The corridor Solas and Moro continued through seemed to go on forever. Solas had spent the time explaining June to Moro. An eccentric he called him, reclusive and obsessed with his creations. Solas face was in a grimace as he thought back on that particular member of the 'Elvhen Pantheon'. He smiled after a time as he eyes trailed over some of the chiselled murals that danced across the walls by their sides.
"Despite that however, his followers were something to be admired."
"How so?"
"Their thirst and quest for knowledge was inspiring. You were lucky to find one who would turns their attention away from a book for but a moment...Do you remember the Vir Dithara?"
"Yes…the one in The Crossroads. I remember." The Vir Dithara was one of so many marvels of Elvhenan. When she was there herself, even in its desolate state she was amazed by it. To have seen it in its glory would have meant so much.
"June's followers were never too far from there, studying. Only the best of the best were given the chance to be accepted as one of his scholars. June encouraged ingenuity, bettering one's self through discipline and study." Solas sighed, "Less so once he became power hungry, like the rest of the Evanuris." Moro spared him a glance, he still wore the golden armour she had last seen him in. He stood taller and more commanding, nothing like the humble apostate she had known and fallen in love with. It should be easy to hate him, to see him as a danger and her adversary.
"Moro?"
But there it was. His voice, the way he spoke to her with that sad look in his eyes full of guilt and love, buried deep and pushed aside. This was a reminder why she was fighting him without killing him, he could still be saved from himself. At least that's what she tried to convince herself of. Whatever was in this temple could not fall into his hands, if he was so keen to seek it out himself instead of sending subordinates then there was absolute certainty that the gravity of the artefact's importance deep within the temple.
"Moro? Are you alright?" His time spent apart, gathering his small army and making plans to sunder the veil had changed him. Slowly but surely, and she didn't like it. It filled her with doubt. About their relationship and what they had. If not even bearing him a child could deter him from his path…
"I was just thinking on what you have been saying. The Evanuris seem to have been good people, once upon a time..." She placed her still whole hand against her hip. "People who wanted to do good." Solas narrowed his gaze on her as she levelled him with her own.
"A cautionary tale you should heed. Don't you think?"
Solas made to speak, but a giggle in the distance took both of their attentions. Moro was calling Laisa's name, running off ahead. Solas cursed and sprinted after her, dread filling him when he saw her pause and come to a standstill when she entered the next room.
The room was vast and empty, save for rows upon rows of armoured elves. They stood still as statues and it wasn't until Solas lit the room as he did previously, that it revealed the elves to be mechanical constructs.
"They are dormant." He pulled Moro close to him before she could charge off ahead again. "For now." A warning for her as much as himself. "Whatever is here, he did not want it to be found, these machines will be everywhere within the temple."
"We have to reach Laisa!" Moro hissed, gripping Solas' hand and ripping it off her. "How is she even getting through unharmed?" Solas walked cautiously down the steps, gesturing for Moro to follow.
"If what I saw is correct, she is being led by wisps. They will do her no harm." Themselves, he finished mentally. There was no need to cause Moro anymore distress than she was already going through. Something old and ancient was here, he could feel it in his bones, the further they followed Laisa's trail the stronger the dull heavy sensation of a presence draining on his mana became.
The wisps could not do his daughter harm, but they were drawing her somewhere. Innocent they were not, and he was certain the presence setting him unease was using the wisps to lure his daughter to it. For what purpose he still was not sure. The problem at hand demanded his attention however, any wrong move could wake these temple guardians. They had to be cautious.
"Was he building an army?"
"Perhaps, June did sometimes prefer the company of his toys than his own people. He would probably have replaced all of his slaves with them, given the chance."
"How many do you think there are?"
"Enough that we should be cautious ." The sound of a click echoed in the hall, both look down to see they had stepped on a mechanism as the floor pushed further into the ground that the other stones. The release of the trap sent another stone sinking into the floor, then another and another. They travelled to opposite ends of the hall. Long beams emerged from the walls at each end, a shining blue liquid pouring down into grooves on the floor leading down towards the temple guardians.
"Lyrium…"
Once it had descended down it flowed through into them, bring them to life. Solas pulled Moro closer.
"Try not to-"
All the machines turned to face them.
"Never mind."
Solas erected a barrier as arrows came flying at them, clattering to the floor upon impact. Moro did what she did best, sneaking past the front lines of warriors and taking out the archers before they could fire at Solas again. They were easy to take down. Easier than she felt they should have been, once she saw Solas dispose of the warrior troops with relative ease himself. He was quickly by her side again, a hand on her shoulder and concern in his eyes when she saw her prosthetic had come loose.
"Are you alright? You are not hurt?" Moro shoved his hand away, and re-adjusted her weaponised arm.
"I'm fine. Stop fussing!" Her voice louder when he attempted to help her again. Solas frowned, taking a step back and putting some distance between them.
"Forgive me…"
"Let's find Laisa and see how this all plays out when we reach our destination. Then we'll see how much forgiveness I have." Moro walked ahead to continue their path, sighing long and hard through her nose.
"ARGH!" Moro fell to the ground, a shock of lightening hitting her straight in the back. Solas turns to the source of the attack and finds a standing automation. Soon they were all re-animating, some abandoning weapons and opting for magic while others continued to rise and come back to life. Moro punched herself in the thigh in hopes it would cease the shaking, when the worst of it stopped she rose to her feet on wobbly legs. "I knew it was too easy. What now?"
