The First Gothic - Book Two - A Wizard In Practice
Part 11
The College of Winterhold. Skyrim.
At the end yesterday's class, Tolfdir had told us that the Archmage would be sending us Apprentices out on another field trip tomorrow. Our successful mission to recover certain books seemed to have given the senior wizard the impression that we were skilled enough to take care ourselves out there in the big wide world.
Now that it was morning, Onmund, Brelyna, J'zargo and I met in the Hall of Elements so we could wait for the Arch-Mage to brief us on our mission.
"So where are we going?" J'zargo asked the Archmage when he appeared "Somewhere warm, J'zargo hopes".
Sadly that wasn't the case.
"You are are going to Folgunthur. It is a Nordic ruin south of Solitude. You will being looking into a mystery that surrounds a person known as Gauldur, who was the Arch-Mage here in the First Era. He was mysteriously murdered and no one knows exactly what happened, but what we do know is that he had three sons who disappeared shortly after he was murdered. No one knew what happened to the three sons, not until recently".
This was all sounding a little familiar.
"One of them, Jyrik Gauldurson, was found on our last field trip down into Saarthal".
I wasn't worried about them finding the Eye as if they had they would have mentioned it. Someone seemed to have moved the thing, but even if it did turn up then I had the Staff of Magnus stored away so there was no real danger.
"The magical seal placed on his body was broken and that was why he came after us" the Arch Mage was now saying.
I'd missed as had J'zargo as we'd been out getting a deadric artefact for his project. Something I regretted doing now, but at the time I'd wanted to help a friend. I should have been more practical about the whole thing, but even the smartest people around make mistakes.
"Wait so that Draugr we saw was a son of this Gauldur?" Brelyna questioned.
Apprantly she had been there.
"He was sealed there for a reason," Onmund then said "The legend says that he and his brothers killed their father for an amulet. The other brother is in Folgunthur, right?"
Well if my Nord friend knew the legend that well then he would no doubt have other useful information to share during this quest.
"Yes" the Arch-Mage replied.
"And the third brother?" J'zargo asked.
If I remembered correctly he was down south somewhere, but I couldn't remember where exactly. It was near that town that was at the base of the seven thousand steps.
"No one knows" the senior wizard answered. "But Jyrik had in his possession a Writ of Sealing and a fragment of an amulet. This amulet".
The Dark Elf reached into his pocket and pulled out a small amulet so he could show it to us. It was seemed to be mad of gold and animal teeth
"It is said to have been made by Gauldur, himself" the Arch-Mage told us "and as far as we can tell it is incomplete".
While it was passed around I touched it and I could feel the magic. It was a powerful artefact of what I was sure, and it was very, very old. Barely a step up from the bronze age.
"What did the Writ of Sealing say?" Onmund asked.
I had no idea what a Writ of Sealing was, but it was clearly important.
"It was a decree to bind him in his resting place forever," Savran answered. "The writ also accused him of being a 'murderer and betrayer'".
The Nord nodded before saying.
"So he was sealed because he murdered Gauldur"
"Let me guess you want to us to recover the other parts of the amulet and they're with the other sons of this Gauldur guy" I said.
Now this quest was ringing a few bells in my head.
"Indeed I do" replied the Arch-Mage.
Once the details were worked out we four apprentice mages left the hall and prepared ourselves for the journey to Folgunthur. As we did Onmund told everyone what he knew about the legend
(Line Break)
Moorside Inn. Morthal. Skyrim
Since I could teleport small groups of people anywhere I wished I took us straight to Morthal and we decided as a group to relax there for a while as this trip should take weeks. Once more my fellow students would be required to cool their heels for a while until I took them home. But they didn't complain as it meant they didn't have to travel so many dangerous routes and possibly get eaten by a bear.
"Everyone here acts so distrustful of mages" Brelyna commented as we met eyes with some of the locals.
"Nords don't trust magic or those that use it," Onmund explained to her.
"That must have been difficult for you while growing up," Brelyna said with sympathy
"Yes it was" he replied.
"What business do College mages have in Morthal?" the inn keeper asked us as we entered his place of business.
"Lookin' for rooms" grumbled Onmund
"A couple of room" Brelyna corrected" Do you have two rooms available for the night?".
We all looked at Brelyna for an explanation and she blushed quite a lot.
