When Ren woke up, she woke up suddenly in the middle of the main road that wound through Raven Rock, one hand clenched tightly around something hard and made of metal. Curious, she opened her fist. It was the key Glover had given her, imprinted harshly on her palm, edged in blood. She had been holding it far too tightly.
Hadn't she given it to Frea? She hoped the Skaal was alright, but while unconscious she'd probably just pickpocketed the warrior.
Damn Miraak.
She could hear the faint refrain of Miraak's chant winding its way through her thoughts, and realized the pain must have shocked her out of the trance. She scowled and murmured a healing spell over her wound, stalking over to the Earth Stone. There were a lot of guards working on it, she realized as she paused just outside of its ring.
Guards could fight. They had armor and weapons.
She had none.
A slow grin worked its way across her face.
"Gol!" The Shout enveloped the All-Maker Stone eagerly, sending the supports crashing and the Dunmer community of Raven Rock snapping to awareness. It also summoned one of the monsters. Lurkers, Miraak had called them.
This one was nearly twice the size of the last she'd faced, bearing thicker hide and much longer claws. The acidic fumes that rose from it were also much stronger, stinging her eyes and burning in her throat. It let out the piercing, eerie roar Ren had come to associate with them, and swung its massive head around like a wolf seeking a scent. It finally landed its gaze on her, but not before the guards had drawn their weapons and began charging.
On seeing her it too tried to charge. Realizing it was going to follow her, Ren cursed. She began inching around the Earth Stone and the Lurker as best she could with a platoon of poorly organized but very determined guards attacking a creature that had obviously come from somewhere in the realms of Oblivion. It sent its fist crashing into one guard, splintering his armor and sending the shards directly into his body. Ren winced and bustled over to the fallen guard, taking his weapon. The Lurker roared and lunged for her.
"Sweet Talos-" She shrieked, backpedaling as quickly as she could. She hurtled the guard's sword at the Lurker. By some miracle, it sank hilt deep into the monster's head. Her eyes went wide.
"Thank you, blessed Nocturnal." She breathed, her voice barely audible. None of the guards heard her. They were too busy hacking at the corpse. Ren let her shoulder slump and let out a deep breath, settling her nerves.
Fingering the key absently, she skipped through the throngs of confused townsfolk until she reached Glover's door, and slipped inside.
When Frea came upstairs, she was bent over her map and a collection of random notes she had scribbled down on Miraak, researching.
"Why are you eating a carrot?" Frea asked, yawning.
"It helps me think…Glover doesn't have any dumplings." She relented, seeing Frea's look. Frea stifled a laugh.
"We are heading for the Water Stone now?" She asked, sitting beside Ren.
"...Yeah. So, Miraak is Hermaeus Mora's champion? Ah, that's such a strange concept." Ren muttered, shaking her head.
"How?" Frea asked, sounding puzzled.
"A…Never mind. Anyway, he has Mora's help, and he's got…How long ago did he live on Solstheim?"
"Nearly five thousand years."
"Damn. Five thousand years of experience, a couple hundred-I really cannot believe there are that many Shouts-Thu'ums that I have never learned at the very least, probably twelve times the number of Dov souls. He has a small army of those Lurker creatures and the tentacle-y things following him. And probably a thousand other things we don't know about. What do we have?"
"The Skaal and our power."
"And a Dovahkiin. Sweet Talos, can I call in reinforcements from home?" Ren groaned, dropping her head onto the table. Frea picked up Ren's papers and looked through them quietly before responding.
"What allies do you have?"
"A vampire, a couple of fanatical vampire hunters, some thieves, I can probably guilt some Jarls into lending me some people, a handful of Housecarls who don't know I exist, some mercenaries, and an assortment of other creatures and various people. And some dragons. But one's long dead. I hope you don't mind losing your sense of smell."
"Charming. If you must read the book to find Miraak, your allies will be useless."
