Sera shivered as she stood before the large wooden doors. Although it was quite warm, she folded her arms protectively around herself, her eyes darting everywhere at once. The ruins were completely abandoned. Aside from the group of Venatori they had fought with outside, they hadn't encountered anyone else on their way up the path and judging from the eerie silence, there wasn't anyone inside, either. At least she hoped not. Anyone they found there was certainly going to be someone Sera didn't want to meet.
Even from the outside, it was obvious that the ancient palace was falling apart. Crumbling fragments of stone littered the ground. Strands of ivy and creeper had wound themselves around what remained of a short drawbridge that it looked as if no one had crossed in years. Though she was no mage, the magical energy that saturated the place was unmistakable.
Her companions weren't any help. While Herah and Cassandra seemed to be on their guard too, Morrigan was gazing at the palace with clear reverence instead. Looking at her set Sera's nerves further on edge. "I see why everyone left," she whispered at last. She was desperate to shatter the quiet, even if it was only with the sound of her own voice. "This place is creepy. And not just regular creepy, neither. 'Demons are about to burst out and rip your face off at any minute,' creepy."
"Demons." Cassandra sighed and drew her sword once again. "Thank you, Sera, for your positivity."
"Demons would not necessarily be an unwelcome development," Morrigan pointed out. "If there is a breach in the Fade nearby, surely the magical artifact we seek is its source."
Sera couldn't suppress another shudder of fear. She had no problem putting an arrow in anything Herah pointed her at, but demons always scared her. It wasn't like shooting Templars or mages or Venatori. Magic was bad. Demons were worse. The two of them together... She stopped hugging herself and unstrapped her bow. It couldn't hurt to have an arrow at the ready. "Well? C'mon then. Let's haul arse in there and grab what we need before we end up worse than dead."
For once, all of them nodded in agreement. "Right." Herah stepped forward, passing close by on the way. Sera breathed a little easier as her Herah's arm brushed against hers. She hadn't expected the touch, but subtle as it was, it still made her feel better. A small grin crept across her face as she watched the Inquisitor open the doors, and for one blissful moment, demons and Corypheus and magic fled her thoughts. Herah's strength had always been impressive, but Sera had grown particularly fond of watching the way her muscles moved, even beneath her light armor.
The ancient doors slid open with a creak of protest, but Sera couldn't see what lay behind them just yet. A glimmering wall of ice stood between them and the inside of the palace. Without the stone portal to block its effect, her shivers were now from cold rather than fear.
Herah, however, remained undaunted. "Ah, ice barriers. My favorite." She lifted her staff, and flames sprang into being around the tip, banishing the chill from the air. She pointed her weapon at the wall and the fire poured out, colliding with the barrier. The ice splintered, then shattered entirely, collapsing in on itself. Herah flashed them a cocky grin. "See, nothing to it. Now, let's get in there and see what we've got."
At first, the abandoned fortress looked very much like the other ruins they had explored many times before, but it didn't take them long to realize that something was different here. There were enough windows and holes in the walls to allow sunlight into the antechamber, and even Sera could tell that the place was old. The threadbare tapestries on the wall were in a style she didn't recognize, as was the surviving furniture. What really got her attention, though, were the bodies. Several skeletons were strewn about the floor, clad in the remains of their similarly archaic clothes.
"What happened to them?" Cassandra asked, walking over to one of the corpses for a closer look. "I see no obvious signs of violence, though after so much time, it is difficult to say for sure."
"Don't know," Sera muttered. "Not sure I want to know." Violence she could deal with. An enemy she could shoot in the face was much better than something that crawled under your skin and killed you without offering so much as a fair fight. And then she saw it. In a corner of the room, her eye caught a flash of green light, and it was a phenomenon she knew all too well. "Oh no," she gulped. "No, no, no. What the hell is that bloody stuff doing in here?"
Morrigan seemed intrigued rather than dismayed. "I saw it too. It seems much like the energies that usually surround a breach into the Fade, but I see no evidence of one in this room. 'Tis most unusual."
"True enough," Herah agreed. "And I want to know what killed these people and if it's still around. But I doubt we'll get many answers from skeletons. Let's keep moving."
As they made their way deeper into the fortress, Sera's eyes darted back and forth, scanning the room for further sign of that strange energy. She didn't see anything at first, not until a tendril of green light snaked around Herah's hand. The Inquisitor gestured into a darkened corridor that sloped gently downwards. "I think what we're looking for is that way. I can feel a rift… Probably."
Cassandra shot her a perplexed look. "Probably?"
"It feels different that normal. I've never sensed anything quite like it before."
Herah's words only set Sera's nerves further on edge. The Inquisitor had spent a lot of time studying those weird rifts, and if even she was confused, that wasn't a comforting thought.
Morrigan, however, seemed positively enthused. "Different? This mystery becomes ever more intriguing. Perhaps whoever built these ruins was experimenting with the rift? Altering it in some way..."
They reached the end of the hallway, where they were confronted with a heavy stone door. Strange symbols that Sera didn't recognize were carved into its surface, but she couldn't make out any intelligible pattern. From behind them, though, a hint of that strange green light could be seen flickering through the cracks.
