Nine:

Into Labyrinthian

She could sense it even before she set foot on the bridge that lead to the College; the power was in the very air, and she shivered at the feel of it. She might have had the location of the Staff of Magnus, but it was clear enough that reporting on such a matter would have to wait.

Most of the students and staff were lingering in the snow-covered courtyard, some warily eying the doors to the Hall of Elements, others gathering in nervous bunches, wondering aloud at what was going on. Onmund tried to flag her down, but she brushed him off impatiently, and pushed into the Hall without much care for her own safety. She did not doubt that Ancano was behind this and if that was the case, the Arch-Mage and Mirabelle were going to need as much help as she could give.

A wall of blue light, similar, partially, to a Ward spell, blocked the entrance into the hall itself, and Savos Aren and Mirabelle stood before it. From what Auriel could see beyond the wall, Ancano was indeed within, doing... something to the Eye of Magnus.

"I don't know," Mirabelle was saying as Auriel studied the magic. "It's like a ward, but who's casting it? Ancano? How?"

"I don't care what it is," Savor replied sharply. "I wanted it down, now! I want to know what he's doing in there!"

Mirabelle nodded, and launched ice spells at the barrier.

"What's going on?" Auriel asked, all pretense of being a student dropped in the face of the threat.

"We don't know," the Arch-Mage said tersely. "Ancano's in there doing... something. We're trying to get in. I will have his head for this, I assure you. Help us take this down, will you? We're throwing everything we can at it."

Auriel nodded, adding fire to Mirabelle's ice, and Savos Aren threw in lightning on top. It took several minutes of continuous casting, but the barrier faltered, then failed, and the three of them ran in. Ancano, when he came into view, almost seemed to be casting lightning into the orb, but at the same time... receiving something back. More power, perhaps, Auriel couldn't be certain. The very air was thick with magic, though, and she didn't much care for it.

"What's going on," Mirabelle demanded.

"Ancano, stop this at once!" Savos barked. "I command you!"

The Arch-Mage's hands crackled with lightning, and Auriel sensed that this was not a time to be out in the open. She moved to take cover, but wasn't fast enough. A burst of power flung her up against a wall, and she fell briefly into unconsciousness. When she woke, her ribs let her know immediately that she had better move carefully, or she might well puncture something necessary.

"Are you all right?" Mirabelle's voice had Auri lifting her head a little, red locks falling over her eyes. "Can you walk?"

"...not at the moment..."

"Have you something that can help you walk?" Mirabelle asked insistently.

"Yes. A better question would be can I reach it without causing myself further injury," Auriel said shortly.

"Try."

Auriel grimaced in pain, but managed to pull out a potion from her pouch. Though it was not as effective as being healed, it made it so that she could sit upright without being in danger of more harm.

"Yes. I think I can walk now."

"Good. I need you on your feet. We're in trouble here," Mirabelle said.

"I'd noticed," the Altmer mage said irritably.

"Ancano is doing something with that thing, the Eye. We can't stop him," Mirabelle's voice was urgent. "I haven't seen Savos since the explosion. He might have been blown clear, and he may be injured. I need you to find the Arch-Mage, and I need you to do it quickly; get moving."

"And what about you?" Auriel retorted, shoving her hood back so that she could rebraid her hair. There was no point in the illusion now, and being knocked out had disrupted it anyways. Or maybe it had been that power from the Eye...

"I'll be fine, I just need a minute to catch my breath. Find Savos!" Mirabelle ordered.

Auriel frowned down at the Breton, and pulled out a potion, setting it near her. Then she ran to find the Arch-Mage. What she found, unfortunately, was his body. He had been thrown through the doors, which now stood gaping open, and had made friends with the mage statue beyond. His neck was snapped. Savor Aren was dead.

Auriel hissed a few choice curses, and bowed her head briefly with a new surge of grief. First Lydia, and now the Arch-Mage. She had hoped to get closer to the man than she did... become his friend, earn his trust and his protection from the Thalmor... she hadn't wanted to see him dead.

Tolfdir knelt next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" He asked. "What happened in there?"

