A Tale of Dragons: Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol
Chapter: 26
The College of Winterhold
"Good day, Faralda." Khara greeted the elf as she and Serana got closer. "Have they made you stand guard again?" Khara pitied the woman at times, she would be sure to remember that some of the other members could stand guard at times or at least accompany Faralda. Faralda was the very first person that Khara had met that was a member of the College. She remembers their first meeting well, as if it had happened only a few days ago. Faralda had asked Khara of what she had to offer the College and Khara had simply replied with her being the Dragonborn. After a quick demonstration of a shout, the wolf had been given the full tour of the College, gotten mage robes and become a member all within the short time of an hour.
"It would seem so." Faralda said as she hugged herself, it was so very cold. "I normally don't mind, but under these conditions…I would prefer other tasks." She told them.
"Come then, if anyone protests then tell them that I dismissed you. No one are to be outside in weather like this." Khara said as she gestured for the elf to walk in front of her.
Khara's eyes fell to the College. She remembered when she had first arrived here, she can't say that she had enjoyed it all too much, but it served its purpose, it kept her busy. She had learned quite a bit about magic and made powerful allies while working her way up the ranks within the College. She never would have believed that it would be her that would become Archmage, but life is full of surprises. She had been given the title of Archmage not because of her knowledge of magic, but because of her actions.
Faralda smiled as she began to walk back to the College. "Is this a new student?" She asked as she nodded a greeting to Serana.
Khara chuckled as she shook her head. "No, she's not. This is Serana, and just like you, she is extremely talented within the Destruction school." Khara said as she looked at the two as they walked. "I'm sure you two could learn a few things from each other."
"You can summon and cast master spells?" Faralda asked Serana, a small smile visible on her lips.
"Yes, I have been training Destruction magic for a very long time." Serana told her. A few centuries actually, she added in her mind. As they walked over the bridge, Serana's eyes kept moving back to the town, or what remained of the town. Winterhold was so, so small compared to what it used to be. Her mother would have hated it to see it in such a state, of that she was sure.
"Finally, someone I can have decent conversations with." Faralda said with a smile. "Not many within the College knows too much within that school of magic."
"Haven't any of the students progressed within that school yet?" Khara asked as she furrowed her brows. She was sure that the students had to have some knowledge about all the schools of magic at this point.
"No, only J'zargo, but he is too stubborn at times to take advise from others." Faralda said as she looked back at Khara.
"That's a shame, his own pride is holding him back." Khara said as they got closer to the College's doors.
"That it is, maybe you could talk some sense into him." The elf asked.
"I'll see what I can do, but that Khajiit is almost as stubborn as a Nord." Khara said with a small chuckle as they opened the doors and entered the College. The Khajiit was headstrong and to some degree, arrogant, but he was talented and knew how to control the magic for the few spells he knew.
"Thank you for letting me out of that storm, I will go and see if Urag needs help at the library." Faralda said as she moved over to the stairs.
"Aye, you do that." Khara told her before the elf vanished up the stairs. Khara then turned to Serana and smiled when she saw Serana's eyes looking around, taking it all in. "Anything like you expected?" She asked in a low voice.
Serana looked at her for a moment before she continued to look around. "It's just like Mother had described it." She said with a smile. "It's fascinating, I can feel magical currents all around us, inside the stone walls, in the floor, the ceiling, everywhere, it's stunning." Should have guessed that the College built by Shalidor himself would have such raw magical power within its walls.
Khara smiled back at her and turned her head when she heard someone approach, she smiled once she saw who it was. Her smile however, faded when she saw that the old man wasn't mirroring her. "What's wrong, Tolfdir?"
"I just had a raven sent for you, your raven." Tolfdir told her, his voice filled with worry as he spoke.
Khara's face fell more at that. "Oh no…" She then quickly turned around. "Maybe if we open the doors it won't-" Her words were interrupted when a window in the main room shattered, leaving small glass pieces all around the floor, along with a black raven. "Gods damn it." She sighed as she looked at her raven. It was flapping its wings, moving around in small circles on the stone floor before it managed to get up on its feet. Khara raised her hand for it and it flew towards her and landed on her hand.
The purple light was in the raven's eyes again and this time, Serana spotted it. "You weren't kidding when you said that he is enchanted." Serana said as she walked a little closer to the wolf.