"I'll... share with... Damien" she said.
Apparently I was getting lucky.
Once I paid for the rooms, and of course for mead and food, Onmund and J'zargo sat at one table while Brelyna and I sat at another. But given that the place was so quiet we all no had trouble talking to each other. However none of us had much to say so we ate in silence
"We're ready to take those rooms now" I told the innkeeper, once our food and drink was finished.
"Sure thing," the innkeeper replied "Like I said before: they're yours for a day"
(Line Break)
Moorside Inn. Morthal. Skyrim
"I can't believe you took me to Oblivion" Brelyna said as we appeared back in the room we had just rented "That was incredible".
Personally I could have done without visiting the Deadlands, as it really lived up to it's name. The only things there that hadn't tried to kill us were the rocks and the Bloodgrass. Thankfully it had been a short visit.
I'd taken her because I'd dropped the bombshell about me having a wife. Since I'd married Luna in this nation years ago it had been recorded by the Priests of Mara and the people in Solitude might still remember the wedding. So telling Brelyna the truth had been wise.
"So where is your wife?" the Dark Elf asked me once she had calmed down and had sat on the bed.
I had to think about my answer.
"She's off looking for very rare creatures" I explained "as part of an expedition in another part of the world".
Which was true, it just wasn't in this world.
"She left you all alone" said the Dark Elf in a curious tone "When she is coming back to Skyrim?".
Again I had to think about my answer.
"She won't be coming back to Skyrim" I said.
That was only because she didn't need to. I could teleport to her whenever I wished I just didn't because she was busy. Besides when she was finished she'd be retiring to England which was where my house was.
"So she expects to wait for her" Brelyna reasoned "all alone with no one to warm your bed".
No she didn't mind other people warming my bed, as long as it wasn't the bed she shared with me. She was picky about that, but to be fair that our bed.
"She doesn't care if I take other women to bed" I informed the Dark Elf "She's strange my wife".
Which was putting mildly.
"I see" said the Dark Elf before coming to sit next to me.
Brelyna's hands started to fumble with my robe and she made short work of my clothes and then pushed me gently down onto the bed while she disrobed before me.
I just watched as she revealed more and more of her grey skin, and then let down her dark hair. She was an exotic beauty to say the least, and she had a body much like a human woman. Sadly I didn't get to admire the view for very long as it was cold here and the Dark Elf quickly got under the covers.
"How do you feel about using magic to make it better?" Brelyna asked.
I had no idea what she meant by that.
"Did you have something in mind?" I asked.
"Watch me" she instructed.
I observed closely as her gentle fingers brushed across my chest, and it felt really good in ways that had nothing to do with the physical touch or at least not all to do with that.
"How did you do that?" I inquired.
"It's kind of hard to explain. You just… put magic into your hands and then focus on giving the other person pleasure rather than hurting them".
So it was kind of like a touch destruction spell, but rather than hurt someone you made them feel good, the process was still mostly the same.
"I think I could do that" I told her.
After taking a breath I concentrated on letting magic run down my right arm. It took a few tries to get it right, but magic was about intent more than anything else, spells were just a way to focus that intent. It was surprisingly easy to maintain and as I ran a hand down Brelyna's body she moaned in pleasure.
Brelyna then guided me so that I was on my back and she let my hands touch her breasts while using the strange spell with my hands. The most gentle of touches sent shivers down her spine.
"Use your hands" she said "on my back".
I did just that and soon she was practically purring.
"You want my pussy?" she asked me.
The Dark Elf was rubbing herself against me as she spoke and I had to admire how confident she was.
"You want to fuck me" she then stated rather than asked.
"Yes" I told her.
When she mounted me I found she was wet and relaxed, but still just a little tight. Brelyna rocked back and forth in a rhythm. She held me in place with her hands and I could feel intense pleasure shooting down my arm and into my body even as she stimulated me the old fashion way. I returned the favour and while it was tricky to concentrate I was able to use magic to make her feel more pleasure. It an almost overwhelming way to have sex
Then when I got close to my orgasm she leaned down to kiss me. She kept doing this until I shot my seed into her.
Afterwards, she rested with her head on my chest and I ran a hand absently up and down her back.
"I've always liked your hands," Brelyna mumbled.
"Really? Why?" I asked since I was curious.
