Dragon Age: Revengeance

ACT II

Chapter 13

Whilst Solona had no idea where to start searching for Morrigan, Avernus had a plan; there was a merchant in Darktown who dealt in all manner of rare things, from magical objects to information. Solona found it unlikely this merchant could possibly know Morrigan's whereabouts, but Avernus stressed that this was no mere ordinary trader. Rather than take her to him however, Avernus elected to remain aboard the Astera and conduct some minor tests upon Fiona. If their lead on Mythal's cure didn't pan out, Fiona's unique past would be their only alternative.

So it was that Solona found herself in the dank, dingy depths of Darktown an hour later, following the directions of a map which Avernus had drawn up for her. Leonie and Melynx came with her, even though she assured them there was no need.

"Something's bothering you," said Leonie after a lengthy period of silence. "You're never normally this quiet."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," lied Solona, squinting at the map through the magical light projected from her palm.

Leonie smirked. "It's Morrigan, isn't it? The two of you have history together."

Solona sighed and pressed onwards. "Well yeah, we did slay the Archdemon together."

"Oh, come on!" The alchemist gave her a playful nudge. "You're always going on about the other heroes you fought alongside; King Alistair, Leliana, Shale ... why is it you never mention Morrigan?"

She stopped and groaned loudly. "Uhhh, fine. Look, I liked her. A lot. The year we spent together, gathering an army to fight the darkspawn, we became close. I thought we were more than just friends, but when the time came to square off against the big guy, Morrigan came to me and said she wanted to have a baby. Just not with me."

Leonie frowned. "This is that ritual you told me about, right? The one that allowed the Old God's soul to be transferred into an unborn child?"

"Right. It's how I was able to kill the Archdemon and survive. Now I would have been so happy to have a child with Morrigan-"

"Uhhh..." Leonie cast a dubious expression her way, which Solona knew was coming. She held a stern finger up to Leonie's face and scowled.

"Don't go there! I'm a shapeshifter, I could have made it work, okay?" She looked to Melynx, who stood patiently and silently beside her. "Right? You're a desire demon, you tell her."

Melynx bobbed her head. "It's really not that difficult," she said.

"See?"

Leonie wore an expression halfway between a grin and a grimace. "O-kay, I have definitely learned something new and unexpected. Sorry for interrupting. Go on, you were saying?"

Solona sagged dejectedly. "Well, Morrigan wasn't interested. Said she only thought of me as a friend, a sister even. Never mind that I have four siblings already, I really didn't need or want another one. No, she was only willing to sleep with a guy. Any guy would do. She even would have slept with Alistair, and she hated him." She kicked a stone away bitterly. "Probably would have been willing to sleep with Oghren too, but me? Oh no, wouldn't even consider it." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Anyway, she got what she wanted, and I survived killing an Archdemon. Then she up and vanished. You know, as friends do, right? I tracked her down, but she made it clear she wanted to go off and raise the baby by herself somewhere safe. I offered to go with her and help, but..." She shrugged helplessly.

"So for that you hate her?"

Solona scrunched up her face and leaned against a nearby wall, her arms crossed. "No, of course not. She saved my life with that whole ritual deal, I'll always be grateful for that. I just ... went from thinking I had a chance with her, to watching her sleep with the man who tried to kill us – not literally, I wasn't watching them do it, you know what I mean – to letting her leave with the baby once she had what she wanted, and then never hearing from her again. It felt like everything between us was a lie, that she was never my friend, she was just using me. And once she was done ... she left and never looked back."

"I see." Leonie winced. "I'm sorry, Commander. What are you going to do if – when – we find her?"

Solona pushed off from the wall and made a rude noise. "Hell if I know. One thing at a time, yeah? Let's find this damn merchant and get out of here, this place is destroying my sense of smell. Ugh, remind me to have a bath when we get back."

It took another half an hour, but they finally found the merchant's 'stall' hidden away within a remote corner of Darktown. It was a gloomy little chamber with a strange magical glyph on the floor, a full length obsidian mirror polished to a glossy finish, and a tiny silver bell. Solona rang the bell.

