Day 58 – Arcane Sanctuary
The morning after staying just outside Silorn, we positioned ourselves strategically around the ruin so as to surprise the Necromancers. I made use of my Chameleon spell, and stood just above the entrance to the ruin. My target was Falcar, the mage from Cheydinhal that had tried to get me killed. As luck would have it, Falcar came walking out of the ruins to speak with a few of the Necromancer guards. I acted upon this chance and blasted him in the back with my strongest spell. The guards all crowded around Falcar's dead body, wondering what had hit him, so I launched my strongest fireball spell into the center of them. I smirked with amusement as I watched all of the guards fly in every direction. Apparently my Battlemage comrades considered this the queue to attack, and came charging out of their hiding places. Within mere minutes, the battle was over and all the Necromancers were dead. I retrieved the Colossal Black Soul Gem from Falcar's body, and left the celebrating Battlemages to return to the Arcane Sanctuary. I made it back relatively easily, and handed the gem I had retrieved over to the Arch-Mage. Traven explained that my next conversation with him would be our last, and despite my confusion I told him I was ready for my next task. He held the gem tightly as he told me that my next task was to directly confront the King of Worms using the Colossal Black Soul Gem to protect me from his enthralling attempts. Before I could ask how the empty gem was supposed to protect me, it struck me. Traven said that after he was gone, I would be recognized as Arch-Mage, and that I should take care of the guild to the best of my ability. I opened my mouth to protest the course of action he had chosen, but no words came. I simply bowed in respect, and said a Dunmer prayer for him. He thanked me for all that I had done, and wished me well. I wanted to look away while he cast a fatal spell upon himself, but I kept my eyes trained on him, respecting his final moments. His dead body fell to the floor of the Arch-Mage quarters, and the Colossal Black Soul Gem began to glow brightly. I picked it up, tied it to a sack at my waist, and made my way towards Echo Cave, where the King of Worms was waiting.
It took me quite a while to find the cave, kill the Necromancer guard outside, and use his key to get inside. This cave was very populated with Necromancers, and they were some of the strongest I've ever seen. It took me over three hours to finally find Mannimarco. As I approached him, he quickly cast a spell at me that made my arms and legs freeze in place. He then began a very long monologue about how he would kill me, reanimate me as a servant, and all that other wonderful Necromancer stuff. As he finished, I felt the paralysis spell wear off. He saw that I was able to move again, so he waved his hand and launched a red orb at me. I couldn't dodge in time, but watched as the orb struck me and dissipated into thin air. Mannimarco threw a few more orbs at me, growing furious that it wasn't working. I felt the Colossal Black Soul Gem pulsing in the sack, and smiled. I launched my spells at the King of Worms, knocking him back a bit and causing him to clutch at his chest burns. He drew a Daedric Mace, and I drew my sword. We stared for a second, then lunged at each other's throats. The battle lasted almost half an hour, consisting of both spells and weapons. I finally managed to impale my sword through his chest, piercing his heart. He cursed at me again and again, claiming that it was impossible for a lowly guild mage like me to take down the King of Worms. I pulled my sword from his chest, dropping him to the ground. He glared up at me with blood dripping out of his mouth, and I swung my sword again, removing his head from his shoulders. His body slumped to the floor, dissolving into dust. I quickly left the cave, mopping up the few remaining Necromancers on my way out, and rode my horse back to the Arcane Sanctuary. I reported my success to Raminus, who told me that while I would be accepted as the new Arch-Mage, he would still mourn for Traven. I pulled the Colossal Black Soul Gem from my sack, and smashed it on the floor. Raminus was horrified for a moment, then smiled as he watched a mist emerge from the shards, take the shape of Traven's head for a moment, smiled, then dissipated into mist again and drifted out the ceiling windows. Raminus thanked me for releasing Traven's soul, and I said that I would also mourn for his sacrifice.
The following day I awoke within the Arch-Mage quarters – my new home away from home. I thought about all the trials that had led to my ascension through the Mages Guild ranks, smiling at my success. I had become that which I had set out to become, and I had indeed become a powerful mage like I had promised Martin I would be. The only thing that remained for me to do was find an appropriate way to test my abilities and determine whether I was ready to serve in the Blades as I had promised Martin I would. I walked through the Imperial City, wondering how I would go about finding such a test for myself, when I saw a poster attached to a nearby wall. Fighters were wanted for the Arena, especially for Blue Team. This sparked an idea in my head, and I made my way over to the Arena. I spoke with the Battlemaster, who was shocked that I was trying to enlist as a combatant. However, he didn't protest against it, and handed me my battle raiment. Over the next few days I participated in many different battles, balancing my use of magic with the use of my sword.
I had picked up a Glass Longsword while I had been in Echo Cave, and before I fought my first Arena battle I enchanted the blade with a spell that would weaken my opponent's weapon with each strike until it was broken. Even with the enchantment, however, the battle were very difficult. I earned more than my fair share of cuts and gashes, but I refused to complain to anyone about them. Even during the matches I limited myself to using only my magic, the opponents I fought against were very skillful in dodging my blasts. Eventually I finally worked my way up to the rank of Champion, and earned the right to challenge the current Grand Champion – a half-orc. That fight was one of my closest battles yet, as I lost the use of one of my arms for a while during the fight. The half-orc hit me hard enough that both my hands went numb for a while even though I had successfully blocked the blow with my sword. He even succeeded in destroying my sword, forcing me to rely on my magic. In the end, I managed to defeat him, and earned the rank of Grand Champion. I was famous throughout the entire Imperial City, and I allowed myself to bask in the glory. I engaged in one additional fight after I defeated the half-orc, against a team of three Minotaur Lords. That battle wasn't as hard as the half-orc had been, but it made for a close second. Now that I'm the Grand Champion of the arena, I am convinced that I have become strong enough to serve in the Blades, and tomorrow I will head back to Cloud Ruler Temple to receive my first assignment.