When Morrigan moved to open the door, Cassandra placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go in first," the Seeker insisted. "We don't know what might be in there."
Morrigan snorted. "And you don't trust me not to make a grab for it, I see. Very well, then. I will simply stand behind you and endeavor to appear honest."
Sera nocked an arrow and stood beside Cassandra. She was still terrified of the unknown, but demons could be shot just like anything else. Her awful trip to the Fade had proved that much. "Right, then. Anything moves in there, bam! Arrow in the eye."
Herah took up a position behind them and raised her staff. "Go on. Open it."
Cassandra held up her shield and pushed the door open. Sera leaned forward, trying to glimpse what was inside, but all she saw was a brilliant flash of green.
Heat. Blossoming in her chest, rushing beneath her skin, stretching out toward her fingers and toes. The green light shining all around her became a deep, vivid red, throbbing in time with her heartbeat. In an abstract sort of way, Cassandra knew she should be terrified. She understood that she was in the presence of a Fade rift, and that she and her companions were in danger. But the longer she spent submerged in the warm, pleasant glow, the more relaxed she became. It was like sinking into a hot spring, and she could almost feel steam rising from her flushed skin.
A hand gripped her shoulder, and she turned to see Morrigan standing beside her. The witch's eyes were angry, although her forehead was creased with concern. Her full lips formed words, but Cassandra couldn't make them out. They were like the wash of the ocean's waves in her ears, crashing together until they were meaningless. But... but the sound of her voice was so melodic. Low and sweet, almost like a purr. And the way her mouth moved around the sounds was captivating.
Cassandra blinked. For a moment, she came back to herself. Cold crept in, and she shivered. "Morrigan?"
"-Seeker? The Inquisitor and Sera are gone..."
Morrigan's voice cut out again. Cassandra looked around the room, disturbed by the fact that their companions had deserted them, but her focus only lasted a second. As she turned, she caught sight of an altar in the center of the chamber. Sitting in a place of prominence was a large circular artifact. The ring in the middle made it look like a stylized glowing eye. Although the light shining from it was the same curious green as before, the center was a beautiful shade of amber. The color was familiar. Where had she seen it before...?
Of course. Morrigan's eyes. They're beautiful.
Under normal circumstances, the thought would have bothered her. It was obvious to anyone that Morrigan was beautiful, but beauty was never something that had impressed her before. In fact, it usually paired itself with arrogance - a trait she found most undesirable. But the longer she gazed at the glowing eye, the stronger her urge was to turn around. She wanted to see Morrigan's face. To check and see if her eyes were truly the same lovely color.
At last, she gave in and looked. Morrigan's movements were increasingly agitated. Her mouth was open to speak, but Cassandra couldn't hear anything but sweetness pouring from her lips. Her sword tumbled from her grip and she reached out, cupping Morrigan's cheek in her hand and holding her still. The witch froze in shock, but didn't pull away. Her lips remained slightly parted, and Cassandra found herself aware of every breath that skated between them.
Another flash of light, and she was leaning in. Morrigan's mouth burned beneath hers. It left her own lips tingling, but she couldn't pull away. She dropped her shield as well, folding her hands around Morrigan's hips. The witch's staff seemed to disappear, and rough hands gripped the back of her head, threading through her hair and holding her in place.
Those full lips parted for her, and Cassandra felt herself melting into Morrigan's kiss. It was sweeter than she could have dreamed, and she couldn't fathom why she hadn't tried this before. She'd wasted so much time fighting with this woman when all along, this bliss was right there waiting for her. One of her hands slid under Morrigan's loose top while the other worked it's way up the slit of her skirt. The revealing outfit she had so foolishly disparaged seemed perfect now, letting her explore the delicious expanse of Morrigan's body without wasting any time.
The kiss only broke when she needed to move lower, her hand pulling back Morrigan's long, black hair so that she could latch on to the curve of her throat and sink her teeth into that tantalizing flesh. Her skin tasted like salt and lightning and with every passing moment, Cassandra could feel herself becoming further intoxicated, desperate for more of this woman.
Fabric blocked her path and she growled. She wanted access to those full breasts that were always on such tantalizing display, and she tore the bra out of the way, tossing it on the floor. A large nipple stiffened between her fingers, and when Morrigan let out a low moan, Cassandra's knees trembled.
Her other hand pushed aside Morrigan's smalls, and when she explored beneath them, she was thrilled to find her new lover soaking already. She had never been with another woman before, but this felt utterly natural, and so she simply obeyed her instincts. Her fingers parted Morrigan's slick folds, seeking out her clit. It was trickier to find than when she touched herself, but a sharp intake of breath told her when she'd found the right spot.
Morrigan rocked into her touch, her hips shifting in an attempt to increase the pressure against the hard bud. Cassandra's own body was crying out for attention too, but even that craving didn't seem as important as what she was doing. She needed to take Morrigan as intimately as she possibly could, to make her cry out her name until she was hoarse.
Rubbing her clit wasn't enough, and so Cassandra dipped lower. Two of her fingers pressed against Morrigan's entrance. As soon as the tight muscle parted for her, she pushed inside. She rarely entered herself, and she could scarcely believe how wet and hot the witch felt around her. She had no doubt that whatever fever had seized her, Morrigan felt it too.