"If we were to experiment, maybe someone holding onto me-"
"I would not do so. And a letter to Skyrim alone would take a week, never mind getting to your destination and your allies traveling here. The Skaal will not welcome such creatures into our village."
"So, ditch that idea and continue on alone. I hate doing that." Ren groaned, standing. Thank Talos she knew better than to rely on Frea's advice all the time.
She grabbed a bottle of Argonian Bloodwine she had found at one of the market stalls on her way back to Glover's and took a drink from it. She didn't mind the taste. It was strange, alien, but appealing. Although, she'd waited so long to try this and endured so many jabs from Delvin and Vekel, she was wondering how much of it was her forcing herself to like it than actually liking it.
"And you have expertise on the subject?"
"More than you know."
"How…What time is it?" Glover's voice surprised both of them. Both women turned around as the blacksmith stumbled into the room.
"Why does my head hurt?"
"I'm sorry. We accidentally got you possessed. We fixed it!" Ren said hurriedly, seeing the look overcoming Glover's face.
"And we're leaving. Places to free, people to save. That sort of thing. Thanks for your help, Glover. And I left the pickaxe. I might come back for it if I don't die in the near future." Ren said hurriedly, pecking the older man on the cheek. All of her belongings were already packed, as were Frea's. Before Glover could reply she gathered her things and left, Frea two steps behind her.
She hated imposing—well, that was a lie. She just hated to see horrible things happen to relatively nice people because of her. But she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye.
"To the Water Stone?" The Skaal asked her.
"Ummm…" Ren stood on her tiptoes, searching through the crowd of people around them for a courier.
"Yeah, hold on." She finished, spotting the uniquely colored clothing. She grabbed his arm and shoved her parcel into his hand. It was a satchel containing two letters and a handful of the valuables she had found already, and another letter that remained separate. Although two letters were encoded, she knew Karliah would be able to decipher Dov tongue with Hroar's help.
Dear Karliah,
I hope this finds you well. I've run into some trouble. The First Dragonborn's returned. He wants me dead, and to enslave an entire island. I'll be home as soon as I can, but…It might be a while. Pray to her for me, properly please. I can't risk it here. Watch Hroar. He may try to leave, and I can't worry over him any more than I already am. I owe you much more than I can ever repay for this.
-R
The other went into more detail but essentially remained the same. She had never been good at writing letters, and writing them for those she loved only made her skills worse.
Hroar.
Miraak is a Dragonborn. He's Hermaeus Mora's champion, and he served Alduin all those ages ago. He has taken control of the minds of the people of Solstheim. You know I hoped these 'Hero' days would go, but...Paarthurnax said I had a destiny. Perhaps this was part of it. I'm not alone, don't fret. A Skaal woman named Frea is helping me. Solstheim itself is beautiful, Hroar. It's so alien, so strange. Ah! I almost forgot. This Miraak, he can ride dragons with a single Shout.I love you, and I will see you as soon as I am able.
-Mother
"Whiterun, Skyrim. A woman named Karliah and a boy named Hroar. Then head to the Rift. Find Fort Dawnguard, and a woman named Serana." She instructed, fishing out the necessary coin. The Courier seemed shocked by her brusque manner, but he accepted it with a nod. Frea didn't comment as Ren watched the Courier head towards port. Her heart was heavy.
Because the third letter was for Serana.
I'm not supposed to be sending this. Frea told me her village would not welcome you. But I need your help. I hate to ask this of you, Serana, but I can see no other alternative.
You told me once that when you met another Daughter, your power clashed until the stronger was determined. Well, Miraak is stronger than I am.
Solstheim. Northern Maiden at Windhelm will take you. Head to the Skaal Village, if you will help me. I won't hold it against you should you choose not to come, but your aide would be…invaluable. (I'll show you a rare Conjuration tome I found…)
-Ren
"Let us go. We are wasting time, with you just standing there." Frea said sharply, grabbing her arm and dragging her out of Raven Rock.
The sun was high in the sky whem Frea finally spoke.
