By Right of Birth – 1
"Is that it?" Aura asks as she points toward a circle of moss-covered stone indicating a pit in the meadow ground. To her digression, it could easily be surmised that it was the ruin they were looking for. The two were searching in a rather desolate marshland, apart from the nearby town of Morthal, and the occasional wolf pack. However, Owlet checks the map anyway, perhaps to make Aura's confirmation mean a bit more.
"Has to be," She says, rolling up the paper with a satisfied huff, "Let's get to adventuring." She heads down the precarious stone steps swirling to the entrance. Aura follows close behind.
"What do you think will be in there?" Aura asks. It irks her to know nothing about Skyrim's crypts, but she is thankful that Owlet is here to inform her. Despite Owlet also being foreign as well, she was one to research, even if it was mostly for the plants and exotic cloth for her experiments in potions and cloaks.
"Probably some Drauger, maybe some bandits," She seems to guess with a shrug, "Mostly Drauger."
"Right…and dead bandits…right?" Aura trails, looking at the body of a man leaning against blood splattered barrels.
Owlet stares at the body for only a moment, pushing open the door, "Well, bandits are stupid. Let's just hope we don't end up like that."
"Yeah…let's hope," Aura can't hide the bits of caution in her voice. Owlet recognizes this, but does not draw attention to it. Aura was not one to run at the sight of a freshly killed corpse. She knew that for a fact. However, she also knew Aura was far more careful than her sister, and marked the body as a sign of immediate danger. She took note of this as well, entering the crypt with newly-tightened muscles.
The inside has its usual stench of rotten flesh and musty wildlife overgrown through the walls. Voices are heard within the depths, speaking casually. Owlet pulls Aura behind a pile of rubble, peeking over it to observe the figures dressed in simple black robes.
"Necromancers," She whispers, "They must have killed the bandits. Probably using their corpses for spells."
"Gross," Aura whispers back.
"More like disrespectful," Owlet says, watching the two figures move deeper into the mines, "Let's follow them, maybe they'll do some of the work for us." She breaks away from the rubble, heading down the mages' trail. Aura follows, conjuring a bow into her hand.
The pair creep in the shadows as the necromancers make their way down the crypt, blazing through Drauger as they went. Eventually, however, one of the living corpses is able to dispatch one of the two mages from behind, the other left to try and fight off the other three that have come to life. Aura and Owlet watch her struggle, looking at one another with quick sympathy before Aura draws an arrow, shooting down one of the Drauger swiftly. This catches the other three's attention, and they charge toward the pair with raised, dusty swords. Owlet moves forward, her hands surrounded with a bright red haze. She whips a hand across the air, the haze overcoming its undead opponents. They let out a surreal roar before running the other direction. Aura quickly shoots a couple arrows into their backs.
Once finished Owlet walks to the shaking Necromancer, who looks at them with a brief thankful look. Owlet glares blankly, pointing toward the way they had come, "Leave, and don't try and stab us in the back." She commands with an adamant displeasure staining her usually calm, sweet voice, "And if you want to raise the dead, stick to the very dead."
The Necromancer stands, eyeing the two before leaving without another word. Aura looks at Owlet, who stares at the corpse of a Drauger with an empty gaze. "You alright?" She asks.
"Yeah, I just hate people like that, you know? Drauger are one thing but to bring life to someone that didn't even have time to be at peace is just-bleh," She finishes, unable to conjure up a proper adjective. She continues down the path, Aura follows without mentioning the Necromancers again.
Within another half an hour of wandering aimlessly through grime-ridden paths, the two come across a ledge opening into the mouth of the crypt breached by cracked sunlight. A pit descended to an area of outside life, trees growing from the bottom soil in contrast to the hundred-year-old bridges connecting across the chasm. A small waterfall can be heard even from up on the ledge, its trickling waters being the only sound apart from the drafts of wind and creaks of Drauger.
"Wow…" Owlet marvels, "I didn't think a tomb could be so pretty."
"Right…" Aura says, but her amazement was drained by another sound: chanting. It echoes distantly in her ears like a whispering spirit.
"What is it?" Owlet asks with concern, shaking Aura's shoulder to break her of her daze.
Aura blinks, "I hear voices, down in the pit," She speaks, trying to see through the musty fog.
