Heh, so about that "only a few days between updating" thing, I thought I could keep that update during band camp. I greatly overestimated my energy, and I haven't done much of anything besides band for the past two weeks, so I apologize for that.
And to reply to Quintain Apprentice of Alduin's question, how Dagon knows about Shepard and crew is a little bit of a secret, and will be addressed later on in the story. Sorry about that!
Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
When Shepard woke up, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Something had gone wrong. She expressed her concerns to Analyn, who simply told her that she'd had vivid dreams the night previously, and the impression they left had remained.
Despite Shepard's worry, Liara and Tali were buzzing with excitement at the thought of visiting the Dwemer ruin. They gathered at the start of a small, partially snowed over path on the outskirts of Dawnstar.
"Now, I'm going to give you the rundown on these ruins. They can be more dangerous than you might think, and being prepared for what's in there could very well save your life." Analyn started pacing in front of them, like a school teacher. "Firstly, there are many traps that fill the halls of the ruins. These mostly consist of pressure plates, but can also be tripwires. I assume you are all familiar with how those types of traps work?"
They nodded.
"Good. Tripwires will be hard to see, so before you walk into a new area, check for thin white lines on the floor. Pressure plates are more obvious, as they are plates on the floor that are outlined in gold, but tend to trigger deadlier traps, so be absolutely sure you know where you are putting your feet. Secondly, we have the denizens of the ruins to worry about."
"Like security systems?" Liara asked.
"In a way, yes. The Dwemer built many automatons, and apparently they were damn good at it because they still function to this day. You'll be able to hear them before you see them; keep an ear out for metallic clanking or the sound of mining. Those sounds mean there is one nearby. However, there are many automations that lay dormant. When you enter a room, check for tubes coming out of the walls as these often have automatons in them and they will come out when you walk by. These will be the majority of the ones we come across, however there is a type of massive automaton that is extremely deadly. They're called Centurions, and most stay dormant in racks in important or final rooms."
"You said most stay dormant. Does that mean that there are functional ones?" This time Tali asked the question.
"Yes, unfortunately. In the treasure room or grand library or whatever the hell they call it of any given ruin, there will almost always be one functional Centurion keeping guard. When we get to that point, stay away and let me handle it. I mean it."
Solemnly the crew agreed.
"Well that's really all you need to know. I know it seems like a lot, but you all catch on quick."
"Is there any kind of way we could predict the layout? Any norms of how they structure their cities?" The scientist side of Liara was being brought out at the prospect of what awaited them.
"Eh, maybe. I don't really pay attention to that stuff. Personally, I feel like the things are gigantic pains in the ass, and I rarely feel like exploring them."
"Really? I love stuff like this."
"I can tell."
Liara blushed. Analyn double checked that they had everything they needed, and led then off into the cold wastelands of the Pale.
…
A tall, stone pillar stuck out of the ground before them, a thick layer of snow coating every available surface. Liara desperately wanted to see all that it had to offer. Not only was there a more advanced, ancient, extinct race that had inhabited this planet, but they also vanished under mysterious circumstances. It was strangely similar to her own studies of the Protheans, but Liara just took it as fantastically good luck.
"Is that it?" Tali sounded less than impressed.
"I wish. Dwemer ruins extend for miles under the surface of the soil. If we ever get a spare second, remind me to tell you about Blackreach."
"Everyone ready?" Shepard asked, attempting to return to her role as leader.
A chorus of assent responded.
"Good. Let's get going." She and Analyn started off, leading the other two into the ruins before them.
They stood in a room that looked almost as if it were made of brass. A large, squat lever sat in the middle of the room, and after looking around for a few moments, Analyn pulled it.
The room jittered to life, and Liara could feel the distinct sensation of moving downwards. It seemed as if the room was an elevator.
"Hey, this ancient, alien elevator is still faster than the one we have on the Normandy." Tali commented.
Shepard gave her a withering look. "I've told you, I can't do anything about it."
"I know, I know, it was merely an observation. You always say you value our input."
When the elevator stopped, it stopped ferociously. The others managed to keep their balance, but Liara was not so lucky. Embarrassed, she quickly stood up and dusted herself off.
