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Falling. In the darkness, he heard his companions falling near him. They rushed through the darkness, towards the bottom. The ogre had managed to break the scaffolding lining the Abyssal Rift, sending Jace's party plummeting towards the bottom. The mage reached out with his magic, attempting to slow down the descent of his friends. Jace could feel his lover's power intertwining with his own, greatly helping his efforts. The wind slowed to a crawl, as the group came to a slow halt. They hit the ground pretty hard, though it was infinitely preferable to a more fatal landing.
Jace stood slowly, a bit disoriented from the fall. He called power to his hand, creating a dim light, so as not to harm the others' eyes. Dorian did the same with his staff, the pair illuminating the immense cavern around them. Blackwall, Bull, and Varric came to their feet as well, a bit bruised, but none too worse for the wear. Dorian came to Jace's side, silently perusing his lover for injury. Jace let him, as his own eyes were inspecting the area surrounding them.
“ Blackwall," he called quietly.
The large Grey Warden came to Jace's side, awaiting orders.
“Anything nearby?" the Inquisitor queried.
“Nothing for several miles in any direction. We are in the heart of the Deep Roads now, my friend. Remain wary at all times," the man rumbled.
“Understood. Weapons out," Jace ordered. Varric brandished Bianca and Dorian's trident staff glowed brighter. Blackwall took out his sword and shield, while Bull unleashed an enormous two-handed sword from the sheath on his back.
And off they went...
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They traveled for two days without incident, only taking brief rests to sleep and eat, always under the strongest of Dorian and Jace's wards. Blackwall always managed to warn the group before they ran into any darkspawn, giving them time to find another route. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were traveling further and further underground, with no end in sight. On their third day, they began to see red.
Crystal formations of every size imaginable dotted their path, each glowing a deep, bloody crimson. As the group continued forward, Jace and Dorian attempted to erect a powerful shield of arcane energy to keep the worst of the lyrium corruption at bay. Their hands joined, and a dome of white light extended over the five, keeping in time with their steps forward. For several hours they continued like this, trying to filter out the siren melodies that the crystals produced. At last though, they made their way out of the labyrinthine maze of crystals.
The path that they had walked led towards a large, golden door. It was marked with ancient symbols, something from an era long past. And according to Varric, it preceded even Dwarven writing.
"I don't like this, Sparky. Reminds me too much of that accursed thaig where we found the lyrium idol. Tread carefully."
The door was nearly twenty feet in height. However, it was marked with two large silver panels, one on the left, and another on the right side. One the left panel was a stylized flame. One the right was a series of curved shapes that resembled raindrops. Sending one quick look to each other, both Dorian and Jace cast forth their magic. Jace let loose a small, steady stream of white fire, searing the left panel. Dorian made a series of twisting gestures that erupted into a ripping torrent of pressurized water, slamming into the second panel. As per usual, Jace was amazed at his lover's demonstration of water magic, a school of spells not taught within the White Circles of Thedas. It was magic wholly unique to Tevinter. Water magic also served as the basis for some of Dorian's more powerful healing spells.
At Jace's awe-filled stare, Dorian sent a heated smirk to his lover, jade eyes all but glowing with excitement and lust. It honestly took the Inquisitor's breath away and sufficiently sent his loins ablaze. A large wrenching sound brought the pair's attention back to the door. It had begun to swing open in response to their magical assault, the grating metallic sounds deafening within the cavern. At last, their way stood open. The group strode forward only to stop just inside the door. Before them lay endless wonder.
Treasures unimaginable lay within the vault - endless amounts of gold, silver, and jewels filled the large area. From what Jace could see, the vault was nearly a mile long in each direction, with no end in sight. Casting forth his senses, he was nearly blinded by the amount of magic running through the entire vault. Even worse, the magic he sensed was almost...malevolent.
Jace cautioned his companions, "Don't touch anything! Everything in here is cursed."
Dorian gravely affirmed, "Touch the wrong thing, and you'll be reduced to a pile of ash."
Slowly, the group of five made their way towards the back of the vault, deftly avoiding any of the tempting gold. Finally, after following a winding path, the group came upon an exit that emptied into the Deep Roads. Unfortunately, blocking their way out was a large, crystalline throne. The group was no longer alone in the room, for a demon sat on the throne, beautifully naked.
The creature was tall, large and muscular. Jace's lust filled perusal of the demon's body started from the bottom and worked upwards. His very large endowment was hanging heavily. It was unadorned, unlike his pierced nipples. The body was sinfully built, with large, mountainous pecs crowning a rippling set of abdominals. Jace almost stopped breathing when he reached the demon's face. Eyes that shifted hue stared beatifically out of the most handsome face imaginable. Long, chestnut brown hair fell down in soft waves down the man's back, filling the space of his crystal throne. Curling rams horns topped the large man's head, completing his appearance. He was the most beautiful creature Jace had ever seen. And by the smirk on the demon's mouth, the devilish being knew exactly what Jace was thinking. The Inquisitor heard several awe-filled gasps from the other men behind him, their entire group enthralled by the demon on the crystal throne.
