"Alright people." Shepard took a deep breath and walked forward, gesturing for Leliana and Alistair to keep pace. "What exactly are we facing here? Alistair told me the gist of the mages but I need intel on what exactly an abomination is." Gingerly she stepped over to one of the bodies laying mangled in the hallway. Crouching down she activated her Omni's scan, noting the deep, clawed gouges across the former mages torso.

"An abomination is what happens to a mage who becomes possessed by a demon." Leliana told her, following her next to the body. "They become twisted and corrupt, losing themselves completely to the demon's influence. It is a terrible fate."

"Demons aren't real." She frowned in return and glanced back down at the body. "What do you mean by possessed, exactly? It's a physical change?"

Alistair huffed and shook his head. "Maybe demons aren't real where you're from but they're very real here." He threw a hand out to encompass the hallway around them as he continued, "That's why mages are watched the way they are. Magic is dangerous, of course, but the real threat is possession. If a mage makes a deal with a demon in the Fade, it's all over."

Leliana nodded and offered Shepard a hand to pull her upright. "He's right. I've heard abominations are tough. The demon gives the mage unnatural strength and speed, and they can still cast. We will have to work quickly to take them down."

"Is there any way to save them?" She turned to meet both companions' eyes. "The mages? Is there nothing we can do for the ones who are… possessed?"

A beat of silence and then Alistair slowly shook his head. "It would be a kindness to end them."

Shepard sucked in a breath and nodded. "Alright. Then our mission here is clear. We go room by room, clear it and push on." Reaching down she unclipped her helmet and quickly sealed it on. "Any questions?"

"Nope! Hit all the bad things! Got it!" Alistair sent her a strained smile along with his forced joviality before swiftly slotting his own helmet into place.

"Let's move."

In tense silence they set off, stepping quietly over bodies as they checked room by room on the first floor. Each empty space making them more wary. Reaching the end of the hall they all stopped in surprise at the sound of voices echoing through the wood. "On three." Shepard told them, hand firmly gripping the door's edge. At her mark they burst through to find a room full of mages, the oldest one blasting a giant flaming lava creature backwards with a wave of her hands. Shepherd's eyes widened at the sight. "Wha-?"

"Rage demon!" Alistair informed her, before swiftly moving past her to the older mages side.

The woman turned and stiffly stepped back, startled. "It's you!" She stared at Alistair in surprise before promptly scowling. "No… come no further. Grey Warden or no, I will strike you down where you stand!"

Immediately he lowered his sword and met the woman's eyes. "Wynne- what are you doing here?"

Shepard stepped forward then. "You two know each other?"

Alistair nodded. "We met briefly at Ostagar, the Warden's camp was right next to the mages. Could hardly go for a snack without stumbling across each other." Turning back to Wynne he took a tentative step forward. "I'm happy to see you unharmed. After what happened… well…"

The mage nodded tiredly in return. "Indeed, it is good to see you again as well. I had thought all the Wardens had died with the king."

He scoffed in reply. "Nearly did! Would have if Loghain had his way."

Wynne sighed. "Yes,I imagine so. But more importantly, why are you here now? The Templars would not let just anyone by." She hesitated and then squared her chin. "The Templars, do they plan to attack the tower?"

"We're here to save you." Shepard told her, capturing the attention of the other mages scattered about the room. "I won't lie, the Rite is on it's way but if we manage to bring your First-Enchanter to the Knight Commander you can all get out of here."

"So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond hope?"

"He might, but I don't"

Wynne blinked in surprise and then slowly nodded. "Yes, even trapped as we are, we have survived." She turned to face Shepard fully and continued, "You should know, the Circle suffered something of a revolt led by a mage named Uldred. When he returned from the battle at Ostagar, he tried to take over the circle." She paused and gestured to the room with a grimace. "As you can see, it didn't work as he had planned."

"Well that complicates things." Alistair muttered.

"The Knight Commander was right," Leliana agreed, spine stiffening. "Blood mages."

Shepard glanced at the two uncertainly, missing the implication behind their grave words completely. Goddamn magical shit, she thought despairingly."Does that change the mission?"

Alistair shook his head and shifted his shield higher up onto his arm. "Nope! Just means you have to be extra careful about someone trying to control your thoughts while also dodging fireballs!"

Wynne glared at his glib attitude until he ducked his head, chastised. Satisfied she turned to Shepard. "I will not lose the Circle to one's man pride and stupidity. I'm coming with you."

The Commander blew out a breath at that and pointedly looked at the children and other mages scattered about the room. "Are you sure that's wise?"

Wynne nodded and gestured to two mages in bright robes on either side of her. "Petra and Kinnon will mind the children and guard the door. If we slay all the fiends we encounter on our way, none will get by to threaten the children."

"Alright." she agreed, waiting for the mage to approach the glimmering barrier barring the way forward. "Welcome aboard Wynne, name's Shepard. Let's get this place cleaned out and keep your people safe."

Holy shit. Shepard thought, Omni-blade tearing through the corpse shambling towards her. Her stomach turned hard at the sight of it struggling to stand as it clawed at her armor. It looks like a husk. Are these demons Reapers? Some sect of them, masquerading as spirits? With a kick, she knocked the next creature backwards, feeling the rush of blue energy from the elder mage bolster her aching muscles. If there was one thing Shepard had come to realize as they had cleared the second floor of the tower, it was that magic was very real, and far beyond the sort of genetic explanations she'd been using to justify Morrigan's displays of power. Spinning, she charged, slamming into an abomination sneaking behind Leliana in an explosion of biotic energy. The bard jerked back, avoiding the liquid heat of the detention as Wynne's whispered incantation encased her in a halo of healing light.