"Yeah." Khara got the letter out of his little backpack and the raven jumped up to sit on her shoulder. Khara's eyes roamed the letters and looked up at Tolfdir when she was done reading. "You need my help with a magical artifact?" She asked him.
"Yes, I was informed only a few hours ago, the person with the request didn't want to write too much down on the paper. She should arrive before the sun sets, but I fear that she might be delayed due to the storm." Tolfdir said as he looked out some of the windows. He saw that some of his fellow mages were already working on fixing the broken window, it wasn't the first time one of the College windows had fallen victim to the Archmage's raven.
"I think you're right, you'll inform me when she arrives then?" Khara asked Tolfdir.
"Of course. In the meanwhile, I will be with the students. If you have time, why don't you join us later?" Khara gave him a smile and a nod before he walked out the doors and into the storm.
"Alright, let's get these rings and your cloak enchanted then." Khara said as she took Serana's cloak off her and walked over to the main room. By one of the benches sat a man, currently lost in a book. "Sergius." Khara greeted as she stood next to the man.
"Ah, Archmage, it's been a while." He said as he moved a little to the side, allowing both Khara and Serana to sit down. "Now to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, he knew the Archmage a little and was familiar with the tone of the woman's voice, she wanted something.
"I have a task for you." Khara said as she handed the man the bag of rings and the cloak.
"Now then, what enchantments do you need?" He said as he inspected the rings.
"The rings are for some vampires, I need the rings to hide their eyes and fangs. The cloak needs cold resistant and warmth." She told him.
"Vampires, eh? Don't worry, I don't need to know anything else." He then got up from his seat and looked down at Khara. "Are you in a hurry?" He asked, enchanting all of these could take some hours.
"I guess not, we're here for as long as the storm is, but if you could enchant the cloak first, I'd appreciate it." Khara said as she offered the man a smile.
"I will do that then. I'll come find you when it's done." He said with a nod. Khara knew how much Sergius liked enchanting, the man wouldn't even ask for payment and that is rare in Skyrim, very rare.
Khara leaned back against the stone wall and took a moment to think. "We're never getting to Solitude." Khara said as she closed her eyes. For every step they took, her home only seemed to get further away.
Serana looked over at her wolf and nudged her shoulder with Khara's. "I don't mind." She reminded the wolf. "Plus, who are we to say no to a little adventure? We wouldn't be able to spend long in Solitude before we would get bored anyways." Serana pointed out with a grin.
Khara chuckled at that, because it was true. "You're right. We wouldn't fare so well in a calm and quiet life, would we?" She asked as she looked over at Serana.
"No, we wouldn't." Serana said back with a smile.
Khara nodded. "At least we can take it easy until this person who needs our helps gets here." She then turned to look at Serana. "Would you like to accompany me and see how the students are doing, my dear?" Khara asked with that snobbish voice as she got up from her seat and offered Serana a hand.
"Yes, it's always entertaining to see novices try to cast spells that are beyond them." Serana said with a smirk as she accepted the offered hand. Young and lacking minds would always cast the most interesting spells from Serana's experiences.
Khara released a small laugh as she pulled Serana up and nodded her head in agreement, Serana did have a point. "Feel free to show the Khajiit what master level spells looks like if he get's a little too cocky." Khara told the other woman.
"Oh, I most definitely will." Serana told the wolf as they went back outside. They followed the short path that would take them to where the students resided within the College. The cold wind gave them motivation to walk faster and they found themselves within cover from the storm in only a matter of a few seconds. The warm air hit them as the door closed itself behind them, the smell of soup, a fire and flowers used to create potions also reached them as they took a few steps further inside the building.
Khara spotted Tolfdir talking with J'zargo and Onmund over by a table, she also saw that Brelyna was sitting by herself, nose hidden in a book. For the moment, J'zargo, Onmund and Brelyna are the only students, as far as Khara knows, some new ones might have joined, but either way Khara was glad that there weren't too many students. The reason for this is that with so few students, they could progress a lot faster as they would always have access to the more advanced members of the College. Each student could always ask a question in the second it came to their mind and have an answer right away. It was one of the few perks of having almost an entire people dislike the College and its mages.
Tolfdir looked up and smiled to Serana and Khara. "Archmage, could you help us with a matter?" He asked as he gestured for them to come closer.