"I'm fine," she said, brushing his concern off. "Ancano's doing something with the Eye."

"By the Nine," the old man breathed. "Is he responsible for this? The Arch-Mage, dead?!"

"Yes."

"...There's more, I'm afraid. Something's happening in the town. Can you go out there and make sure everyone is safe? Where's Mirabelle?"

"Mirabelle's still in there. Hurt, but I left her a potion. It should get her out here before too long." Auriel got to her feet, and straightened her shoulders. "I'll go see what Ancano's disaster has done to the town."

She didn't wait for him to say anything else; her grief was turning, as it so often did, into anger, and anger would boost the power of her spells. As long as she remained in control, anyways. She practically ran across the bridges, heedless of ice and snow, and skidded to a halt near Faralda, and another mage who's name she didn't know.

"What's going on?" Faralda demanded. "What happened in there?"

"There's little time for an explanation. Winterhold is in danger. Move."

"...when this is over, you owe me an explanation," was the sour retort.

"If we're still alive, I'll give you one," Auriel snapped. "Move."

They moved.

The creatures looked almost like wisps. Just... nastier. With a harder hit to them. There were ten of the blue-white things, and they were undeniably hostile. There were no people out on the street, so there was no one to get caught in the crossfire, at least. And when they died, they left full soul gems of various sizes behind. Auriel pocketed a few, and wondered what Ancano had done to conjure up the little beasts.

"We'll stay here, in case more of them show up," Faralda said. "You should go back and let them know it's all clear out here."

Auriel nodded, and back across the bridge she went. Mirabelle and Tolfdir were both inside the Hall, the old man helping to support the Master Wizard.

"Well?" she demanded, upon spotting Auriel. "Is everything out there all right?"

"For the moment, yes. Winterhold is safe."

"I wish I could say the same for us," the Breton woman muttered. "Tolfdir and I can try and keep this contained. You need to get your hands on the Staff of Magnus. Now."

"Gladly. Problem. I have to go to Labyrinthian."

"What?" Mirabelle's eyes widened. "Are you... are you sure? The Staff is there?"

"...Yes," Auriel said warily. "Why?"

"That can't be a coincidence..."

"Mirabelle. Stop, back up, and tell me what you're talking about. Quickly, preferably, as we legitimately have little time for this."

"The Arch-Mage. He... He gave me something just a little while ago. He told me it was from Labyrinthian, and I would know what to do with it when the time came. I think... I think he meant this for you. I'm not sure why, but there was something very personal about this for him. Also, take this amulet. It belonged to him, but it would do you the most good now."

Auriel nodded, accepting the amulet, and heavy iron ring that Mirabelle passed to her. It looks almost like a door knocker, just... three times the usual size.

"Take it, and bring back that staff before Ancano brings the whole College down around us."

Again, Auriel nodded.

"It's here," Tolfdir said, handing her a small map. "Do be careful."

"I'll try."

And Auriel turned on her heel and hurried out. Her horse had run away from the attacking creatures, and she muttered a quiet curse about that as she made her way through the snowy landscape, hoping that maybe she'd turn up again at some point, but there was no time to go looking now. And naturally Winterhold was too small to have either a permanent carriage posting, or a stable from which she could buy a new one. She just had to hurry as quickly as she could on her own two legs, and hope that she was fast enough.

While she wanted to make the trip as swiftly as possible, she was also not immune to the needs of sleep and food. It took her two days to reach Dawnstar, and she was forced to hole up for a day at the inn to treat newly acquired injuries and the deep chill that had settled in, despite her best efforts at staying warm. She also bought supplies, and much heavier winter gear to wear under her armor, in hopes that she could make the much longer trip in safety.

Morthal was her next stop, and it took her almost a week to make it. It was moderately warmer, but still enshrouded in enough snow that walking was difficult, and losing the path was likely. Another day in the inn there to rest up was needed, and she spent most of it dead asleep, exhausted from the work of traveling through ice and snow, and fending off bandits and animals looking for food.