"Most people who use magic end up with all kinds of scars and burns or even stains on their hands" my new lover explained "But you don't have any. I like the way they feel"
There were benefits to using a wand or a staff to cast spells. The human body wasn't built for dealing too much energy and even the most careful of mages could hurt themselves using magic. But being a wand waver made me tougher than most people so I didn't have to worry about that sort of thing. I hadn't so far anyway.
"Feeling up to more?" I was then asked.
"With you? Absolutely" I replied.
I used the pleasure spell again to stroke her body. Her thighs twitched and a throaty sigh let me know that this all felt really good. I touched her very lightly, and let the magic do most of the work.
After a short while she wanted more, and I was happy to oblige. I pleasured her with both hands. I even went as far as to touch her cunt and that got her to orgasm very quickly. I so had to use this trick on other women so I could see how they reacted.
Thoughts about any other females left my head when the Dark Elf took hold of my dick.
"Is this all right?" she asked.
Before I could answer Brelyna squeezed and stroked me a little before she took my manhood into her mouth. She hummed and then did something decadent with her tongue. To make it feel even more good she gently grabbed my balls and did the pleasure spell on them. I couldn't even try to hold back and was soon climaxing.
It took me a while to recover from that and when I opened my eyes again I saw that Brelyna was lying next to me, and that she seemed to have fallen a sleep. Using so much magic as well as having sex was tiring so I soon closed my eyes and drifted off into slumber.
(Line Break)
Folgunthur. Skyrim.
"Any Draugrs in here?" J'zargo asked as we entered the dangerous ruin.
I knew for certain there would be, but since I had never entered this place in real life I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want my friends asking about it because I'd never be able to explain video games to them.
"Probably," Onmund replied. "Just be on the lookout"
As we continued forward, we soon found a sight that would give most people nightmares for weeks to come. There was blood all over the floor and a few dead bodies lying about. The smell was just terrible.
"How horrible!" Brelyna commented as she took a step forward towards the bodies.
Just then, Onmund noticed the pressure plate on the floor right as she stepped onto it. I saw it to and together, we reached out and grabbed the Dark Elf by the arms.
"What!" Brelyna cried out as we yanked her back
Just then spears came shooting out of the statues on each side of the wall. Had my new lover still be standing there she'd be dead right now.
"Watch for traps" I said as Onmund and I let go of her.
"That pressure plate you stepped on set it off," Onmund explained "I've been in places like this before and nearly fell victim myself".
"Oh…thank you," Brelyna said to the two of us "I'm sorry…I'll be more careful next time".
Next we came across into a very large chamber but before we could move through it, we saw the coffins along the walls begin to break open. Several Draugrs emerged and we four mages quickly sprang into action.
As two Draugrs ran straight towards Onmund, he attacked them with Chain Lightning while the rest of used fire. Draugrs cried out in what seemed to be pain as their bodies were consumed by the flames.
"This way!" I heard Brelyna shout out when she found the doorway that would led deeper into the ruin.
Beyond the door there was a spiral staircase then we found a rickety wooden bridge leading to a platform just above the large chamber we'd gotten ambushed in. As we crossed the bridge to the other side, we noticed even more blood stains on the platform.
"Oh, no!" Brelyna gasped as we all followed the blood stains to the source.
The body of a Dunmer mage lay dead on the platform, and he was covered in more of the red stuff. Right next to him lay a journal, and a large claw made out of ivory. I also noticed a small pedestal with an engraving of some sort on it. It sort of resembled the shape of the claw. I knew exactly what to do here, but I didn't rush things. Instead I picked up the journal from the floor and started reading it.
"What does it say?" Brelyna asked me after several seconds had passed.
Then I read it again only out loud.
"So the tales are true" my Nord friend said "Gauldur's sons did kill him"
"And the amulet was separated into three pieces and each son has possession of one part" J'zargo summarised.
"Do you think Gauldur's other sons are going to wake up?" the Dark Elf asked me.
Sadly I had no answer for her as I knew so little about the undead. But it was best to assume the worst.
"They might do" I said "and if they do it could be trouble".
"Then we've got to stop them!" J'zargo proclaimed.
I picked the ivory claw up from the floor and the others watched curiously as I placed the claw onto the pedestal. It clicked into place and I turned the claw key. Then we heard a rumbling as things began to move. Soon we had a path that would allow to move onwards.
