped to cut some Elfroot just in case. It was one of the many herbs that the Keeper had taught her over the four years. Varric stayed with her while the other two kept walking. She wanted to talk to him so badly without Cassandra or Solas listening. She missed him very much. She hadn't realized how much until she saw him. Instead, she shot him a sad smile, which he returned. They were glad the other was alive. They weren't safe; no one was. But, for now at least, they were both alive and together. Mina had noticed how incredibly sad and tired Varric had come to look. It was as if he'd had to give up on everything he'd ever had or loved. Which, when Mina thought about it, may very well have been true. She wondered just what happened in the years after she left Kirkwall, and what happened to everyone. She needed to know about each of them. She needed to know about Garrett… But this was not the time to ask.
They caught up to their two companions as they started to climb yet another hill. "So… you're Dalish. Not a hunter, but a mage like Chuckles said. So, where do you fit in?"
Mina smiled, "You are very observant, Varric. I am the First of my Clan. The Elves are much more welcoming of magic than humans. In fact, I would say that I am well liked and respected by many." She'd forgotten how different she looked in her green tunic and brown woolen leggings. She wore lambskin shoes, unlike most of the other Elves. She didn't like to have cold feet. It was something they'd teased her about often. It was all in good fun.
Varric's look of surprise made her feel proud of herself. "Ah. First of your Clan. I should've guessed. There were no more mages in Merrill's clan," he mused to himself. Mina felt herself nodding. She stopped herself and watched Cassandra carefully. She hadn't been paying attention, thankfully. If anything, Mina would say that she'd read 'The Tale of the Champion'. Many people had. It wasn't an uncommon thing. But… she had to be careful not to get too detailed. The book, from what she'd heard, was off about a great many things. Something Varric had seen to personally. And, from what she'd heard, Mina hadn't been in it. A curious thing to leave out. She was now grateful, of course. Varric continued to talk to try and keep their spirits up, "Tell me, Mina, what really happened? Are you innocent?" Mina sighed.
"I don't remember," she answered truthfully. She knew Varric was hoping she hadn't become another crazy ass mage like Anders. She hadn't, but she didn't exactly know what happened. Maybe she'd accidentally set something off.
"That'll get you every time! You should've spun a story."
"That's what you would have done," snapped Cassandra.
"It's more believable, and less prone to result in premature execution." He had a point. Mina wished she'd made something up to buy her time. On the other hand, if it were found out that she was lying, that would incriminate her further.
Screeching from demons drove Mina out of her own head. It was time to fight again. This time, there were soldiers. It seemed they'd arrived at the forward camp. Of course, there was another Rift in their way. The group dispatched them quickly, and Mina held up her hand to the glowing green light. Once again, pain rampaged through her body. If it saved people like she hoped it would, she'd bear the worst pain the Mark had to offer. She couldn't help but feel a little responsible for what had happened. She pulled her hand back in a fist and the Rift imploded like the last. The pain lessened, but she felt her hand throbbing still.
"You are becoming quite proficient at this!" praised Solas. Mina glanced at him and rubbed the palm of her hand gingerly. She planned on closing every single one of the damned things she could find. People were not going to die because she failed them! She wouldn't allow it.
They walked through the gates, Cassandra in the lead. Mina could hear someone arguing ahead. It was the redhead, Leliana, and some Chantry guy. Mina didn't know they let men into the Chantry. Leliana was irritated. Not angry. Just irritated. The man before her was leaning over a map, arguing with everything she said. Mina made a face. She hated people like that.
"Ah! Here they come," said the old man. She had grey and black stubble on his face, and dull grey eyes. He looked like the type of person to look down his nose at everyone and say that they were wrong unless they agreed with him. Even then… Mina doubted he would relent on his judging. Over pious bastard.
"You made it!" said Leliana relieved, "Chancellor Roderick, this is—"
"I know who she is. As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution!" he snipped at the Seeker. Cassandra's hackles immediately rose.
"Order me?! You are a glorified clerk! A bureaucrat!"
"And you are a thug. But, a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"
Leliana stepped in before they were at each other's throats. "We serve the most Holy, Chancellor," she said to Roderick, then to Cassandra, "As you well know."
But, the stubborn old man wasn't done griping, "Justinia is dead! We must elect a replacement and obey her orders on the matter."