"What is it, Tolfdir?" Khara asked as she stood next to the man.
"When it comes to magical uses, what do you think is most important?" He asked as he held a hand under his chin.
"That is quite the question…" Khara said with a nod as she thought about it, she then turned to Serana. She was sure that the woman would have some wise words to share with them. "What do you think, Serana?" She asked.
"I would say respect and understanding, along with caution." Serana told them without a second thought.
"Precisely." Tolfdir said as he turned to look at J'zargo. "Now you've heard it from two sources."
J'zargo released a small, frustrating hiss before he spoke. "J'zargo doesn't have time for such things if he wishes to become a more powerful mage." The Khajiit said as he looked at Tolfdir.
"You should listen to Tolfdir, J'zargo. Magic is a tool, but just as most tools, if it is used without care, without thought, then it will do more harm than anything else, to both the wielder and its surroundings." Khara told the Khajiit.
"But the Archmage haven't even mastered the school of Destruction, J'zargo need someone who knows master spells to show and teach him." J'zargo pleaded. It was clear that the Khajiit favored action over words and lectures. He wanted to see spells, not read about them.
"You're right, but my friend here has." Khara patted Serana on the shoulder. "Perhaps if you ask, she would be willing to show you a few things." Khara hinted and received a nod from Serana.
"Fine…-" J'zargo looked to Serana. "Perhaps you could show this one a few things." He said with a low voice.
"Sure, how about you tell me what you know so far?" Serana offered as she sat down next to J'zargo, Onmund too tuned in on the conversation, it was always good to have a new face around, along with new words.
"I think Brelyna might need help with something, Khara." Tolfdir pointed out.
Khara turned around and looked at the woman. "Yeah, I'll see if she needs my help." She left as she heard Serana and J'zargo have quite the conversation about frost atronachs and how they shouldn't be summoned inside small spaces.
Khara walked over to Brelyna and nudged the student's foot with her own in order to grab the woman's attention. "You don't want to sit with the others?" Khara asked in a low voice.
"What?" Brelyna said as she put the book down. "Oh, no that's not the reason. I have just been practicing these spells and I think I'm close to casting them successfully." The Dunmer woman explained. "Actually, if you have a moment could…Could you help me with something?" She asked Khara.
"Sure, that's why I'm here, right?" Khara said with a small smile. She knew that Brelyna could be a little shy and she wasn't all that confident, but Khara was sure that when Brelyna would be able to cast a few more spells successfully then that would change, so she would gladly offer her help.
"Right." She said back with a small smile. "I have been practicing a few new spells, but I need someone to cast them on to see if they're working as they should."
"And that's where I come in, got it. Nothing dangerous I hope?" Khara asked.
"Oh, no. No, they're quite harmless, its just Illusion and Alteration spells, I assure you. So, would you assist me?" She asked carefully, she didn't want to have to ask some of the other students and was glad that the Archmage was here.
"Sure, let's do this." Khara said as she nodded as she took a few steps back.
"Ah, good." Brelyna got up from her seat and looked at Khara. "Now you just stand there…" Brelyna raised a hand and summoned a spell, she held it in her hand for a moment before she casted it on Khara.
Khara's eyes widened as she stumbled back a few steps, everything looked odd, everything looked…Green. Khara looked around and saw that everything was green, she was green, Serana was green, the whole bloody room was green.
"Oh, now that…That wasn't supposed to happen…" The faint voice of Brelyna could be heard.
"Brelyna…" Khara said as she tried to keep her voice calm and steady.
Brelyna winced over the sound of the Archmage's voice. "Yes?"
"Why is…-" Khara inhaled deeply and swallowed. "Why is everything green?" She asked with furrowed brows, she wanted to be angry, but there was this calmness currently pulsing through her mind.
"I don't know?" Brelyna dragged out her words and grimaced over how she sounded, a Daedra would sound more trustworthy.
"You don't know…" Khara repeated. "Please tell me this isn't permanent." Khara said as she closed her eyes.
"No, no it's not, or it shouldn't be." The Dunmer told her, she had read so much about the spell now, there shouldn't be anything harmful with it.
"It shouldn't be? As in you don't know?" Khara asked with a slightly worried voice, she had fallen victim of student's spells before and did not wish for history to repeat itself.