"Who were the letters for?"
"My son. And my sister, as well." Ren murmured, not paying much attention.
"Your sister?" Frea's surprised tone snapped her to attention. She mulled over what she had said for a moment before replying.
"…In all but blood. She saved my life, showed me the truth when I was so blinded to it, saved the Guild….I owe her everything. If it wasn't for her, Mercer would still be alive." She murmured, voice growing hard and cold without warning. She flinched as his name left her lips. Thoughts of what the Guild would have been, had Mercer remained in charge, flickered unbidden to her mind.
She had hoped her nightmares had remained in Skyrim.
"Who is this Mercer, that you be so adamant about his death?"
Ren's jaw clenched, her fist tightening around the hilt of his sword. She shook her head jerkily.
"Don't ask."
The Water Stone rose up before them, forestalling any more questions. Ren jerked her blade out and stalked up to it, barely taking notice of the miners and sailors-judging by their attire-that slaved away beneath Miraak's control. She used the Thu'um without a thought.
The Lurker, this time just as weak as the first few, rose up in front of them.
The fight was brutal. It might have been weaker, but it was insane with rage. By the time Ren managed to messily drag her sword across its throat and tumble off of its shoulders, Frea was screaming with agony, her leg twisted at an odd angle.
Ren staggered away from the body, pulling a face at the guck coating her armor at the thighs.
"Start talking about something!" Ren instructed, reaching for her bag. She pulled out a handful of healing potions and dropped them carefully beside the Skaal woman, swatting her hand when she reached for them. Frea didn't obey.
"I have to reset the bone." Even as she spoke, she jerked the leg back into position. Frea screamed.
A roar a thousand times more powerful than her cry echoed behind them.
"Sweet Talos, of course. I can't deal with Miraak now!" Ren hissed, turning sharply. She saw Frea fumble for the potions frantically, and relieved that she was alright, Ren snapped her bow up, fitted and arrow, and aimed directly at the Dov flying towards her.
"Nocturnal, guide my hand." She breathed, her words lost to the dragon's scream.
Nocturnal was listening.
Her arrow flew straight and powerful, directly into the dragon's eye. It sank deep, until even the fletching was buried.
The Dov crashed past the Water Stone, narrowly missing it, and went still beside the mountain face. She stood and shakily walked over to it, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Well, it had been a Daedric arrow.
"By the All-Maker!" Frea gasped. Ren wasn't sure if it was from pain or shock.
"One arrow?! By the grace of-"
"Impressive, Mal Dovahkiin." Miraak's voice was nothing more than a close murmur.
"What do you want?"
"The Dov Sil, of course."
"How is this possible?" Frea demanded. Ren turned to see the Skaal staggering towards them, an empty potion bottle shattering on the stone at her feet. Agony still twisted her face, but she was no longer crying out.
"Nii Los Sil projection." Miraak didn't appear to be aware he was switching so easily between Dovahzul and the Imperial tongue. Ren wasn't surprised. When she was terrified she did the same, although she doubted that the man was scared.
"What?" Frea demanded.
"He said it's a soul projection."
The soul screamed for her, and another scream was snatched unbidden past her lips as it passed through her, desperate and fearful and scrabbling for release as Miraak swallowed it.
"Ren!"
"It is…nothing. Only momentary. I would not kill the Mal Dovahkiin before her purpose is fulfilled."
"Why do you need her?"
Ren could barely focus on the conversation-the Dov was not speaking, so the words stuck. Somehow she had fallen to her knees. She held one hand against her stomach as she vomited, the other braced against the ground. Frea was kneeling beside her, one arm wrapped around her back.
Miraak laughed.
"Do you know how powerful the Mal Dovahkiin is, Skaal warrior? She has slain Alduin, borne the scars of Rotmulaag that were not destined to exist. She has absorbed the souls of untold Dov, and contains a nearly unfathomable power within her. I require her power."
"Why would you tell us such things?" Frea asked hoarsely.