Solas scanned across the guardians, they had to have a weakness. "Look." He pointed towards the centre of their chests, glowing a shining bright blue. Brighter than any other parts of their bodies. "The lyrium is keeping them alive. Destroy their centres and they will fall. They have to." Moro wasn't truly convinced, taking one of her hidden daggers and sending it flying straight into the core of one of them. The heart of the machine exploded from the impact and then it fell to the ground, the lyrium slowly ebbing away as well as the life inside it.
"Alright. I can work with that."
"Go again for the archers! Keep them off me!"
Moro is swiping past them again, heading straight for her targets. Despite their stubbornness to fall and the durability of their metal physiques that was all they were. Whatever June planned for them he did not wish to give them any intelligence. Their moves easy to evade and counter. The sheer number of them was what made them challenging.
Moro did not have magic on her side as Solas did, so it didn't surprise her when he had already taken out the others and began to aid her. When the battle finally came to an end Moro crushed the last machine under her boot, cracking her shoulders and re-sheathing her blade. Solas' attention was drawn to several wisps who watched them from afar, scurrying away as soon as they were spotted.
"Come, we must hurry."
"Ugh…All these rooms look the same! Are you sure you know where you're going?"
Abelas sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time, or maybe fifty-fifth? He lost count. He knew breaking down that barrier would hold consequences, the temple's magics were still alive. An illusion had been cast making it seem like they were walking in circles. Which technically, they were but eventually one of these entrances would show a weakness he could exploit, destroying the illusion.
He was sure even if he did explain this to Ramia she would still never shut up. So he kept her in the dark. Opting for ignoring her altogether.
"I wasn't being rhetorical!" Ramia bumps straight into him as he ceased walking suddenly. Abelas turned to look down at the elf, her eyes calm but sparked with something akin to a challenge. He was almost twice her height, it would require little to no effort of magic to subdue or do her harm. On top of that he was the only thing keeping her safe from the dangers within the temple.
And yet…
"You just gonna stare at me?"
She was either a brave girl or a dim-witted child. Perhaps both. He was leaning towards both.
"Let me be clear….?"
"Ramia."
"Ramia. I do not know your issues with the Dread Wolf. To be quite frank, I do not care." Abelas folded his arms in-front of him, regarding the girl with a casual disdain that didn't go unnoticed as Ramia tapped her foot impatiently. "Some sort of ruined parental bond yes? Considering the relationship between…him and the Inquisitor…" Abelas turned his back to her, approaching another archway. "You and I however, have no such antagonism towards each other. In fact, this is the longest conversation we have ever had."
"You work for Solas. That's good enough reason for me not to trust you. Besides Abelas…" Ramia caught up to him, an almost too sweet smile on her face. "My mother met you before, I was given quite a 'colourful' explanation of what you are like. So trust me, I don't like our predicament any more than you do."
"Then you would do well to try be co-operative would you not?" Abelas cast a spell with a click of his fingers, undoing the illusion placed on the entrance to the new chamber. With a mockingly swept bow he led her through to the next room. Ramia returned the gesture with her own sarcastic curtsy, taking the lead.
"So, what room is this?"
This part of the temple had the ceiling missing, showing that they were well into the night-time. Moonlight poured in through, the walls reflected it and illuminated the room. This made the room beautiful its own way, despite the state of disrepair it was in. Something akin to a stage was in the centre of the room, now cracked and overgrown with vines. Rows upon rows of seating went around as high as possible, leading ahead of it was a great staircase.
"Those wishing to earn June's favour would come to this room." Abelas indicated towards the stage. "Gifts or inventions would be presented, it was considered an honour for the chance to prove one's self and their talents at the Coliseum." Ramia listened intently, her mind playing images of what this place must have looked like in its prime.
"What else?"
"Hmm?"
"You have to know more! You're old!" Abelas frowned at her statement. He wasn't that old. He surmised however, that to Ramia all the elvhen were old. His knowledge, meagre as it seemed to himself would sound unending and bountiful to her. Ramia herself seemed to have realised the implication of what he said, clearing her throat. A fleeting blush coming over her cheeks.
"Well…Y'know, you're an ancient elf. You were there….n'stuff…" She mumbled.
Abelas shrugged his shoulders. "This place is not that much of a marvel. My afflictions for coliseums however is non-existent, I am not the best person to ask for dramatic descriptions." He had become distracted in his chatter, unaware that Ramia had begun to wonder over to the centre of the room.
"Ramia…be careful."
Ramia turned to face him, an eyebrow arched in questioning. "Why? What's gonna happen?"
"The floor does not look stable. Come here." Ramia snorts, ignoring his order and continuing to explore until she comes to the centre of the entire Coliseum. "Do you ever listen?" he shouted, unnerved by the deep cracks that decorated the entire structure the girl stood on.
"It's fine Abelas, honestly…" Ramia crossed her arms against her chest. "What's the worst that can happen?"
The floor collapsed beneath her, a scream echoing and her staff abandoned next to the hole. All that was left once the dust had cleared.
Abelas squatted down, arms resting against his knees as he peered down into the whole. Completely and utterly unsurprised by what had happened. Where ever she was it was a long way down. "Well….I'll be sure to let your mother know you died bravely." Abelas rose to full height, heading towards the large staircase to meet with Solas and Moro.
He paused in his steps, turning to look at the staff that sat abandoned by the hole. His mind constantly changing, questioning whether he could do what he wanted to do in good conscience. Abelas cursed under his breath, brisk walking over to the hole and picking up Ramia's staff. Hand on hip and tapping the staff against the ground.
"Mythal give me strength..." He prayed, pinching the bridge of his nose before descending below to find her. If he was lucky she would have hit her head and fallen unconscious.
Considering his luck so far, he very much doubted it.