"You ok?" Analyn sounded concerned. Liara was surprised to see that the Argonian had already moved to her side.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Let's get going." She really wanted to move past the moment as quickly as possible.
"Right. This way, stay behind me."
The floor consisted of carved stone, and golden metal lined the walls.
It only took about ten minutes before they ran into the first "automaton." It was a spider-like construct, and Analyn quickly dispatched it with a swift strike from her blade.
"That was a Dwarven Spider Worker. Don't worry, they're mostly harmless."
"Do you mind if I take a look?" Tali and Liara both said at the same time.
"Go ahead." Analyn seemed baffled by their eagerness.
The next hour was spent dissecting the creature and discussing the various parts they found. It included a brief dissertation on soul gems by Analyn.
"So wait, you're telling me mortal souls can be captured and used as power?" Liara was astounded.
"Yeah, basically."
That ability, the technology to create a power source from life itself could be a deadly weapon.
"Can you capture the souls of a sentient creature?" Shepard asked, whose train of thought seemingly followed Liara's.
"Sure. But you need a special type of gem. They're much stronger and more potent than normal ones though."
The Asari and the Commander shared a look. This would be a conversation and moral dilemma for a later time.
"I'm done tinkering if you are." Tali said, standing up. "This tech is very… primitive. However, there's still things we could learn from it."
"I agree. Is there any way we could pick it up on our way out?" Liara followed up.
"I could just carry it now. I doubt we'll be leaving through the place we entered through anyways."
The Argonian tucked all the bits and bobs Tali gave her into a sack at her waist.
"There's going to be more like this, and more different kinds that this. If it's all the same to you, I would rather not spend an hour or more each time going over ever excruciating detail."
A brief look of disappointment flashed over Liara's face, and presumably Tali's as well. "That's ok. I understand we need to get the Lumis and get back to the others."
The Quarian nodded in agreement. "Besides, we already have a good sample. That will last us for a while I think."
…
Shepard was starting to understand Analyn's dislike of these Dwemer ruins. The thing seemed endless; they had been walking through it for a good three hours now after that first encounter. Although there had been many more like it, Spiders and another creature Analyn had called a "Dwemer Sphere" (Shepard hated to admit it but those freaked her out a little bit. Their faces were just so…creepy), it all felt boring and repetitive. Only one fight had even required the involvement of the rest of the squad.
"I know, I know, this one seems pretty boring right now. Apparently this Vuldorahl wasn't one of the major cities; sorry about that. I wish it was a more important one. It'd make things vastly more interesting. Believe me, until you've seen some of the more massive and impressive ruins, you haven't seen majesty. As much as I dislike them, I can't help but be awed by them." Analyn was filling in the silence between fights by telling them about all the wonderous ruins she'd seen and how she was so sorry this one was just an ordinary one. Liara and Tali didn't seem to mind that that this one wasn't a "big-ass piece of showmanship", as they seemed completely fascinated by every detail. Tali more by the mechanics and engineering and "How does all this still work after so long?" Liara, on the other hand, more by the layout and the hierarchy of the place and society.
They took a moment to skirt a pressure plate set into the floor (Analyn had already demonstrated the fearsome blades that they triggered) and entered a large, airy room.
"Wow that was quick." Analyn sounded genuinely surprised. And a little relieved.
"It's been three hours." Shepard reminded her.
"Yeah, short for a ruin expedition."
Shepard was glad this was the only ruin they had to go into.
A loud hiss punctuated the end of the conversation. At first, Shepard had thought it was Analyn reacting to some annoyance, but then as it continued and increased in pitch, it became obvious it wasn't her.
In fact, it was coming from across the room.
A massive, hulking figure lurched out from an enclave on the far wall, spewing steam, presumably the source of the sound.
Analyn stood stock still for a fraction of a second, then flew into action. "COVER NOW!" She yelled as she prepared her standard fireball-sword combo. A whirlwind of flames and blades, she flew at the behemoth.
It withstood her attacks. What Shepard now knew from their journey was a rare occurrence.
