Aaand…Action!

Enjoy.

The scream let them freeze. These sound had been unheard in Skyrim for three years and nobody would have expected in Blackreach.

Delphine and Val didn't know what to do, but Aryna laughed madly. She shouted some dwarven words that turned in a scream when Delphine stabbed her in the belly. Somehow Valerie managed to get to her feet and she ran to her friend who still howled in shock and pain. Then Delphine was gone in a rush of air, Val didn't see it, all happened so fast and Divines, so much blood

"Cast a healing spell! Quickly!" she shouted at the screaming elf, but she just looked at her bloody hands, until a booming voice called something. Aryna seemed to wake from a dream and raised her hands. Blue light flowed over her body and entered it at the wound, which healed quickly. But Valerie had no time to be glad; a shudder went through the ground and she turned slowly around.

He was smaller than most of his race, with scales that looked violet in the blue-green twilight of Blackreach and burning like flames in the soft glow of the false sun; under a real sky, their colour would probably have been a fading red. His carefully folded wings were black as charcoal and his voice deep thunder when he spoke: "Drem, Dovahkiin. I do not wish to fight."

"D-drem Yol Lok," she said shocked.

"Drem Yol Lok, Kriidsedov. Tahrodiis Paarthurnax has trained you well, I see. As I am your elder in this tinvaak, I shall speak first, geh?"

"Geh." Yes.

"I do not want to fight you; I have never been a kendov and your thu'um is strong. I do not wish to share my brethren's fate. But neither am I a zaam. I will not bow to you, even if this means my eternal death. Zu'u ni Paarthurnax, zu'u ni tahrodiis. If you want my obedience, I shall krif voth ahkrin."

Val didn't understand a lot of the draconic words, but the meaning was clear; we accept each other's presence. We are not allies, we are not enemies. "Thank you, uh…"

"Zu'u Vulthuryol."

"Yes. Well, my friend here has a problem. There are dwarven memories in her head and strange things are happening with the ruins in Skyrim. We managed to go to Blackreach because Aryna knows some dwarven magic, but the cities have sealed themselves and nobody knows what's going on. Down here should be something that can give us answers."

"This would be me, Dovahkiin. Let me talk to the fahliil in a language we both understand…"

For about half an hour the dragon talked to Aryna in the dwarven language and Val tried to figure this out: A dragon. In Blackreach. Talking dwarven…dwarvish…whatever. And he seemed pretty happy. And Delphine wasn't here anymore. The Imperial looked at the dragon. Well, her disappearance wasn't a big riddle.

"Dovahkiin" Vulthuryol called. "I know where you have to go. Brom. Far north. Your fahdon will know what to do." He unfurled his wings and seemed ready to fly away.

"Wait!" shouted Val. "Could I ask you a few more questions?"

The dragon looked interested: "What do you need, Dovahkiin?"

"Why are you down here?"

He sighed. "I was never the one for fight. While my brothers ruled the skies, I looked for secrets. Back in the old times, I often traded with the joorre. Secret for secret… And then I made a pact with a race of fahliil. Dwemer they said, dwarves you say. They were sahrot. Like in the kruziik bok: voth aan suleyk wah romiith faal krein. They read the kelle and the stars and played with their magic. But they were scared because a kel told them that the gods would kill them if they didn't stop.

"They wanted to vanish from fin lein. So they built two places where they stored their sille. Here and far north in Bthezdar. It was no effort for them. These power… But they didn't trust the blind ones and they needed an unslaad vahlok to guard their sille forever. We made a pact. I will stay here until the stars fall from the skies, and they gave me all their memories. Like your fahdon. But my hahdrim could handle it. Her's didn't."

"So it could be done here? Whatever is needed to cure her mind?"

"Niid." He sounded sad. "They made FalZhardum Din to be sure. Only as…safety? Their power is in Bthezdar. Like a heart and a brain."

"And the ruins won't do something bad?"

He laughed. "They are merely waiting. Like…the silence before the storm. If nothing happens and the fahliil is alright again, they will continue like she had never existed."

Vulthuryol wouldn't like her next question, but she was curious. "Don't you miss your brothers?"

"Geh." He sighed again. "But we were never close. Meyye. Suleyk like mine could have brought them the world. They just laughed. 'Vulthuryol! Mey! Digging for knowledge like a dok for a qeth.' Now I know I could have saved them. Krosis. But my deeds are done and I shall live with them."

Valerie hesitated. "Numinex went mad," she said quietly.

"Zeymah." His eyes closed briefly. "Geh. I know what you mean. But I am far from the skies; I can fly if I want to; it was my choice; the memories are an excellent pastime." He paused and when he continued, he sounded ancient and sorrowful. "Go now, Dovahkiin. I am…tired. Your appearance has remembered me of brothers to mourn." He said a few last words to Aryna, then he unfurled his black wings and flew away.

"Thank you!" shouted Val after him, but only the silence answered her.

Next should be the last one!

Here the translations for the Draconic words:

Drem-peace

Dovahkiin-Dragonborn

Drem Yol Lok-Peace Fire Sky; greetings

Kriidsedov-Slayer of dragons

Tahrodiis-treacherous

Tinvaak-talk (noun)

Geh-yes

Kendov-warrior

Thu'um-Shout

Zaam-slave

Zu'u-I am

Ni-not

Krif voth ahkrin-fight with courage

Fahliil-elf

Brom-north

Fahdon-friend

Joorre-mortals

Sahrot-mighty

Kruziik bok-ancient song

Voth aan suleyk wah romiith faal krein-with a power to rival the sun

Kel(le)-(Elder) Scroll(s)

Fin lein-the world

Sille-souls

Unslaad vahlok-eternal/immortal guardian

Hahdrim-mind

Mey(ye)-fool(s)

Suleyk-power

Dok-dog

Qeth-bone

Krosis-sorrow; I'm sorry; regret

Zeymah-brother