"Well we have to go down there anyway, come on" Owlet goes away from the ledge, quickly finding a bridge slipping into stairs to another platform. Aura follows, still partially entranced in the chanting. The fight off a few awkwardly moving skeletons and obvious trigger plates that spray fire. Owlet collects some potions littered in chests and tables while Aura gathers small gems and coin purses. The see another bridge extending toward what looks like the next place to go, but ignore it as Aura treads hypnotically toward another set of steps. Owlet follows with a growing concern, despite the fact that, in the back of her mind, she senses an obscure power weighing against her soul.
They approach a large wall adorned with a carved dragon head and symbols familiar to both of them. Aura steps closer, she feels as if she has taken Caliber's place in a memory of Bleak Falls Barrow, a word glowing like lightning among the symbols.
'Feim' it speaks, 'fade…become ethereal'
Aura feels a rush of energy, the word speaking to her, ringing in her ears, and then silence. After a moment, her forearm touches the wall, she leans against it, cursing loud and without regard for Owlet's presence.
"Well, there is three now," Owlet says with a shake of her head, "Welcome to the Dragonborn Guild. Population: three"
"That was not how Caliber described it, I thought it was going to be, you know, more subtle," Aura groans, lifting herself up. She shakes her body around a couple of times to return the blood to her veins before turning back to the stairs, "Let's go back to that one gate…"
"You sure you can walk?" Owlet asks, it was with more amusement than concern, but Aura new Owlet still worried for her.
"Yeah, it's over now. Let's just get that blasted horn and get out of here," She resolves, heading up the stairs with careful movement.
The two arrive across the bridge, collapsing a couple of skeletons before turning their interests to three lopsided stones etched with swirling designs leading up to a large hallway of closed gates. Owlet inspects the area around the doors, sighing in defeat, "I can't find a switch anywhere. You got anything up there?"
Aura moves down the wooden ramp from the stone loft, shaking her head, "Nope…" She says, walking toward Owlet, "There must be—"
"Wait!" Owlet shouts, making Aura freeze in surprise. Her eyes are directed to one of the lopsided stones, which now glows red. Owlet turns around, seeing one of the gates open in the hall. She tests her theory, stepping in front of another stone, and the same result performs in front of them.
"Damn," Aura sighs, "I hate puzzles."
"They only activate when you are in front…" Owlet calculates, she takes Aura's shoulders, moving her away from the stones as she thinks. Aura watches her friends as she takes a place at the start of the stones, sprinting toward the gates at top speed. To their displeasure, the gates rumble closed just before Owlet reaches the arch.
"Well that didn't work—"
"Shh, I got this!" Owlet reassures, moving back to where she began, she rolls her shoulders, staring at the gates with new purpose, "I think…" She adds, sprinting toward the gate again. The stone flash as she passes. Aura raises an eyebrow, waiting for the same result.
However, at the brim of the last stone Owlet sucks in a breath, "Wuld!" she Shouts, beaming forward in a stream of shining white, disappearing into the hall. Aura jumps at the sudden word, hurrying over to the now empty hall.
"Owlet!?" Aura calls, heading down the hall. She finds her tumbled on a pile of dirt and stone, her hood off and hair undone as if pulled back by a vicious wind. Aura smiles a bit when her friend groans, rolling off the dirt uninjured. She holds out a hand, "It looked pretty amazing from where I was."
Owlet laughs, taking her friend's hand, "I'll work on it. Don't know how I didn't fling myself off the mountain the first time." She fixes her hair, keeping her hood off and gazing into the new room.
"A bit dark," Aura remarks.
"Yeah, I got it," Owlet waves her hand, a small sphere of light appearing next to her, lighting the area significantly. This reveals a floor littered with similar pressure plates to those previous.
"More puzzles," Aura mumbles, looking around, "At least this one is easier." She points at the tiles that seem blackened by ash, "Don't step on those."
Owlet nods, moving first. The mage light moves down to her feet as she treads. Aura follows, being careful to not graze any fire tiles. She briefly thought of how agonizing it could be to step on one, but pushes the thought away just as fast as it entered.
As they traverse start to hear the sound of crawling legs. "Spiders," Owlet says obviously.
"I've had enough of spiders…" Aura groans, conjuring another bow.