"A while back I heard that the Dragonborn unlocked some tombs using a dragon's claw as a key" I told my friends "When I saw this it wasn't hard to figure out the stories might be true".
As we moved deeper into the ruin we established a comfortable rhythm of attacking outs foe. Onmund would use powerful Lightning Bolts to slow our enemies down and J'zargo would burn them with Firebolts. When they got tired Brelyna would stun them undead and I would burn them. We all worked very well together.
Then finally we came upon a door. It had an engraving similar to the one on the pedestal that I had used the ivory claw to open. Above the slot were three discs, each with an engraving of a different animal on it. I proceeded to stick the ivory claw into the slot.
"Strange," Brelyna commented while examining the engravings without actually touching the door "Damien was right in that claw again, but that alone won't open the door. So what else do we need to do?"
"J'zargo thinking it must have something to do with these animal engravings. There are three of them" said J'zargo
"Let me try something" I said to the group "stand back in case there are more traps".
As in the game I rotated the lock until the animals matched the ones on the claw and then I pushed the claw and the door began to unlock.
"You did it!" Brelyna cheered.
"Way to go!" Onmund exclaimed.
"Well done friend of J'zargo" praised the cat guy.
Soon enough we found themselves in a gigantic crypt. It was too dark to see much but it felt creepy enough to be the right place.
I think this is it" I said
"The room where one of Gauldur's sons is buried" My Nord friend clarified.
Just then, as if in response to Onmund's statement, we all heard the sound of stones breaking.
My Dark Elf lover gasped and pointed.
"Look!" she said
She was pointing to the stone coffin in the centre of the room which was now beginning to break open.
We all took a step back as the lid broke off and a Draugr climbed out of it.
"Wo alok dilon" the Undead thing spoke.
"What did he say?" Brelyna asked fearfully.
"'Who disturbs the dead?'" Onmund told us.
My fox head amulet translated many forms of speech, but it had it's limits and this seemed to be one of them.
"Fen dir!"
That didn't need translating as the undead thing raised up his sword and charged towards us.
Onmund shot the zombie creature with a Lightning Bolt and I used Flames to try and burn it, but this creature was tougher than the other walking corpses.
That was when other Draugrs broke out of the coffins along the walls and joined the fray. Brelyna summoned a fire elemental and my cat guy friend used firebolts to knock down more of the undead. I slipped my wand out of my robe and I cast a sticking charm at Gauldur's son, and then undead thing became stuck as his feet would no longer leave the floor. In the confusion no one saw me down that and it gave Onmund the time he needed to destroy the zombie thing.
"Victory!" Onmund shouted, pumping his fist in the air.
"We did it!" the Dark Elf cheered.
Then J'zargo went over to the coffin that the first Draugr had broken out of and we other mages followed him. There were two objects inside the coffin- a scroll and the second part of the amulet.
Onmund took the scroll, unrolled it and read it out loud.
"Be bound here, Mikrul, murderer, betrayer. Condemned by your crimes against realm and lord. May your name and your deeds be forgotten forever. And the charm which you bear be sealed by our ward"
"Well, so much being forgotten," Brelyna remarked. "But at least we took care of him, right?"
"There's only one amulet fragment left" J'zargo then said
"Yes, one left" I agreed "and it is with Gauldur's third son".
I then reached into his pocket and took out the Dunmer mage's journal out.
"According to this, Sigdis, who is the third son, is buried in the same tomb that was built for Arch-Mage Geirmund."
"Where is this tomb?" Danielle asked.
"Near Ivarstead" I answered as the memory came back.
"Ivarstead!" Brelyna exclaimed. "That'll take a while to get to... unless you can teleport us there".
"I can" I replied "but if we come back with both parts to the amulet the Arch-Mage might be annoyed that we didn't keep him informed of what we were getting up to".
"We should go right away," my new lover insisted "if the third bother wakes up then the people of Ivarstead could be in danger as for the Arch-Mage we could send a messenger to inform him".
She had a good point there and a good plan.
"Okay" I said "But let's rest for the night and then go there tomorrow. Then I'll drop you guys off in Solitude. You can take a couple of weeks off and I can take you back to the College then. It's nice in Solitude and you can stay in my house and see the sights were you're all there".
The plan was agreed upon by all.