"Rage demon!" Alistair shouted, stepping forward to intercept the flaming mass churning towards them.

Which reminded Shepard of something else very important about this whole, saving the tower business. Demons. Rushing forward she tossed out a Shockwave, toppling a row of approaching corpses attempting to flank them, her barrier flickering beneath the onslaught of grasping fingers. "Move!" she ordered Alistair, hitting the flaming creature with a Pull. It laughed, the sound low and scratching as it barely shifted beneath the biotic attack. She watched as the warden rolled clear before Charging forward, the collision with the demon building her barrier before she shifted, slamming the energy gathered around her into it with a shout. The Nova vaporized everything in a blue wave, the leftover abominations and corpses crumbling to dust, leaving the small group panting quietly within the confines of the stone room.

"Holy Maker." Wynne whispered, blue eyes tracking the carnage from Shepard's biotic attack. "I've never seen magic like that before. You were not kidding, were you young man?"

Alistair snorted slightly, leaning down to catch his breath. "I do have my moments of seriousness."

Leliana let out an indelicate snort at that, countering Alistairs stretched out "Heeeyyyy '' with a roll of her eyes.

Ignoring the people recovering behind her, Shepard walked forward, surveying the cavernous room they'd found themselves in. The vaulted ceiling soared above them dominated by large statues of women holding bowls. A motif she had noticed throughout the tower on nearly every hallway, but the most disturbing thing was the walls. Fleshy growths pulsing softly in the dim light of the flickering torches, terrifyingly organic and familiar. The more she saw of these demon's the more she could see the influence of the Collectors and the Reapers. Pushing the thought away she instead turned to the mangled creature Leliana had called an abomination. The melted face staring back at her sent a shiver down her spine.

"It was a mage, once."

She flinched, turning to stare up at Alistair as he crept over to her. "What?"

He gestured to the mass on the ground. "You remember us telling you about abominations? This is what happens when a mage gets possessed." His eyes narrowed as she turned back to the body. "You looked surprised when we hit our first one, but I… noticed something else." She quirked her brow curiously as Alistair carefully met her eyes. "You look like you recognized them."

She turned away from the body, clenching her teeth. "Just pulling similarities to my own world."

"Really?" he asked. "A world with no demons and you see something familiar?"

Tensing Shepard nodded. "We should move on."

Alistair made a scoffing sound as she quickly maneuvered around him and back towards the other two women. "Wynne, how much longer till we reach the top of the tower? We've already been through three floors, this place can't be that big."

Wynne nodded, gesturing forward. "Through that door is the central room for this level, and the access to the Harrowing chamber."

Shepard shifted to face the large door, mentally rallying. Glancing at Alistair next to her she fixed him with a firm stare. "One last thing. Remember, if I'm standing next to you, don't cleanse the area, or whatever it was you did."

And hadn't that been a surprise? They had burst through the doors to the second floor, a group of mages blocking them from continuing. Shepard had rushed forward with Alistair, watching in alarm as one mage had begun to summon a massive fireball. Shepard had been preparing to throw out a Shockwave when next to her Alistair had lit like a lightbulb. The glowing nimbus of blue light had rippled from the sky, gathering around his body before shooting outwards, blasting the mages and fizzling out the at the same moment when the blue light had struck her, every electronic on her suit had gone dark, like an EMP slamming against the circuits and annihilating her barrier. Momentarily blind and deaf Shepard had staggered forward, careening into the ground as her implants reset, and armor rebooted. Suffice to say, it wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat.

He gave her a sheepish smile in response, shrugging at her glare. "Didn't know it would affect you miss "not a mage"." Leaning forward he watched her carefully. "You're alright aren't you? No ill effects?" The man had been reduced to a quivering pile of panic as Shepard had wretched onto the tower floor, attempting to drag her upright as she twitched on the ground, convulsing helplessly.

Shrugging aside his concern she strode towards the door, grasping the handle as Leliana and Wynne hurried forward. "I'm going to have to recalibrate my gun when we get out of here." Giving him a faint smile she watched his brow crease with worry. "I'm fine Alistair. I just wasn't expecting you to be a portable EMP." At his confused expression and open mouth she waved away his question. "Later." She told him, turning to check the others were ready. At their nods she shoved the door open, barrier flashing as she rushed forward.

"Makers breath!" Leliana gasped, the redhead lifting her hand to cover her mouth in horror. Shepard turned slowly, surveying the large circular room they'd entered nauseously. Piled everywhere were bodies, stacked in haphazard piles next to large fleshy growths, the overwhelming stench of rot radiating through the damp air. It's just like the Collector base.

"Oh look, visitors. I'd entertain you but… too much effort involved."

Shepard whipped around, turning to face the creature standing above the body of a mage in the center of the room. "Good, that'll make you easier to kill." she snarled, shifting to protect Leliana and Wynne. If there was anything she had learned from this hell hole it was this. Don't ever make a deal with demons.

"But why?" the creature asked, swaying hypnotically as it regarded her. "Aren't you tired of all the violence in this world? I know I am." Weariness swept over her in a muted wave, her muscles sagging with sudden unseen weight. She really was… so tired. Violently Shepard shook her head, pulling her biotics around her like a net. "Wouldn't you like to just lay down and…forget about all this? Leave it all behind?"

Next to her Alistair groaned softly, swaying on his feet. "Can't keep eyes open. Someone…pinch…me."

"Resist!" Wynne gasped. "You must resist, else we are all lost…"

Shepard staggered forward a step, grasping clumsily to control her fatigued body. "Why do you fight? You deserve more… you deserve a rest. The world will go on without you." The demon whispered as the world faded before Shepard's eyes.