"I'm right, fucking here!" spat Mina at the imbecile, "As far as I'm concerned, you need me to shut down that thing in the sky! Kill me, go ahead. But, then you all will definitely die!" She was quickly reaching the end of her temper. Varric gave her a look that said to calm down. She didn't want to. She wanted to Hulk smash this motherfucker into a new age.
"You brought this on us in the first place!" he raged back at her. She slammed her fist down on the table, seething. Cassandra pulled her back forcefully. Mina was one smartass comment away from maiming the stupid skirt-wearing dumbass. He needed to get his priorities straight! Let's not fix the giant ass hole in the sky, no! Let's get another pope-lady and wait it out!
"Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless."
Cassandra gritted her teeth before she spoke, "We can stop this before it is too late."
"How? You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all of your soldiers," he argued.
"We must get to the temple. It's the quickest route!"
A light flicked on in Leliana's mind, "But not the safest. Our forces can charge as a distraction while a smaller party takes the mountain pass."
"We lost contact with an entire patrol up there," said Cassandra, "It's too risky."
The Chancellor would not give up, "Listen to me! Abandon this now, before more lives are lost."
The Breach joined the argument, sending another shockwave down to the earth. And, sending another wave of pain through Mina. She winced and tried her best to stay standing. She only just managed… with the help of Solas. He stood behind her, a gentle hand on her back.
When Mina regained her balance, everyone was looking at her expectantly.
"How do you think we should proceed?" asked the Seeker. Mina looked in both directions, studying the path. Tactically, the mountain was better. It was her initial choice. However, it would probably be faster to charge straight in. It was likely to ultimately cost more lives if they took the mountain…
"We should charge," she decided. It felt like something Ceras would do.
Cassandra nodded and looked to Leliana, "Bring everyone left in the valley. Everyone."
As they walked away, the Chancellor muttered, "On your head be the consequences, Seeker."
Mina made a promise to herself to punch him in the head at least once if she saw him again.
They made their way through the snow and up the mountain where the peace negotiations were supposed to take place. It took less time than Mina remembered. Even on the walk up, she didn't recognize anything. It was burnt, in shambles, or a pile of ash. Even the trees were no more. It was like an atom bomb had gone off. Mina had seen pictures in a history book back in Texas. It was awful. But, to see it up close… much more powerful. Much, much worse.
The soldiers gathered before what was left of the temple walls. Demons were gathering as well, ready for blood. Before their group reach the soldiers, a tall, muscular blonde man yelled something, and the men began to charge into the demons. The fighting had begun. Mina readied her magic and her blades. It was going to be rough. She didn't have her team to back her up, like a well-oiled machine. The ones she fought with now were all new. Well, not Varric. Him, she could still count on. It was going to take some getting used to, fighting with a new team. She'd always fought or hunted alone when she was with the Clan.
Before them sat yet another fade rift. The blonde man was fighting the demons that rushed out of it by himself. Mina hurried to his aid, stabbing one of the demons in the face right before it could sink its claws into the man's back. So far, it had all been shades and wraiths. Nothing too major. But, Mina had a sinking feeling about what was guarding the Breach itself.
More and more demons leapt out of the Rift. Mina tried to seal it every chance she got. Every time, she was interrupted by a shot of magic, or claws getting too close for comfort. Finally, it seemed to pause its spewing. Mina took advantage of this and slammed it closed for good, trying her best to ignore the after effects.
Solas walked over to her to steady her once more, "You are getting much better at this. It is sealed as before."
Varric, the great ball of sunshine decided to comment, "Let's hope it works on the big one!"
The blonde man bounded over to Cassandra, "Lady Cassandra! You managed to close the Rift. Well done."
The Seeker shook her head and gestured towards Mina, "Do not congratulate me, Commander. This is the prisoner's doing."
Mina's jaw almost dropped. It was that stuffy Knight Captain, Cullen. He looked really good, too, despite what was going on. She stood there awkwardly and looked everywhere but at him. She hadn't had the best record in Kirkwall… She kind of hoped he didn't remember who she was. With the world at stake, she certainly hoped she wasn't the first thing on his mind.
He looked at her dubiously, not that she blamed him, "Is it? I hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of people getting you here." That sent a pang of guilt through her heart. She'd tried to pick the best option, and now she wasn't so sure. Everything she'd done since leaving her Clan had ended in shit. It was too late to go back.