"Because we already know." Ren rasped, feeling the queasy sickness abating, albeit slowly.
"…You will have to forgive my poor manners, but my presence is requested elsewhere." Miraak said dryly, ignoring her. She felt the relief of his absence almost instantly. She staggered up, fumbling for a flask of water. She took a few sips to wash the foul taste out of her mouth, although the world continued to spin. Frea remained quiet throughout, watching her closesly.
"How are we going to get back to the village?" Ren murmured, voice thick with exhaustion.
"Painfully." Frea replied.
Frea was right. It took them three long, sleepless days to find their way to their village, and nearly a week to recover from the ordeal. Most of the time was spent sleeping, and the rest Storn and Ren spent pouring their magical energies over Frea's wound. She had worsened it during their walk to the village, undoing the good the potions had done and shattering it almost beyond repair. Were it not for Storn's alchemical skills and Ren's knowledge of Restoration magic (Thank Nocturnal she had attended those lectures at the Mage's College), Frea would have been unable to walk for the rest of her life. While this frustrated the Skaal to no end, the realization of just how bad the wound really was terrified her.
Ren blamed herself. Shortly after arriving she had remembered one of the multitudes of spells she had, to summon a ghostly horse named Arvak. Frea had told her on numerous occasions she would not have ridden it anyway. Such things were unholy, not meant for the All-Maker's world, as Frea said sharply.
Ren took offense to this. Arvak was adorable, and sweet as a pup. She did not regret freeing him from the Soul Cairn, no matter what Frea preached. The fact that she'd forgotten him stung.
Currently, Ren was helping the village blacksmith, Baldor Iron-Shaper, make building supplies. One of the villagers that remained enslaved at the Tree Stone's roof had collapsed, and Ren figured she could at least help make the nails and other materials required for such an operation.
"Ren! Look what I made!" Ren dropped the handful of nails she had just made into a bucket of cold water and looked up at Aeta, the small Skaal child who Ren had been spending a lot of time with as of late. She had nothing to do until Frea recovered-they was supposed to go to visit Neloth Telvanni at Tel Mithryn, as Storn had told her he knew more about Miraak than they did, when she was ready. Aeta held a very long, spindly vaguely nail shaped object in her hand. Ren offered her a grin.
"Wonderful job, Aeta." She laughed. Baldor cast them both an amused glance. The Skaal weren't ones to waste anything, so he had given Aeta a piece of virtually useless scrap metal to play with. She kept reshaping it. Ren didn't know much about blacksmithing but she assumed it would eventually break on her.
"I'm going to make a bird." Aeta said quietly, looking absolutely delighted. Ren smiled, stretching. Baldor let the child do whatever she wanted. With the both of them supervising her, there wasn't much that could go wrong. Aeta was responsible enough to let Baldor do most of the work for her when it came to the reheating and melting of the metal too.
A cry of surprise from the other end of the village drew all of their attention. Ren looked up—
—to see quite possibly the most welcome sight she'd seen in days.
Striding across the snow covered ground, firey eyes blazing from beneath her hood, came Serana.
Neither women spoke, as Ren dropped her tools into the snow and bolted to her friend, enveloping Serana in a hug. The vampiress held her as closely as she held her, and they remained like that, silent, for a long moment before parting.
"How in Oblivion is this possible?" Serana asked softly, urgently.
"Let's…C'mon. You're scaring the locals. And Frea might want to meet you." Serana glanced around at the Skaal, all of whom were looking at her with undisguised suspicion, save Aeta, who was bouncing over to them despite Baldor's hissing.
"Who are you?" Aeta asked. Ren put a hand on the child's back. Aeta hugged her waist tightly as she peered up at Serana.
"I'm Ren's…sister?" Serana asked, casting a glance at her. Ren shrugged in response. They shared the same blood, so it wasn't that far a stretch of truth.
