Summary: Saeris comes face-to-face with the Viddasala, and he and his companions start the final push to stop the Ben-Hassrath plans. But it seems the Viddasala is far more aware of Solas and his own operation than Saeris - or his companions - had realized.
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Excerpt below the cut:
His palm burned. The white-hot pain was so loud in Saeris' mind that he could barely think as he stood amidst the dozens of pairs of eyes of the Ben-Hassrath. Not one of them reached for their weapons, but he did not doubt they would in a heartbeat.
“Survivor of the Breach. Herald of change. Hero of the South.”
A qunari woman called out to him from a platform ahead of them. Scars marred her severe features, her two horns curled regally towards the sky. Her clothing was similar to that of the agents around her - open and breathable, easy to move in - save for the book she had dutifully strapped to her arm, as if a symbol of her status. All of the soldiers around her were glancing in her direction, awaiting her orders.
“You’re the Viddasala, then?” Saeris asked.
“After fulfilling your purpose at the Breach,” she said, ignoring him and taking a single, commanding step forward, “it is astonishing to hear you still walked free among your people. Your duty is done, Inquisitor. It is time to end your magic.”
Saeris’ jaw tightened. “My duty is to protect people from threats,” he said, his voice like cold steel. “Everything I’ve done and continue to do is for that alone.”
“I do not doubt that is what you believe, Inquisitor.” The Viddasala assessed him. “But I am no stranger to catastrophe, and the chaos in the south defies comprehension. The Qun left your people to curb your own magic. You’ve amply proven we should have stepped in long ago.”
“And by ‘stepping in,’ you mean murdering hundreds of people,” Saeris said, crossing his arms. “You would force the South into more chaos?”
The Viddasala stared him down, unflinching. “Do you believe closing the Breach solved everything, that its consequences stopped there?” she said. “The day we saw the Breach, the Qun decided its action. We would remove your leaders and spare those who toil. A hundred deaths to save thousands.” Her brow furrowed. “But this agent of Fen’Harel has disrupted everything. Lives that were to be spared, lost for him.”
Saeris hesitated. An ‘agent’ of Fen’Harel? Did they think that Solas was just an agent?
It was possible Solas was actively trying to keep people safe from the mass murder the Ben-Hassrath were orchestrating, and put a stop to all of this. That had to be it.
In many respects, it was a comfort. Almost.
The thought quickly dissipated when he realized that he had not spoken, nor had he minded the expression on his face. His companions were all glancing at him, now. They seemed as eager for an explanation as the Viddasala.
He’d taken too long to dispute her claim.
“Kill the Inquisitor, then follow me to the Darvaarad,” the Viddasala ordered, then continued up the steps toward the eluvian above.
She disappeared through the mirror before Saeris could say anything more, leaving them alone with the remaining Ben-Hassrath agents. They drew their weapons, ready to follow orders.