"I honor your soldiers' sacrifices, Commander. I'll do everything I can to shut the Breach," she smiled devilishly, "I'll make you a promise: When I'm done with this mess, you won't believe how much the world has changed." Her words, she meant, but she was filled with worry. She wasn't even sure she could do anything at all, other than get rid of the small Rifts. She was afraid to fail, but trying was better than not doing anything. At least she'd know, one way or the other.
His face softened slightly, "Thank you." He turned his attention from Mina, back to Cassandra.
"The way to the temple should be clear. Leliana will try to meet you there," he informed her. Cassandra was ready and rearing to go.
"Let's move! We need to get this done as soon as possible. Give us time, Commander."
"Maker watch over you, for all our sakes," he said as the four ran off towards the temple. Mina looked back at him to say something, but he was already off a ways, helping a limping soldier. She smiled and turned back to the task at hand. People needed her, and she would not let them down. Not a chance. What she saw before her made all that worry turn to dread. There were bodies, some still aflame, that were pure ash. Some of them were rotting, burnt corpses. The smell was just as awful as the sight. So many people that were just no more. Their faces were forever contorted into cries of agony. Hardly anything was left of the beautiful building she had seen. It was all death and destruction. Everywhere she looked. It threatened to overwhelm her. So, she kept walking, telling herself that she was going to help fix this for others. She was going to make sure than no one lost another loved one in this way ever again. She would find out who did this and kill them. What purpose did all of this serve?
Shards of the building's wall stuck up like spikes, with green veins of light running through them. It almost looked like lyrium. But, Mina knew it was the Fade slowly seeping into the land. Above them loomed the Breach. Impossibly giant and very far up. A trail of the same green light that Mina's hand emanated connected it to the earth below.
Solas broke the heavy silence, "The Temple of Sacred Ashes."
"What's left of it," muttered Varric.
"That," Cassandra said grimly, pointing towards the temple, "Is where you walked out of the Fade and where our soldiers found you. They say a woman was in the Rift behind you… No one knows who she was."
Mina had no memory of this whatsoever. She knew she'd been tired and collapsed after running, and running, and running. She felt like she had to get away from something. There was this feeling of pure terror. But, that was all that came to mind when she thought back to it.
When they entered the central part of the temple, Mina just about pissed herself. There was red lyrium. Everywhere. Not just small amounts, but huge, towering crystals of it jutting out of the ground and walls. The Rift that was bigger than the others thus far sat in the middle of the room almost mounted on a crystal. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was about to burst. This was the really, really bad thing she'd been waiting for. Something extremely bad was about to happen.
"The Breach is a looong way up," Varric said to himself as he looked around.
"You're here! Thank the Maker." It was Leliana with some backup. If Mina's gut was right, they'd certainly need it.
"Leliana, have your men take up positions around the temple," said Cassandra who then walked over to Mina and stared her down. Mina took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
"This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?" the Seeker asked hopefully. There wasn't going to be another chance to try it out if she didn't do it now. All would be lost if they didn't try.
"Yes. Let's do this," she said with determination. She took the lead and made her way around the temple to find a way to the Rift. As soon as they started walking, a deep voice echoed around the temple.
"Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice."
Mina knew that voice, she just couldn't place it.
"What are we hearing?" Cassandra asked.
Solas replied, "At a guess—the person who created the Breach."
They kept walking around the edge, when they came rather close to some red lyrium. Varric looked most uncomfortable.
"You know this stuff is red lyrium, Seeker," he complained.
"I see it, Varric."
"But what's it doing here?"
Mina wanted to know the answer to that as well. Mina had never actually seen any, but as far as she knew, the last Varric had seen it, was when he had it destroyed in Kirkwall. This was not something that she had actually wanted to see. Ever.
Solas answered their question, "Magic could have called on lyrium beneath the temple; corrupted it."
Varric huffed, "It's evil. Whatever you do, don't touch it."
Mina had found some stairs that were still most of the way intact. That was their way down. As they descended, the ominous voice spoke again.
"Keep the sacrifice still."
"Someone help me!"
A woman's voice had joined his. Cassandra knew just who it was.
"That is Divine Justinia's voice!" They hurried ever forward and dropped off of the ledge to the bottom where the giant Rift waited. The mark on Mina's hand began to glow and burn as she got closer. A fantastic sign that what she was doing was in fact, a good idea.
"Someone help me!"
"What's going on here?!"
The second voice was Mina's own. Andraste's tits… what happened?