"Aeta, your mother is looking for you." Baldor said, approaching them. He plucked the child up, casting Serana a dark look. Ren could see the vampire inwardly shrink. Glaring at the blacksmith she linked arms with her and pulled her towards Frea's home. She knew how much it hurt to be treated so harshly by strangers, and knew Serana took it especially hard.
"How did Isran react?" She asked softly. Serana snorted.
"Him? He doesn't know I left. I got your letter and bolted. I was about ready to leave anyway."
"How come? Was Sorine bugging you again?"
"No, nothing like that. I just…I want to return to the castle, at some point. It isn't much, but it's my home…And there are things hidden in there no vampire should ever get their hands on. I want to collapse the catacombs and the tunnels we snuck in through, restore my mother's garden…" Serana sighed.
"I was actually going to send you a letter asking if you would help." She said, smiling slightly. Ren laughed.
"After this, I promise I will."
"Wonderful. Now, about that tome you mentioned?"
"It's actually at home with Hroar right now." Ren laughed as she opened the door. Frea was sitting up in bed, cursing softly under her breath as she worked on some type of potion. She looked up when they entered, eyes narrowing as she opened her mouth to snap something, and then stopped. She studied Serana for a long moment. The vampire awkwardly waved, much to the amusement of Ren.
"Frea, this is Serana. Serana, this is Frea. I don't want to hear it, because I'm sick of waiting for you, and Serana might know something about this crap, and you're not willing to try to go into Oblivion."
"We're going into Oblivion?" Serana echoed. She didn't sound particularly shocked.
"If all goes well."
"But-" Frea began, looking even angrier than she had before.
"Goodbye!" Ren cried. As they had been talking she'd grabbed her stuff. She jerked open the door and dragged Serana back outside, shouted a goodbye to the Skaal villagers she knew, and yanked out her map as they left. Serana helped her unfold it. Ren pointed towards a vaguely mushroom shaped blob at the bottom of the island.
"That's where we're going. A wizard named Neloth Telvanni lives there. He's an ass, according to Frea, but he knows a lot about what we're looking for."
"Now will you tell me what it is we're looking for? And what's this about Oblivion?" Serana asked, putting her hands on her hips. Ren looked up at her and sighed.
"Here's what I've pieced together. Roughly five thousand years ago, when the Dragon Priests ruled, Miraak was one of them. He betrayed Alduin and tried to rebel. Now, that alone actually makes him one of the good guys because that's how Alduin got sucked into the Elder Scroll. But here's where it gets odd. He was Dovahkiin. And he was Hermaeus Mora's champion. So when one of the other Dragon Priests called the Guardian faced him and Miraak fell, Mora snatched him up before the Guardian could kill him. Since then he's been floating around in Mora's realm, of which I still don't know the name, and now he's decided he wants to come back to Solstheim. So he's corrupted sacred stones all over the island and uses them to control the people's minds and make them build shrines to him, I'm assuming. I went to go into the temple because he sent some assassins after me and I wanted to stop them because of Hroar, and that's where I met Frea. We got through it and at the end I found this book-" Here Ren pulled the Black Book out of her bag. Serana recoiled from it at the sight of its warped cover.
"-which, when I read it, took me to Mora's realm in Oblivion. You know, so Miraak could say hello and give me a nickname, say he was going to kill me, have me watch him ride a dragon, then sent me back here. So I learned a Thu'um he left behind on Solstheim which had to have been planted because he knew I was going for it and mocked me for doing so and freed all of the All-Maker Stones except for the one he has the most control over, and now we're going to get information from Neloth." Ren finished in a rush and drew in a deep breath, shoulders slumping. She put away the Black Book and her map while Serana digested all she'd said.
"He has a temple dedicated to him?" Serana asked, after a brief silence.
"Yeah. It's kind of terrifying. There are dead dragons all around the temple, Serana, and he strung their bodies up like trophies. Dovah aren't the nicest, but even they deserve respect. When their souls find their way back to their bodies, some of them will be stuck in such horrible positions…"
"…What's he like?" Serana asked suddenly, dropping an arm around her shoulders and almost dragging both of them to the ground.