"I am Devotion," the demon said, in an echoing tone. His voice rumbled like earth, whispered like the air, soothed like water, and inflamed passion like fire. "Love me."
At his words, the Inquisitor slammed to his knees in supplication, as did all of his companions. It was as if their very bodies desired to worship this awesome being. A haze of magic filled Jace's mind, altering, twisting, and fogging his thoughts. It was blood magic of the highest level, surpassing that of any mortal mage. This demon was clearly of a tier far beyond mere desire demons. Even Dorian, for all his knowledge and skill with the dark art, was barely able to resist the creature's will. When the demon crooked a beckoning finger, Jace suddenly felt himself rise and slowly walk towards the perfect being, mind and body completely enslaved.
Fortunately there was one among them familiar with demons and their power. Thinking quickly, the former magister made a small cut on his hand, before slamming his palm onto the ground, shoving out mana in waves through the earth. From where his bloody hand touched the ground, sigils began to spiral out. Working as quickly as he could, Dorian fought the demon's power. The sigils began to glow as they managed to encircle the monster. And with that, the demon's power was briefly halted.
Jace dropped like stone, abruptly cut loose from the ensnaring blood magic. He had almost crossed the runes of the binding circle that was now trapping the demon and his magic. The man looked back to see his lover sending him a very tired smirk. A loud roar turned his attention back to the demon. The creature was now standing in his full virile glory, and he was not smiling anymore. Devotion's eyes were now a fiery red, and oh, how they burned with hate.
Jace moved back to stand by his friends, all breathing tiredly.
"You dare deny me devotion, mortal?" The demon screamed. His once vibrant voice now struck at the soul, physically paining the men outside the binding circle. The blood runes on the floor glowed brightly as Devotion's fury grew.
"Yes, I do," Dorian professed quietly, nose beginning to bleed. The strain to contain the demon was great.
"Do you know this being, my dear?" Jace queried, hoping to draw upon his lover's knowledge.
"This creature is Devotion, one of the Undying. He is a Lord of the Outer Night, a class of demon second only to the Forbidden Ones themselves. Imperial legends say that he was forever cursed within a lost primeval thaig millennia ago. My guess is that we have just stumbled upon the remnants of that thaig. Our opening of the vault must have awakened him, weakening the curse that binds him. The spell that I used to halt him is one I learned from the Black Divine. It tapped into the original curse and tried to strengthen the seals. The consequence is that now I am the one giving the spell energy. We need to find something else to power the binding, and quickly!"
"You tied yourself to the spell? Are you out of your damned mind!?" Jace asked incredulously.
"We were desperate and you were about ten seconds from having your life force drained by the damn demon, so don't you dare take that tone with me!" Dorian retorted thunderously.
"Not that watching you two argue isn't fun and all, but we have much bigger fish to fry at the moment," Bull observed sagely, pointing towards the binding circle.
Devotion had begun to point at the runes on the floor, and began speaking words under his breath. Dorian felt the pressure begin to build and fought to reinforce his control. The runes began to glow even brighter in response to the two opposing forces.
"Hurry!" he yelled to Jace.
Jace hurriedly cast out his senses, searching for some item that they could use to power the binding curse. The Inquisitor’s mind was blinded by an intense magical presence coming from the left side. The man raced through the labyrinth, only to stop dead when he found what he was looking for. He distantly heard Varric gasp from behind him, the dwarf having followed him through the large room.
A figurine lay innocently on top of a pile of gold coins and jewelry. It depicted a crowned, armored man standing proudly. Underneath his boots were small skulls being crushed, perhaps representing a conquering king. But it was not the features of the artifact that scared Jace so much. It was the red veins running through the crystalline figure that stopped him short.
He turned to ask Varric, “Is that what I think it is?”
Varric slowly replied, never taking his eyes off the figurine, “It looks just like the other idol. Step carefully, Sparky.”
Hearing Dorian’s shouts, Jace put his fears behind him. He grasped at the air with his mana, lifting the figure with magic, hoping to minimize physical contact with the red lyrium. The man swiftly carried the idol back to Dorian.
Jace found his lover immensely tired, both his eyes and nose bleeding from the strain. With a grunt, he quickly grabbed the idol magically from Jace, before floating it down to touch the edge of the binding circle. As the red lyrium touched the circle, it began to glow brightly, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Jace heard a loud scream come from inside the circle, and forced his eyes open. The idol shattered with a thunderous roar, with the shards flowing into the circle, swirling around the now writhing entity. A red cloud seemed to infect the demon, and then he began to change. Red crystal began sprouting upon his legs, locking the creature into place. The red lyrium slowly traveled up Devotion’s body, causing him to scream in great pain. It came to a roaring crescendo, before finally, he was completely entombed. A glittering statue was all that remained of Devotion.
Silence reigned within the treasure room. Even Dorian was completely speechless at what had just occurred. Varric however remained the most affected. The dwarf’s face looked haunted.
“It looks just like her,” he said slowly, lost in a dark memory.
“Who?” Jace asked tiredly. He helped Dorian sit down, and began a rudimentary healing spell.
“Meredith,” Varric whispered.