"That was your voice. Most Holy called out to you, but…" Cassandra was trying to put it together. It didn't make any sense to Mina either. The mark began to glow more intensely and hurt more as did the Rift before them.
An Image appeared before them. Some creature held a ball of light in its hands with Divine Justinia before him. It looked like her arms were tied up with binding magic. Then came an image of Mina, running in and demanding to know what was going on.
"Run while you can!" yelled the Divine, "Warn them!"
"We have an intruder. Get the Elf! Kill it, now."
All at once, the image was gone in a bright flash of light. Cassandra's voice came accusingly from behind.
"You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she…? Was this vision true?! What are we seeing?" she demanded.
Mina threw her hands in the air and shook her head, "I don't remember."
"Echoes of what happened here," explained Solas, "The Face bleeds into this place. This 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."
The Seeker shouted to the soldiers, "That means demons! Stand ready!" They drew their swords, readied their bows, and braced themselves for a big fight. Mina braced herself for whatever was to happen. The thought of calling on Ceras crossed her mind, but she didn't really want her sister to get too worried about her. Although, with how things were, her father and Clan probably suspected that she was dead. If Thalion told this to Ceras, then her sister would use their magic to communicate and prove this false. If this happened in battle, Mina would surely die. Her body was defenseless when this magic was activated. That was the one big drawback to it.
Mina held her hand up and began trying to open the Rift. It was like putting her hand into a campfire. Or into a pit of lava. It burned so badly, but she had to push through. She had to close this door into the Fade.
What came out of the Rift, Mina knew was specifically for her. It was one of her biggest flaws… A Pride Demon. It was a huge horned beast with nine beady little eyes, spikes everywhere, so it was naturally armored, and claws that could rip your throat open in seconds. Mina's fear exploded. Whatever had done this, sent that thing on purpose, and she knew it. Her lightning spells wouldn't work on it, which is what she specialized in after her Siren spells.
"Now!" shouted Cassandra. Archers let loose their arrows, the warriors rushed in, Varric shot off some bolts, and Solas threw some frost and ice spells at it. Mina, however tried to focus on weakening the Rift. If she could get it to close, it might weaken the demons, as well as stop them from coming through.
At first, they were hitting the monster, but after a few moments, nothing seemed to be working very well. It had hardened itself against their attacks. Fantastic. There had to be a way to catch it off guard.
"Focus on the Rift," Solas said to her. He was trying to help her focus. He seemed to know something about the Fade, so she did as he said. She felt a pull in her hand, like she was drawing power from the Fade itself. She yanked harder at the thread she felt between her and the world beyond and crushed it in her palm. The Rift shimmered a bit, the light from it getting slightly dimmer. A roar of pain came from the direction of the Pride demon. It fell to one knee and glared in Mina's direction.
"Oh shit." The demon was furious, and Mina had done it. The bad part was that it knew it too.
More, small green lights popped up everywhere, spawning demons.
"Oh goody! More things to fight!" she shouted, "As if we didn't have enough top begin with!"
On cue, the Pride demon charged at her, she barely, but agilely dodged its massive body. She gathered up energy in her hands, dancing out of the way of the lesser demons, and chanted something under her breath. The mana in her hands began to light up with a green fire that matched the color of the mark on her hand and the Rift itself. She'd discovered this strange talent on accident a while back, and worked on it with the Keeper. She never really got full control over it, but she wanted to test it out again.
"Everyone, move out of the way!" she shouted.
She spread the fire down the length of each arm and clapped them together, causing a wall of flame to wash over all of the smaller demons and the Pride demon's legs. They howled as their bodies began to disintegrate. This fire did more than burn. It ate at the very cells of the thing it was launched at, living or no. That is why she had always practiced it far from where the Clan was staying. And, that is why the Keeper walked with a limp. Strangely enough, a certain frequency was the quickest way to put it out. Water worked, but not very well.
Mina let out a magically amplified whistle and the green fire went out. Immediately the soldiers and her companions began to charge at the Pride demon again, who could barely stand, but was plenty pissed. Mina began her work on the Rift once again.
What felt like hours later, the giant demon finally fell. And, finally, Mina yanked on the thread that connected her and the Fade Rift one last time. The rock-like thing in the center of the Rift shot back up into the Breach and rippled the eerie green light through the sky. It seemed to have worked! Everyone started cheering.
Mina laughed and spun around to look at Varric, but… something was wrong. She felt dizzy; way too light. A bright light flashed before her eyes and she felt herself falling to the ground.