Labyrinthian was only a few hours walk, but it was not empty; snow trolls wondered the lower level, and she was forced to climb around the side to get in without actively engaging anything. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the door, and moved to place the knocker where it was meant to go when a tingle ran up her spine. She turned slowly, not willing to admit that someone might have scared her, then blinked a few times in surprise.

There was six of them there, but they were almost like wraiths or ghosts. Or perhaps memories...

"Come on," one said, and she startled a little to realize it spoke with the voice of Savos Aren. "We're finally here! Let's not waste any more time!"

"Are we truly sure this is a good idea?" another apparition asked. She had the raspy voice of an Argonian, and her words made Auriel somewhat uneasy.

"We'll be back at the College before anyone even knows we're gone," another woman assured her.

"You would care about that, since you're the Arch-Mage's favorite," a male sneered.

"Don't forget," Aren said, "this whole idea was Atmah's to begin with."

"Let's just get inside," a weary, clearly Nordic-accented voice suggested. "See what's in there."

That seemed to be the last word in that conversation, as after a few moments they all vanished. Auriel rubbed her forehead lightly, subconsciously adjusting the circlet Savos had given her, and wondered just what was going on.

She saw them again, just inside the door. Six College mages by the sound of them, and she wondered how long ago this had happened.

"I can;t believe we're doing this," one of the women said.

"Can you imagine the looks on their faces when we come back?" Savos' voice had a hint of gloating in it, and Auriel frowned.

"You keep talking like you're sure we'll find something useful in here," the Nord retorted.

"Given the history of this place, it's more than likely there's still some amount of power here," said the crabby one.

"Enchanted weapons, times of ancient knowledge, Shalador's secrets themselves," Aren trailed off, but there was no mistaking the way his shade leaned eagerly towards the door. "Who knows what we could find!"

"And what if... what if there are things guarding this place?" the Argonian said uncertainly.

"Against six College-trained mages?" Atmah snorted a little. "I think we'll be fine."

Again they vanished, and Auriel shook her head a little; considering Savos had become the Arch-Mage, it sounded entirely like their overconfidence had gotten most of them killed. An idle through prodded her delicately; had Savos led them there for that reason? Was he leading her there for the same?

She considered it, then shrugged a little. If the Staff was here, she had no choice. She had to go in, and see for herself what was happening.

Cautiously, carefully, she made her way down through the dungeon. Skeletons were her first obstacle. Both humanoid and dragon. She considered her options carefully, then pulled out her bow and started picking them off one by one. If they drew too close, she cast invisibility until they moved away again; she knew better than to rush into such a trap, and she had never been fond of leaving enemies at her back. Especially undead ones. The skeletal dragon, unfortunately, gave her no soul, but its death was certainly worth the time and effort; she was really starting to dislike dragons...

She encountered the shades again on the far side of the room, but now they were down by one.

"We... we have to go back," the woman panted. "We can't leave Girduin!"

"We barely made it out alive, and you want to go back in?" the Nord demanded.

"What was that thing anyways?" The Argonian asked, turning towards Savos.

"It's too late," Atmah said, voice laced with regret. "There isn't enough left of him to go back in after."

"Gods..." the Argonian murmured, bowing her head. "What have we done?"

"We can't go back," Savos said. "Might as well go forward. We can still do this."

"Savos is right," Atmah nodded a little. "We can make it if we just stay alert."

Auriel shook her head as they vanished again; going back would have been saner, and probably safer than courting new, unknown dangers which lay ahead. Savos' eagerness to go forward left her uneasy. What had he been leading them towards?

She sighed a little, and pushed on. Undoubtedly she would find out for herself, if she survived. Perhaps she should have brought some of her fellow mages with her, the way they had.

As she entered the room, a voice wrapped around her, echoing harshly in her ears as it stole her power. She shuddered and dropped briefly to her knees.

Wo meyz wah dii vul junaar?

It wasn't a language she recognized, and the voice seemed to come from all around. She knelt on the stone until her energy returned, and she saw her next blockade; a door covered in ice. If she'd been more ready, she would have scoffed at the door. But she hadn't expected something to just... reach into her and pull out her magic, without warning. Hadn't even been aware that such a thing was possible.

