Brothers Reunion

The speech that Miraak had given had been a good one, even if it did seem to stray from the path that the dragons had set for their followers. He'd touched too much on the weaknesses of the dragons; no priest should ever reveal any weakness in their gods. The dragons were not to be questioned, and yet, his followers seemed to accept his teachings.

Everyone had left the temple, and Miraak had shut the front doors when he noticed Alek'sir standing in front of the altar, his arms crossed across his chest. Miraak raised his voice and yelled, "Who are you to stand within this temple when the doors are closed? Do you have any idea what happens behind these doors? Explain yourself, and we shall see if you escape your death!"

Alek'sir slowly removed his helmet, being careful to not provoke the angry dragon priest before him. When he looked up, Miraak had lowered his hands, and twirled his dagger into his hand. Alek'sir raised his hands in a surrendering motion, and said, "Remember me my friend? We used to practice with swords after our parents thought we'd gone to sleep. I fell on a stick and drove it into my left wrist. I still have the scar." He pulled his gauntlet off and showed Miraak the scar that ran up his wrist. "It is me, Alek'sir."

Miraak scanned him, obviously looking for something. "Where is the mask Dukaan? You were sworn to wear it until you die! What have you done?"

Alek'sir adjusted himself and replied, "I have passed the mask Dukaan on to another more worthy of the evil that it forces its wearer to become. The radicals have begun invading my temple more and more often, and I fear that they are not wrong. A revolution is coming, I could no longer bear the responsibility for the actions that the wearing of the mask required, so I found another who could bear the burden more fully."

Miraak's tone darkened, and he replied, "I am sure you know the consequences for such an action. One before you tried this, but was betrayed by his replacement, and was then taken to the dragons. They slowed time for his perception, and spent an hour dissecting him, which in his perception was very close to a day's worth of time. I cannot say that I have not felt the sting of my actions, but I have chosen another way. I understand your position, and I will not tell any of your betrayal, so long as you are here to assist me in the quest of which I wrote you, for you have evidence of my betrayal in that request itself. Do we have an accord?"

Alek'sir nodded, and the two retired to Miraak's private quarters to plan the morning's journey. To Alek'sir's surprise, there were already two packs loaded with everything from bread to bedding rolls. He'd even laid a coil of rope next to each pack, and there were two canteens tied to each pack; one was labeled "Water", and the other read "Wine". Alek'sir snickered.

Next to the packs, a large map of Solstheim, which was a province of Skyrim, was spread across the table. There was a village on the border of the rest of Skyrim that Miraak had marked with a large "X". Looking at Miraak, he asked, "What's so special about this village?"

Miraak spread his hands to indicate all the papers and scrolls around him and then replied, "All the research that I have done has led me to believe that this village is going to be attacked by a daedric prince within the next week." Alek'sir raised an eyebrow, and Miraak explained, "The prince's name is Hermaeus Mora. He is the daedric prince of knowledge, and I believe that he can teach me to overcome the dragons so we can control them."

Alek'sir sat down on the couch in the corner and nodded. "Alright," He said, "I have one caveat for this quest. That is, we must do it for the people. I know the draw of power can cause some to seek it only for themselves, but we must be a cut above the masses. We must do it only for the good of others."

Miraak gruffly mumbled something under his breath, but finally accepted. They would be off in the morning.

The early morning mist hadn't even begun to float away when the two newfound adventurers set out on their journey. Alek'sir had been trying out new forms of magic lately, and decided to try some out as they walked. Digging down into his own soul, he focused on the animalistic side of himself. After struggling for a while, he took his helmet off and strapped it to his pack. Drawing upon the power he held within, he pulled that portion of his soul into his own plane of existence, giving it form. In his hand, a ghostly wolf pup took shape, though it fit in the palm of his hand. Even though it was ethereal, it had form, and had unbelievably soft fur. A smile crept across his face, and he carried the small part of his soul as he walked.

Through all this, Alek'sir had kept his magical manifestation hidden from Miraak by carrying it opposite his body from the man. As they approached the village, Miraak reached out and grabbed Alek'sir by the arm, causing the pup to fly forward. Alek'sir started to speak, but Miraak clamped his hand over Alek'sir's mouth before any sounds could escape it. The pup wandered forward, partially guided by Alek'sir's curiosity. As it stumbled forward, it pulled on a tripwire.

Alek'sir's heart jumped as he watched the wire snap. The pup stumbled into a nearby rock, and a log with spikes tied to it swung over its head with deadly speed. Had the pup been full grown, it would have surely been impaled by the swinging trap.

Miraak released his grip on Alek'sir's mouth and said, "The Skaal hunt in the areas around their villages. Often, that includes traps, though they always watch any active ones so they can perform the final rites for anything that is killed."

As if on cue, a hunter who was covered in furs leapt from the nearby bushes. "My friends!" she exclaimed, "I apologize for the scare. I've been hunting bear, and they have been proving difficult to track. Oh, sorry, I forget my manners. My name is Ombra. Pleased to meet… you."

Alek'sir let his familiar dissipate, and bowed politely. "My name is Alek'sir, and my friend here is Miraak. We come in peace, seeking to speak with your village elders. Could you perhaps lead us to the village?"

Ombra nodded quickly, and the small party set off through the wintery forest. Along the way, she disabled three traps, all deadly in design. Trudging through the snow in steel armor is never a good idea, no matter how many layers of fur and socks you put around and inside them, and Alek'sir was learning this quickly. He was just beginning to lose feeling in his toes when they reached the top of the hill that overlooked the village.

Rough log cabins sat in a circle around a monument, which according to Alek'sir's limited knowledge of Skaal religion, probably represented the All-maker. Smoke curled from a dozen chimneys, and fur-bundled villagers scurried about, each performing their specific tasks. Alek'sir would welcome the warmth.