"I'm sure it'll will fade in no time." Brelyna tried to calm Khara down. "When it fades can we, can we give it another try?" She asked.
"I…Let's just see how this goes first, yeah?" Khara said as she was already slowly walking away.
"Yes, of course." Brelyna said with a nod.
"Okey." Khara said as she turned around and walked over to the others, she sat down and waited.
Serana looked over at Khara and then back to J'zargo before her eyes widened and darted back to Khara. Oh my…Serana burst out laughing at the very green wolf that now sat by her table. J'zargo and Onmund joined in as well, even Tolfdir released a small laugh.
Khara only sat there with a single hand covering her eyes. "Yeah, just get it out of your system, just laugh away, I certainly don't mind." Her voice was so dry and even, if anything, it only made the whole situation that much better for those watching.
"J'zargo have never seen anything so green in his life, and he has seen a lot of green." The Khajiit laughed out.
Serana nodded as she looked Khara over. "How do you f-feel, Khara?" Serana asked as she tried to calm her laughter.
"You know, I feel this strange need to empower balance and harmony in the world." Khara said with a calm voice.
"Really?" Onmund asked, a hand covering his mouth.
"No, I want to punch something in the face." Khara said, her voice a few tones deeper this time. She hated this, green wasn't even one of her most liked colors, she only liked emerald green, like the gems or Serana's mortal eyes, this green was more like the puke kind of green, not very likeable. "It should fade." She said mostly to herself.
"It should fade?" Serana asked with a smile.
"It will fade." Khara said this time. Khara just sat there while the others continued to talk about the Destruction school and that. She did know when a pair of eyes landed on her though, because she would hear a snort or a quiet chuckle, but she tried to ignore it and focus on the better things in life. She thought about Odahviing, she had very good memories with her dragon brother. She remembered the first time they had flied together, it was beyond amazing. She remembered that they had landed in an open area in the Pine Forest. How she jumped down from his neck and landed in the grass. Grass. Green grass, as in the same green she was currently seeing all over, the same green that she was currently completely covered in. This is torture, she said in her mind.
Perhaps next time, you won't accept to be a test subject? Khara's eyes widened at the sound of her dragon aspect. Where have you been? She asked, she then heard her wolf too. I tried to call for you earlier, but I got no response, she told them in her mind. Krosis, we do not know, perhaps next time, try not to drink so much, Goraan gein, the aspect dragon told her. Deal, she agreed with them. Gods this felt good, she was beginning to worry a little. Looks like her mind had just fallen victim to the beverages she had consumed back at Riften.
As a calmness entered her, the green effect left her, something that was greatly appreciated by the wolf. She looked over to her side and saw that Brelyna was already looking at her with hopeful eyes. Khara sighed as she got up from her seat and walked over to the elf. "I am so very sorry for what happened, Archmage." The woman apologized.
"It's fine, its in the past now, let's move on. You said you wanted to give it another try?" Khara asked, she tried not to let it show, but she was slightly worried that something worse would come out of the elf's spells.
"Yes, please. I think I know what I did wrong now." Brelyna said with a confident nod.
"Alright, just…Take your time." Khara told her.
"Yes, I am confident that it will work this time." Brelyna told Khara as she readied herself.
"Alright, let's do it." Khara said as she readied herself. She looked to the side and saw that Tolfdir, J'zargo and Onmund walking out the door. Her eyes searched the room a little more and saw that Serana was watching her with interest.
Brelyna nodded as she charged up the spell again in her hand. She aimed at Khara and casted it. As the spell hit Khara she was transformed into an animal, a cow to be exact. Serana's hand shot up to her mouth as she didn't want to interrupt Brelyna's concentration, but oh, this was priceless.
"Oh my. That isn't right." Brelyna said as she charged up the spell again. You don't say, Khara said in her mind. The spell was casted again. "I can fix this!" The Dunmer said to the Archmage.
The spell hit Khara again, and she changed, just not into what she thought she would change into. She…She was a horse now. Is this my punishment for being a bad horse owner?
"I…I can make this better, I promise." Brelyna said again as she charged up another spell and casted it.