"...Where are you leading me, Savos?" she murmured, slowly getting back to her feet. "And why do I feel as though you have done this many times before?"

Once defrosted, she stepped beyond the door, and this time the power stealing didn't knock her down; it just staggered her and forced her to catch herself on the wall.

Nivahriin muz fent siiv niz ooz het.

Idly she wondered what it was saying, and forced her hands to stop trembling, as she worked her bow loose. If her power was forfeit, she was going to have to go at things a different way. Archery made short work of the draugr, and halfway down into the chasm, came words she finally understood.

You do not answer... Must I use this guttural language of yours?

Auriel hesitated, then decided that silence was undoubtedly the safest answer. Especially considering the power drain came with the damnable voice. She found herself wondering if the voice had addressed the mages as well, or if she was just extremely unlucky.

Have you returned, Aren? My old friend?

As if it wasn't unnerving enough. She almost preferred the panicked shades of the dead to that voice. No, she vastly preferred it. At least the shades were only reliving something they had gone through, instead of stealing her power.

Do you seek to finish that which you could not?

Auriel bit her tongue lightly, to keep from saying anything unduly. What had Savos Aren began that he couldn't finish... and, more importantly, why?

She continued further down, following the path. A troll in her way was hardly an issues, though it certainly was an annoyance. She'd been trying to save up her power for fighting this... voice, and wasting flames on the creature was just plain irritating.

You... You are not Aren, are you? Has he sent you in his place?

She hissed a little, and finally spoke, though her voice was soft.

"Savos Aren is dead," she murmured, hoping there would be no answer. "And yes, I am here in his stead."

Silence was her response, and she breathed out a weary sigh. Silently she prayed to Julianos that she might survive this encounter, and continued past the skeletons that mired her path.

Did he warn you that your own power would be your undoing? That it would only serve to strengthen me?

"...no, I figured that part out on my own," she snapped, tired now of keeping her silence. "It's not that difficult to discern."

Come. The voice invited. Face your end.

The air grew thicker as she moved in, slipping silently past wisps that could have spelled a sever sort of pain had they noticed her; she had no desire to clash with a Wispmother any time soon, and knew that if she wasted her magic, soon she'd be at the mercy of whatever was down at the bottom, waiting for her to arrive.

Another door, blocked by fire, was easily dismissed by ice. And beyond, she encountered the shades again. They were down to four now, and she grimaced sympathetically.

"Just another minute, please," the Argonian said, hands on her knees.

"Come on," Savos' reply was impatient. "We can't stop now, we have to keep moving!"

"Where's Elvali?" Atmah asked. "She was right behind me."

"Dead," the Nord said between his own gasps for breath. Grief laced his voice. "Something grabbed her from behind. Gone before I could do anything..."

"This is insanity!" the Argonian said. "We never should've come here!"

"..you're right," Atmah said quietly. "This is all my fault. Should we turn around, head back?"

"I don't think going back is a good idea," the Nord shook his head a little.

"Going back would be the end of all of us," Savos said insistently. "We keep pushing forward and we'll make it. We will!"

"Come on," Atmah moved towards the Argonian, looking to help her. "You can make it. Let's go."

He knew, she realized as the shades winked out once more. Savos Aren had known what was down there, and led his fellow mages right into it. A slight scowl crossed her face; yes she was a spy, a loner by nature, but this... this was just plain wrong. Why had he done it? The reason was clearly complicated... He had talked five of his friends into coming with him, undoubtedly letting Atmah think it was her idea to begin with, but for what? What was the reason behind this?

The creatures beyond were more spirit than skeletal, but they could still be killed, for which she was grateful. They were also just as lacking in intelligence, which made things easier on her. Especially as the farther down she went, the more her power was drained. It replenished, naturally, but the drain itself was unrelenting, and shook her; no one should have been able to just take her power like that.