A blast of steam sent her flying into the wall behind where the squad had crouched behind some rubble.
Not good.
Shepard drew her sword, Tali did the same with her daggers, and Liara prepared her biotics.
This was it. Their first real, true fight without any aid from their Argonian guide.
There was a very good chance they'd die. Shepard didn't think about that as she ran yelling at the Centurion.
The steam that seemed to pour out of every crevice of its body seared her skin, but she kept swinging. Liara was trying to hold back the clouds with her biotics, but there was too much of it for her to manage all at once. Tali snuck up behind it, furiously slashed with her daggers for a few seconds, and then ran off to regain her advantage.
With one final strike across its chest from Shepard's sword, the white clouds ceased and it slowly collapsed with an echoing clatter.
It was dead.
Shepard stood panting, adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Liara and Tali were in similar states. At least neither of them seemed to sustain any serious damage.
Then the memory of Analyn being tossed like a ragdoll slammed back to the Commander, and in a flash she was at the back wall by her side.
The Argonian was kneeling heavily on one knee, grimacing in pain.
"Are you ok?" Shepard asked, sounding sterner than she intended.
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a second." Analyn replied through clenched teeth.
That's when she started to glow. A soft, golden light emanated from her skin, and soon she was on her feet. "You guys did great! I, of course, weakened it up a bit first." She sounded fine.
"What was that?"
"Oh? The glow? That's the Histskin. It's an ability unique to Argonians."
"It healed you?"
"Yeah. Basically I call on the Hist to heal me, and it answers by regenerating my health." She cracked a smile. "Sorry to leave you guys on your own like that."
When they had the encounter with the Thalmor what seemed like ages ago, Shepard had initially thought that the Argonian was too much of a loner to ever really be a strong component of a team. She had seemed like a firm loner, and seemed that she would've preferred to stay that way. However, it seemed that now that they'd gotten closer and traveled together for a while, she had opened up to them and grown fiercely protective. Hell, she'd just almost died to protect them from any harm.
Analyn reminded Shepard of herself.
"Hey, you got some nasty burns there. You want a potion for that?"
"Oh, uh," Shepard had actually completely forgotten about her injuries. With the reminder, though, the searing pain all over her face and arms came surging back.
Apparently the expression on her face was confirmation enough for Analyn, since she pulled out a small red vial identical to the one she had given Shepard after the dragon attack.
"This will help." She said, handing it to the Commander. "Now, let's see about that ancient Dwemer artifact that we came here for."
Downing the potion, burns starting to fade away, Shepard followed Analyn into the center of the room.
A pedestal rose up from the ground in front of them, the same grey stone with gold trim as the rest of the ruins. A small, green crystal box sat on top, light shining in on it from a skylight in the ceiling of the chamber. It glittered, and seemed to go on forever when you looked at its center.
"Is that it?" Tali asked. "Seems small."
"Yeah, it does." Analyn sounded lost in thought.
"Do you think it's got traps on it?"
"Probably. Dwemer are crafty assholes." The Argonian gazed intently at the pedestal. After several minutes of silence, she said, "Looks like it's sitting on top of a pressure plate. Divines know what it'll trigger."
"Any way to disarm it?" Tali asked.
Analyn ran a finger along the edge of the dais, and replied, "Looks like it's gonna trigger a blade trap. If we're quick enough, we'll be able to snatch it and get back before it does any damage."
"That does not sound like a foolproof plan." Liara doubted.
"That's because it's not. Stand back." Slowly the Argonian approached the item they had searched for, letting her hand hover inches over it for a few beats. Then, in a blur of movement, she snatched it up and dodged to the side. A flurry of blades flew out after her, frantically flailing around the empty space where the Argonian had been seconds before.
Analyn released a pent-up breath and said, "Let's get going. There's not really anything else for us to do here."
"Well, we could study more machinery." Tali suggested, jokingly.
"If you want to stay here by yourself, then sure."
"No, no, I'm coming!"
In several minutes, they were standing in another elevator heading back up to the surface, and to the Shrine.
Please review and tell me what you think! I really appreciate it!