"Gahh, this better not have been a waste of time," she muttered after a while. It wasn't. A few seconds later the merchant emerged from the black mirror.

"Greeeetings," he said, really drawing the sound of the word out. It was a desire demon, but one unlike any they had encountered before. This one appeared to embody an avaricious desire for wealth and material possessions. He was not remotely attractive to look at, being so gaunt and emaciated he was positively skeletal, yet was wearing a small fortune in goods. Gold rings, amulets, jewels, bracelets, and bangles. Upon his belt hung a rare spellbook, a collection of scroll cases, and what looked suspiciously like a Somnaborium. He clasped his clawed hands together, causing his impressive array of accessories to clink audibly. "My name is Vendor. How can I be of service to three such charming ladies?"

"Avernus sent us," replied Solona, not even slightly fazed to be dealing with a demon. Whilst many in Thedas were paranoid about such things, and religiously warned against it, Solona had grown so used to them by now that she even had one as her personal maid. "We're looking for some information," she continued.

Vendor floated before them and gave a very sinister sounding chuckle. "Indeed. I deal in many things. Information is a commodity like any other. Tell me what you seek, and perhaps I can be of assistance."

"We're searching for the whereabouts of a mage named Morrigan," explained Leonie, "Also known as the Witch of the Wilds, the daughter of Flemeth-"

"-the giant pain in my ass..." Solona added helpfully. Vendor grinned, though given how lean he was it was practically his default expression.

"I know of whom you speak, and you are in luck. Not only do I know her current location, I can even offer you transportation directly to her. It will not come cheaply, however..."

Solona sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much. Well then, what's your price?"

"Hmmm..." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Five hundred sovereigns."

She nudged Leonie, who produced a small strongbox from her pack. Unlocking it, she presented the gleaming golden contents to Vendor, who examined the coins with unconcealed greed.

"Excellent," he said, drawing the word out slowly as if enjoying the sound of it. "That will do nicely."

"Umm, if you don't mind me asking," said Leonie as she handed the strongbox over, "What exactly does a demon want with money?"

He regarded her with a pair of glowing green eyes. "Quite simple, really. I invest it in my wares, which in turn allows me to make an even greater profit. Money is power, after all. In a few hundred years I will have acquired enough wealth to rule several nations."

"Assuming the world hasn't come to a violent end by then," said Solona. He gestured towards her.

"All the more reason for me to assist a promising do-gooder such as yourself, yes? The one you seek can be found at a remote Tevinter research outpost known as 'Funalis'. The mirror behind me will transport you there in less time than it takes for your precious little hearts to beat."

"Is that an Eluvian?" Solona asked as she approached the thing with curiosity.

"In a manner of speaking. As part of my business investments, I used my early profits to construct my very own web of Dark Eluvians throughout Thedas and beyond. It has really helped expand my customer base."

"Shrewd. And Fen'Harel has no idea your network exists?"

Vendor chuckled ominously. "Why would he? I may have copied the basic design, but these are different enough to be completely separate from the elvhen network. I trust you will keep their existence in confidence? It would be such a pity if we could no longer do business together."

"Mum's the word," she assured him. "Well, are you two coming along? You can both go back to the Astera you know, I won't mind."

Leonie moved to her side with a smile. "Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Melynx moved to her other side, and grabbed a firm hold of Solona's arm, her ears twitching as she did so. "Morrigan can't have you," she declared firmly, "You're mine."

"Aww, isn't she the sweetest?" said Solona. "Well then, I guess we're off to see the witch."

Vendor waved to them. "Have a pleasant trip, ladies. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Together the three of them stepped through the demonic Eluvian and emerged into a cavernous, ruined chamber. The walls and ceiling were crumbling with decay, the floor partially covered with hot, dry sand. The air was definitely a good deal cleaner, if a touch arid. If nothing else it was a distinct improvement to Darktown.

"Commander, look." Leonie pointed. They were not alone. Sitting upon a dusty stone altar across the other side of the chamber was a woman having what appeared to be a picnic. Solona gaped in utter astonishment, for she recognised the woman.

"Mother?" she said.