"He calls me little."
Serana laughed, making Ren scowl. The vampire had teased her relentlessly about being so much shorter than her during their travels.
"He's older than you, is he not?"
"So are you."
"Ah, but I'm your blood-sister." Ren pulled a face at the comment. She did have Serana's blood in her veins, but she was no vampire. She had cured herself of it after a few weeks, having fed and decided it was thoroughly unpleasant. As intimate as it was to get a Word of Power scarred onto her soul, feeding was a thousand times worse. Being changed by Serana alone had freaked her out considerably.
"Shut up. So how's the Dawnguard doing?" Serana let go of her, stretching.
"Fine, fine. Isran is getting…difficult. I know you told him to leave me alone, and I know he isn't referring to me as 'it' anymore, but I don't want to press matters, especially when I want to leave and go back to the Castle-which could prove to him I'm no tto be trusted once and for all."
"So I should drop by sometime soon, huh?" Ren asked softly. Serana nodded slowly. The thought of Isran betraying Serana like that wasn't unjustified. Nocturnal knew how many times Ren had worried over the matter.
"I think it would be best. I know saving the world and all gets in your way, but Isran's feeling abandoned. His drinking companion is gone." Serana teased. Ren rolled her eyes.
"I should send Delvin over. They'd get along." Serana chuckled.
"You never answered my question. What's this Dragonborn like?"
"Like…I don't know, Serana. He's just as curious about me as I am him, even if he hides it. He has everything planned out, down the smallest detail. He likes to tease me, but he's dead serious about returning, although I have no idea why." Ren paused for a moment. She didn't know how to describe him. Most of what she felt had more to do with the fact they were bothDovahkiin and that their power clashed than anything he did, really.
"…If a dragon attacks you'll find out. He's able to project his soul out of Oblivion and take a dragon's soul. Like I said in the letter, it hurts." Serana had tilted her head and she was regarding her with an amused smile, although as usual the vampire didn't let on what she was thinking.
"How badly does it hurt?"
"Ah…Imagine you just got beaten up by the Companions, dragged through a fire, crushed beneath the Throat of the World, eaten by a Chaurus, and someone's trying to steal your soul, all while you're drunk on Sleeping Tree Sap." She said. Serana pulled a face.
"That sounds like a particularly volatile mix. Maybe your power is meant to hurt his? It might have something to do with alchemy, actually." Ren stopped dead.
"What does alchemy have anything to do with two souls?"
"There are seven bases in magic and five in alchemy. Fire, earth, water, ice, air, spirit, and storm for magic, and all except for spirit and air in alchemy. If you'll notice when a male alchemist creates his potions, certain types are more powerful than the rest. In magic, a male leans towards specific types of bases while a female leans towards the opposite. This is basic stuff, Ren. Women inherently have more control of water, ice, and spirit, while men have more control over fire, earth, and air. Storm is a neutral base. Being Dragonborn, your spirit is already just about as strong as it can get. Dragon souls are so powerful that no vessel on the face of Tamriel can hold them. As all dragons are male and you are female-"
"-My power is different than Miraak's." Ren finished softly, understanding what Serana was getting at.
"Yes. You control channels of power he can't, even with Hermaeus Mora's realm of knowledge at his disposal. He controls channels you couldn't either, but you don't need that extra power. If Miraak is trying to return to Solstheim from Oblivion without a Gate, he'll need an insane amount of power. Especially if Hermaeus Mora isn't too happy about it."
"The Black Books. He could have just read one and reappeared here, but-"
"Exactly. His patron must not want him to return. Daedric Princes are extremely powerful. But, then again, so are Dovahkiin. Now that you've slain Alduin, something that has never been done in all of Nirn's history, you have pretty much risen above even Talos. By dragon custom, you should have become the next leader, but you rejected Alduin's throne. Alduin's power split. You've some, and Paarthurnax has some, and when Alduin returns or you die, whichever comes first, you'll lose it."