The creatures possessed weapons she'd never seen before, and she was not above collecting two of each; undoubtedly the enchantments would be work knowing, and if nothing else, she could keep a set, and sell as set to some collector of oddities. They were utterly unique items, and should be worth something...

Because despite how unnerved she was, and how much she was coming to dislike Labyrinthian, she refused to believe that it would be the place that killed her. Not while Ancano threatened the College.

The nice thing about free-standing soul gem traps was that all you had to do was knock the crystal out of alignment to disrupt the trap. Of course, that implied noticing the trap at all, and Auriel almost had some nasty burns from it. Mildly singed was an improvement, though she would have preferred to not have been caught by the trap at all.

The lightning trap beyond was just insult to injury.

She hadn't expected a word wall to be buried this far under Labyrinthian, nor had she expected a draugr who's Shout disarmed her. To call it annoying was an understatement, and lighting him on fire soothed that irritation away, though it took more concentrated effort; apparently this one was hardier than its cousins.

She retrieved the word and promptly ignored it. The creatures beyond were killed summarily, and she reached a room where she sat to catch her breath. The shades sprang to life around her, their number down to three. Most notably, the Argonian was missing this time.

"We shouldn't have left her there to die!" Atmah cried, voice thick with suppressed grief and anger.

"What else could we do?" Savos demanded. "Stay there and die with her? She refused to go on; we didn't have a choice!"

"This is it, you know?" the Nord said quietly, his arms folded over his chest. "Through this door. Can you feel it?"

Auriel shuddered. Whatever was beyond that door was dangerous, deadly, and waiting for her.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Atmah said tremulously.

"We stay together," the Nord said firmly. "No matter what. Agreed?"

"I'll be right with you," Atmah nodded.

"Agreed," Savos nodded quickly himself. "We all stay together."

"But you didn't did you?" Auriel murmured wearily, running a hand over her face. "Gods, Savos, what did you do?"

She napped as best she could before that ominous door, exhausted beyond her own ability to push things. When she woke, she made herself eat, then doubled-checked every piece of her equipment; she did not want to die because her armor was thin in places, or her bowstring snapped at the wrong time.

Then she straightened her shoulders, shook herself out, and went through the door. She didn't know what to expect, and that probably made it easier to not be stunned.

The room beyond soared overhead, revealing the two shades that were nothing more than power now, feeding energy into a barrier that contained... well, it looked like a draugr, but the palpable weight of menace it held made it something else entirely. In its hands was a staff, and Auriel didn't doubt that it was the very same staff she had come looking for.

Which meant she was going to have to do what Savos Aren and his friends couldn't. She was going to have to win.

With regret and apology, she shot the two spirits, disrupting the energy that kept them in place. The barrier around the draugr faded into nothingness, and then the true fight began. She hid in the shadows to the best of her ability, coating her arrows in poison, but he found her after only a few shots, and she was forced to dodge magical lightning that stripped away her power.

In truth, it was a lucky shot that saved her, taking the creature through the eye and forcing it down to it's knees. It was in range enough for one of the swords she'd picked up on her journey through to take off its head.

Wearily she collected the Staff of Magnus, feeling the power thrum softly under her fingertips. The creature had an odd mask; she took that too, more for the enchantment she could sense than because she actually wanted it for herself.

She muttered apologies to the two spirits that she had been forced to remove, and headed out the door she found at the back of the tomb.

Savos' shade awaited her there.

"I'm sorry, friends... so sorry," he murmured. "I had no choice! It was the only way to make sure that monster never escaped! I promise you, I'll never let this happen again! I'll seal this whole place away..."

Auriel shook her head a little, torn between sympathy and derision. Then sighed; she had no right to judge him, her hands were stained with the blood of many more, whether she liked admitting to it or not.

She started up and out, then froze as the door beyond the gate opened, ducking back down into the shadows as a Thalmor agent, hands lit by magic, moved confidently into the room. She was tired, but still in full possession of her wits, and she didn't much care to hear what he would have said. She just shot him. Once through the throat. Once in the chest. And then once more, as he was falling in shock, through the eye.

"And stay dead," she growled.