I push the gates open to see a pile of bodies scattered across the snow. A warrior, donned in heavy armor and a huge maul in his hands, stalks towards me.
Blood spurts from his throat and the warrior jolts before dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
The boy standing behind the warrior seems to be just a little younger than me. A large brimmed hat obscures his face, yet I can see messy white hair falling down to just above his shoulders. The boy's clothing is patch worked—and it's obvious he hasn't changed in a long time.
I run out towards him, Cullen in tow. Much to my excitement.
"I'm Cole," says the boy. "I came to warn you. To help. People are coming to hurt you. You probably already know."
"What's going on?" I ask, looking around.
"The Templars come to kill you."
I glance at Cullen and he thrusts his sword near Cole, "Templars?" Cole backs away in fright. "Is this the Order's response to our talks with the mages? Attacking blindly?" He looks at me.
"The red Templars went to the Elder One. You know him? He knows you. You took his mages," explains Cole. "There." In a graceful step, he points towards a ridge jutting from the mountain side.
I look at the man standing on the ridge, holding a golden sword which glints in the moonlight.
"I know that man…" says Cullen.
Smoke seems to blow around him and in a blink of an eye something materializes from it. His skin seems to be like armour and his head glows reddish in colour—like he's been exposed to red Lyrium. I can't quite see his face, but it looks deformed. And it stands nearly twice the size of the man Cullen recognizes.
"But this Elder One…" continues Cullen.
"Is very angry that you took his mages," finishes Cole.
"Cullen?" I ask, my voice a little tight. "I need a plan… anything will do."
"Haven is no fortress. If we are to withstand this monster, we must control the battle. You need to stop that force. Use everything you can." His eyes drift to the trebuchet and he draws his sword and turns to face the Inquisition troops.
My breath hitches slightly and my cursed mind wanders to those muscles under his armour.
"Mages! You… you have sanction to engage them. That is Samson, he will not make this easy." His orders snap me back to the present and I watch the Inquisition forces watching their Commander with respect, with pride. They will fight to protect Haven at all costs. "Inquisition," he continues as goose bumps travel along my arms. "With the Herald!" A quick flash of a smile towards me. "For your lives! For all of us!"
The force erupts in cheers and yells, clanging of swords on shields. And they rush towards the enemy, setting out into groups around Haven.
Cullen gives me a nod before heading back inside the village, helping the refugees and civilians.
I rush over to the northern trebuchet where some Inquisition soldiers are already taking up positions.
Sera readies her bow, "Let's get these piss buckets."
Cassandra grips her sword and nods at me, while Dorian flicks his staff, sending a cloud of frost towards an incoming group of Templars.
They rear back from the unexpected attack, scrambling from the wintery grasp. More red Templars come forward, swords slashing.
I twist away from them in time to see Sera shoot a Templar, making him topple to the soft snow.
Soldiers scream orders at each other, trying to keep rank, but failing as more Templars rush towards us. I rip through a group, trying to stop them from hacking at Cassandra as she smashes through with her shield.
Dorian and Sera stand on the outskirts of the battle, shooting magic and arrows into the Templar marksmen, making our job a lot easier.
A monster rushes towards us and I turn to examine it. With a gasp, I realise it's a person… but with red Lyrium protruding from his elbows and shoulders. A helmet is stuck on his face, fangs jutting from his mouth. His fingers are long, nails like claws and his skin is sickly pale and a purple colour.
I rock back on my heels as it swipes at me, nails nearly scratching against my flesh. Slapping its next attack away with a sword, I thrust my other sword towards him.
A quick, deep cut sends it squealing and Cassandra spins, her sword swirling with her. In a blink of an eye, the monster is beheaded.
I look at Cassandra and she wipes her brow, "A Templar Horror."
The name really suits it.
"Centered and cleared! Fire!" yells one of the Inquisition scouts. The trebuchet fires, sending a boulder towards the advancing army. "They felt that! We'll reload—you get to the other trebuchet. It isn't firing."
I nod at the scout and rush towards the next trebuchet, the others in tow.
Through the harsh wind beginning to pick up, we make it to the next trebuchet, attacking yet another group of red Templars.
Cassandra holds her shield as an arrow flies towards her. The tip slams into the metal shield and Cassandra grunts. I throw a blade at the archer, my weapon finding his eye. Cassandra nods a thanks at me and we continue on. Dorian swings his staff, sending a chain of lightning through the Templars. He flicks his foot, retrieving my sword from the snow. He chucks it back to me and we assault the electrocuted Templars. We plough through the rest of the Templars, easily defending their attacks.
The rush of the battle really sets my brain into overdrive and I hardly count the numbers we've taken down. It's their mistake for attacking Haven.
"You tits!" yells Sera, sending multiple arrows into the last Templar.
Inquisition scouts rush towards us, "We've got time. Crew the trebuchet. Start firing."
Flying up the wooden steps, I grasp the wheel and begin manning the trebuchet. It slowly turns, one slow turn at a time. I glance up to catch my breath and see the moon shining in the sky. It sits low, glinting in the scar left by the Breach.