"So I'm a dead demigod's safe cache? Wonderful." She said sarcastically. The Daughter of Coldharbour beside her shrugged.
"Are we going towards the giant mushrooms?" Serana asked, lifting a hand and pointing towards a blob on the horizon. Ren nodded.
"Yes, they're called Tel Mithryn. The Sun Stone's near it. That's one of the All-Maker Stones."
"Our journey is almost over." Serana said dryly. Ren chuckled softly.
"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Her companion asked.
"Mmmm…You can't sleep outside of the Skaal Village, or Miraak will take hold of your head, and we don't want that." Ren said softly. She couldn't think of anything else that was important, so she let the subject drop. They chatted about mundane topics the rest of their journey, about how to restore the castle that was now by all rights Serana's, about how Hroar was doing, about what they would do when they returned to Skyrim, about history and small things that had caught both women's attention throughout their journeys. Nothing of major importance came up-until, of course, they came to the foot of the giant mushrooms.
Despite how awe inspiring they were, it was a bit obvious that they had seen better days. Decay had taken some of the smaller roots and they drooped weakly in the ash-covered ground as the two women approached the largest. One of the roots had been turned into a winding half tunnel, and they headed up it cautiously. A circular door greeted them at the end, which opened up into the strangest thing Ren had ever seen.
The floor was a giant, pulsating blue flower-shaped rune radiating intense magic. As soon as Ren stepped onto it, magic twined around her and jerked her up. She let out a scream, which was abruptly cut off as the magic dumped her onto a small platform. She scrambled off of it as Serana shouted in surprise below, and a moment later the vampire dropped down behind her.
"What is it this time?" A very annoyed voice demanded. A second later a Dunmer man wearing somewhat gaudy colored clothing appeared, scowling.
"Are you Neloth Telvanni?" She asked, scowling at him in response.
"Yes, yes, what is it? I don't have the time to waste on you." He demanded impatiently.
"I, uh, I hear you know where to find Black Books." Ren started awkwardly, suddenly at a loss for words. Annoying or not, how was she supposed to bring the matter up to him?
"You refer to the tomes of esoteric knowledge that old Hermaeus Mora has scattered throughout the world?" Her eyes went wide at how flippantly he mocked the Daedric Lord. She had no respect for a multitude of them, but even she wouldn't speak with such sarcasm in her voice.
…At least not unless she was angry.
"What could you know of them?" He asked condescendingly, but she could see a flicker of curiosity behind his eyes.
"I found a Black Book, and I need to find more." She said, straightening. Serana wandered away curiously, obviously excited at finding so many magical artifacts in one place. The entire room-huge and circular-was packed with enchanting and alchemy tables, tables laden with objects and books, shelves cluttered with stuff, and even the floor had piles of things heaped on it.
"Found one?" She looked up, sensing a different tone enter his voice.
"Yes, and you read it too, didn't you? Don't try to deny it…You've got the look. I can see it now." He straightened, looking thoughtful.
"Dangerous knowledge is still knowledge and therefore useful. Usually turns out to be the most useful, in my experience." Ren had to agree with him. Maybe he wasn't as unpleasant as Frea had made him out to be.
"I have to know what Miraak knows if I want to stop him-"
"Now that is a very dangerous path indeed. Hermaeus Mora gives nothing away for free. You may end up like Miraak, of course. Two power mad Dragonborn…It could be very interesting." He mused, eyes suddenly glittering.
"How do you know I'm-"
"Dragonborn? Really, don't be so ridiculous. The entire island is abuzz with the news." He said dismissively.
"Ah, alright then. Moving on…You may have noticed Miraak's trying to return to Solstheim…" He frowned at her and she snapped her mouth shut. She was beginning to feel he was insane, if only somewhat. Sheogorath was probably still mad at her for loosing the Wabbajack.