"You know they are common in Sky—"
"You know what, don't mention that," Aura aims her bow, shooting down a spider crawling on the side of the wall. Owlet pulls out a few knives glowing a sickly green. She throws them expertly at a couple spiders, which crawl a few stops toward her before falling over against fire shot tiles.
They finally reach the other side of the burning tiles, coming to a rounded, web-covered platform. Aura cringes at the sight of more of the arachnids crawling toward them, nearly turning and running when a gigantic one jumps down from its webbed cavern above.
"Gods, I hate spiders…" Aura grumbles, though her voice shakes slightly, "Let's just kill it quick."
"We can't kill this thing on our own!" Owlet, having killed the two smaller spiders on her own, looks at the door beyond the great spider, the exit covered by webs, "I've got an idea. I'll distract it, you tear those webs off the exit."
"Don't get eaten then!" Aura responds, dodging the spider's incoming bite and sprinting to the exit. She bounds a sword in his hand, slashing at the webs with quick succession. Her swings are awkward due to lack of skill, but she manages to stay relatively efficient.
Owlet keeps the spider distracted, armoring herself with an alteration spell in case of a stray hit. She backs into the tiles, jumping away just as fire shoots up from a darkened block. The creature follows suit, though it hits a lot more tiles, easily setting itself on fire. It lets out what Owlet assumed was a pained squeal, quickly moving back onto the platform.
"Owlet get over here!" Aura yells at the other side, having fully relinquished the door of its webs, "we can get through now!'
Without a second thought, Owlet ready's herself, keeping her feet steady. She was going to get this right, even if it meant slamming into something. She sucks in a breath once again before shouting "Wuld!"
Aura, unaware of what she was doing until the last, doesn't get away in time before her friend slams into her, flinging them both to the end of the hall. The spider attempts to follow, but can't fit through the door, slamming into it multiple times before finally giving up and crawling away, limping from its newly gained burns.
The two get up with short groans shared between them. Aura glances at her friend, "You know…you could have warned me."
"I thought it went without saying." Owlet admits with a crack of her back, turning to the gate before them. She goes to the wall, pulling a chain, watching as the gate rises for them. She gestures to the watered down chamber ahead, as if she wanted to change the subject quickly, "Look, there's what's-his-name's coffin."
Aura opens her mouth to express her displeasure at being run over by a Thu'um powered friend, but decides against it, "Let's just get the horn. I'm sick of this death trap."
They both walk down the steps and across a stony bridge. As they pass, four ancient, blackened statues rise from the waters below, as if welcoming them to the long-forgotten crypt.
"Jurgen's got a fancy resting place." Owlet comments, watching the water run down the statues.
"Yeah, bet he asked for those specifically on his death bed." Aura responds with a soft laugh, deepening her voice to mock that of a man's, "'I demand rising ebony statues in my crypt! They are extremely necessary!'"
Owlet giggles, continuing the joke, "Would you also like some fiery death traps and Thu'um puzzles too, Jurgen?"
"But of course! And spiders too! And one really big spider!" Aura barely finishes, half laughing through her attempt to continue.
"What is that voice, even?" Owlet asks through her own giggles.
"Don't patronize me woman, I can only imitate deep voices so-"she stops, looking at the coffin that holds what they came for, "…well."
Owlet stops laughing, "What is it?"
Aura walks up to the coffin, gently pulling free a note where the horn was meant to be. She unfolds it, reading it carefully, and her eyes narrowing as she progressing. She finally crumbles it up, throwing it in the pools of water below, "It's gone. Someone stole it."
"Stole it? Who would want to steal a dusty horn from a crypt?"
"I don't know. Someone named Delphine. That note was for the Dragonborn. She wants to speak to whoever it is, so she stole the horn to make sure they did."
Showing uncommon frustration, Owlet kicks an already re-killed Drauger's head, "Are you serious? All that and we still don't get the horn?"
"The note said to meet her in Riverwood; to rent the attic room at the inn there." Aura mutters, stepping down from the coffin's platform, the same feelings of annoyance apparent on her face.
"It's probably a trap." Owlet surmises after a pause of contemplation, "We should have everyone meet us in Riverwood."
"Good idea. Even if it is a trap, they won't account for all six of us." Aura says with renewed confidence, walking to the gate behind the coffin and adding with distaste, "And when we get there, I'm bringing ten frostbite spiders to see how they like them."