Gritting my teeth, I continue turning the wheel. I pant, my breath coming out in swirls of mist.
And with one last turn, the trebuchet shudders and fires, sending a fiery boulder towards the mountain. A rumble fills the air and the snowy peak begins to shift.
"Yikes," yells Sera.
With a violent speed, the avalanche begins to strengthen and tumble down the mountainside towards the army. Thousands of enemies… people… are buried under the snow. Trees and boulders suffering the same fate. The tiny fires wink out of existence, distinguished like the many lives. A cloud of snow and dust settles of the mountain pass, and silence fills the air around us.
A horn blows through the air, sending a shiver down my spine. Have we won?
Cheers erupt through the scouts and soldiers, even Sera shouts something.
But a shriek fills the air, a sound that sends the Inquisition quiet.
A streak of red light comes into view and in a blink the trebuchet explodes in a shower of wood.
I scramble out of the way, Dorian pushing me to run.
"Oh shit!" yells Sera, and I repeat what she says.
A shadow flies over us and I turn to see a dragon, giant wings beating, scales almost as dark as the night sky.
"We can't face it here," yells Cassandra. "We have to… do something."
"We need to gate back to the gates," I yell.
As we run, I watch the dragon circle back around, ready to fire at us again. It squeals as it flies over us, but it doesn't attack. Perhaps it's waiting for something—or someone.
I hear Dorian panting beside me, Sera nearly shitting her pants, while Cassandra runs at the rear, keeping her eye on the dragon.
The gates come into view, Cullen standing majestically at the open gates, ushering everyone inside, "Everyone inside." He sees me, "Move it! Move it!" As I run past I feel his hand on the small of my back, pushing me through.
Once the others are in he closes the gates, but the dragon just flies overhead. So much for safety.
I look at Cullen for guidance as he begins walking up the stairs, "We need everyone back to the Chantry. It's the only building that might hold against… that beast." He turns to me, "At this point, just make them work for it."
I grin, "With pleasure."
"People need to move," yells Sera, beyond sane. "Round them up!"
An explosion rocks the ground as the dragon shoots a ball of fire at a house.
I hear a scream and see Lysette, fighting off two Templars. I hurtle towards the nearest Templar and send a nice gash across his face. A punch sends me reeling as the other Templar yells in anguish of his friend's defeat. He swings his sword and I hop away, Lysette hacking at his armour.
Dorian and Sera send attacks towards him and soon, the fight is done.
"Good work, Herald," yells Lysette. "Protect the Chantry!" And with that, she runs towards the building.
We continue on our way, moving along the pebble path in search of other townspeople.
"Get it… get it off! It's coming down!" comes a voice. I spin, my eyes locking onto the burning tavern. Varric's favourite place.
The flames lick at the wooden structure and I search for the source of the voice.
Spotting a woman in the doorway of the tavern, I rush towards her. It's Flissa, trapped under a pile of debris, "I need help!"
Cassandra pushes forward and grabs hold of the debris, along with Dorian. With a nod of their heads, they lift the wooden beam. Flissa lets out a small scream as the weight is finally lifted from her legs. I wrap my arms around her and pull her from the burning building. Cassandra and Dorian leap backwards as the roof collapses, sending a plume of sparks into the air.
I cough as smoke bellows from the building.
Flissa turns to me, "I knew you would come! We are all blessed."
I incline my head, "Happy to help."
She runs off towards the Chantry, staying clear of more fires.
Walking from the tavern, an Inquisition scout rushes towards us, "This way! Someone needs help." He turns and runs back the way he came, not even checking if we're following.
But we are.
Reaching a house, he stands at the door, "I can't get to him."
Glancing around, I see a ladder, leading to a platform. A plan forms in my mind and without a second thought I clamber up the ladder and up along the platform. The roof of the house has a hole in it and I dive through it.
Landing in a roll, I get to my feet, seeing Seggrit lying on the ground, clutching his stomach. I help him to his feet and he grumbles, "About time. Let me out of here."
I almost let him fall. Almost.
Barrels and crates block the doorway and try as I might, I can't move them. The smoke is thicker now and I cough.
"Herald?" comes Cassandra's voice. "Step back."
I push Seggrit back just as the door is smashed to pieces, barrels and crates in splinters. I blink the smoke from my eyes to see Cassandra with her shield up.
"You couldn't have done that in the first place?"
She just shrugs.
We reach the Chantry and see more fighting. Threnn holds off half a dozen Templars and we rush into battle, helping her.
I can feel the ache in my limbs now, from swinging my swords around. Scratches cover my arms and my head still throbs from that punch I took. But I fight through the pain and focus on the Templars. They too seem to be tiring. Kinks in their armour begin to show—a slow attack allows for a counterattack by me, fatal to most. Their heavy armour weighs them down and in a few easy strikes, the rest of the Templars fall.
Threnn nods, "Thank you. Those shits almost had me. Now let's go."
And so we run to the safety of the Chantry.