"Well, I knew something connected with Hermaeus Mora was spreading its influence across the island. I wasn't sure that it was in fact the same entity as this legendary namesake of the central temple. Although the villagers seem quite convinced." He added, sounding disgruntled about it. Had he wanted to figure it all out on his own?
"Do you know where I can find another Black Book?" She sighed. He nodded.
"Oh, yes. They're not hard to locate once you know how to look for them. I have one here that I've been using to locate more."
"You have a Black Book?" She asked, surprised.
"Yes, I haven't been idle while this fascinating madness engulfed Solstheim. But my book isn't what you're looking for. I'm quite sure it is unconnected with this Miraak. But I do know where to find a Black Book that can help you." Ren was immensely relieved. She doubted his Black Book was unconnected, but the Dunmer mage knew much more about what was occurring than she did. He was the resident expert, not her.
"So you know where to find this Black Book? The one connected with Miraak?" She added quickly, realizing he would probably go off on a random tangent if she didn't specify.
"Yes, I do. I haven't been able to get it though. Maybe together we can unlock the secrets the Dwemer left behind."
"The Dwemer? What do they have to do with this?" She asked, eyes widening. The Dwarves always meant bad business. Extinct or not, their ruins had been the place of some of her worst memories. Their mechanical contraptions had chased her down one too many hallways in the past.
"Forbidden knowledge was somewhat a specialty of the dwarves, eh? You don't think they would just leave it alone, do you? It seems the ancient Dwemer discovered this book and took it to study. I have found their 'reading room' in the ruins of Nchardak. The book is there, but it's sealed in a protective case which I wasn't able to open. But perhaps the two of us together will be able to get the book. To Nchardak, then. Follow me." He didn't wait for an answer, just pushed past her and vanished down below. Ren cursed and hurried to grab Serana, who was playing with a handful of spell tomes she had found on one of the shelves. It took them a while to catch up with him-he was surprisingly fast for a mage and neither of them knew how to work the magical entrance. He ignored her questions when she asked him where they were going, save to point at the tip of a Dwarven city poking out of the water a relatively short distance away.
"The Dwemer certainly knew how to build for the ages. These towers have outlasted their creators by millennia. The book is housed inside that dome. I'll need to unlock the door for us. Let's get on with it." He didn't even seem fully aware of their presence when he spoke, and Ren seriously doubted he was aware of the fact a troupe of Reavers were putting their weapons at the ready as they reached the ruins itself.
"Serana-" Before Ren could ask the vampire to start casting spells, a Dremora appeared out of nowhere and charged at the Reavers. Neloth continued his steady pace, casting spell after spell at the enemy. Before Ren could get a blow in, they all lay dead or fleeing, and the three of them stood in front of the dome Neloth had pointed at. The door was huge and did appear locked. Beside it stood a strange pedestal that was obviously lacking a key item. She turned to Neloth, but he was already walking forward.
"The Dwemer of Nchardak appear to have been fond of these control pedestals. Luckily I found a cube to operate it inside on my last visit. I sealed the door when I left to keep out ignorant meddlers. Let me unlock it." Ren ignored Neloth and poked around for a bit at the dead, finding a sizable amount of loot before Serana called for her to follow him in. She did so, and stopped dead. The center of the room housed a glass circle, under which clearly sat the Black Book.
"You can see the book right there. So tantalizingly close... But trust me, no magic will open that. I'd have had the book already if I could. No, we'll have to do this the hard way. If we can restore the steam supply to this room, I'm certain I can open it. As you'll see, that's easier said than done. This way to the boilers." He was almost singing at this point. Ren followed slowly.
This was going to be a long, hard day.
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I AM SO SORRY. I HAVE BEEN SITTING ON THIS CHAPTER FOR DAMN NEAR A YEAR AND DIDN'T REALIZE IT!
But that means I have (1? 2?) more chapters I'll be posting shortly. Yay...! If anyone is still reading this, anyway. Lol.