Oh, this felt a little similar. Wait a moment. Khara opened her mouth and barked. I'm a dog, great. She turned around and looked at Brelyna, she also saw that Serana was walking towards her. "This shouldn't feel too foreign for you, right?" Serana asked with a smirk as she bent down and patted Khara on her head.
Khara narrowed her eyes at the woman and released a small growl. She was not as pleased as Serana was. "This isn't really turning out the way I'd planned, I'll change you back, you have my word." The elf told Khara. She casted the spell again and when it hit Khara, she finally turned back to her normal self.
The wolf looked horrified, like she had seen the true horrors of this world. Khara kept her eyes stuck on the wall next to her, not a muscle in her body moving.
"Well…" Brelyna scratched the back of her head. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"
Khara slowly turned her head to the woman, her eyes seemed distant. "Let's never speak of this again." Khara said in a low, calm voice.
Brelyna nodded and spoke. "Agreed." The word left the elf's mouth extremely fast.
Khara then walked out of the room and out into the cold wind. She heard that Serana was following her, and that she suddenly gasped. Khara quickly turned around. "What is it?" She asked worried, Serana's face had a shocked expression on it. Was there danger nearby? A dragon?
"Khara, you have a tail!" Serana shrieked as she pointed at the wolf.
Khara's face went as pale as the snow around them and she quickly spun around to see it, but she stopped when she heard Serana's hysterical laughter. "Oh, no you didn't." She said as she tilted her head to the side and looked at the woman with serious eyes. She walked closer to Serana and the woman backed up against a wall with a hand covering her mouth. "I will make you pay for this, one day. And it will happen when you least expect it." Khara said as she pointed to Serana with a finger, damn this woman.
Serana only released a snort as she nodded to Khara's threat. The wolf rolled her eyes and couldn't help but hide her smile. She turned around and began to walk back to the main part of the College when she felt cool lips against her ear. "But you still love me." Serana whispered with a smile.
Khara sighed as she smiled. "I still love you." She said back.
Khara walked over to the door to open it after she had heard someone knocking on it. She opened the door and was met with Sergius. "Oh, that was ridiculously fast." Khara said surprised as she accepted the cloak and the bag of rings.
Sergius shrugged his shoulders and spoke. "The enchantment that you wanted weren't too difficult." He said. It was true, once one ring was enchanted all he really needed to do was to repeat what he had already done, a simple task for a master enchanter.
Khara shook her head at the man, a faint smile at her lips. "Thank you for this, I owe you." She told him.
"That you do, come see me if you need anything else enchanted." He said as he began to walk down the stairs again.
Khara smiled as she closed the door. She walked over to the table where Serana sat and placed the bag on the table while she put the cloak over one of the chairs. She grabbed one ring out of the bag and inspected it. She put it on and walked over to a mirror that hang on the wall.
"Does it work?" Serana asked as she put the book on the table and walked closer to her wolf.
Khara opened her mouth and looked at her fangs, they couldn't be seen. "Looks like it, or at least for my fangs." She said as she brought her hand closer to her face again. She then turned her body towards Serana as she removed the ring. "Give me your hand?" She asked as she looked at Serana.
Serana brought her hand to Khara and the wolf gently grabbed it. Her eyes looked down at their hands as Khara slowly put the ring on Serana's ring finger. She could feel Serana's eyes on her as she put the ring on her, this felt very…Intimate. A thrilling wave of excitement flew through the wolf's body. Khara then moved her eyes higher and was met with green, emerald green eyes.
"Does it work?" Serana asked in a low voice as she looked at Khara with interest, taking in everything the wolf did, her heartbeat, her facial expression, everything.
"Yeah." Khara said back in a similar tone as her eyes fell back down to their hands. Khara smiled a little as she removed the ring and held it in her hand. She held onto Serana's hand for a little longer before she allowed herself to let go. That, that felt good, really good. Can wait to do that again. Khara had this small smile on her as she moved back to the table. "Maybe you should have a ring with you?" Khara asked. "So that you don't need to have your hood on all the time." She explained.
Serana walked over to her and smiled. "Good idea, I'm sure Garan won't miss one ring."
Khara smiled and handed Serana the ring. "One rule though." Khara said.
"Oh?" Serana looked at her wolf with a raised eyebrow.
"You're only allowed to wear it when it's needed, in the second we get somewhere private or somewhere people won't mind, then the ring comes off." The wolf told her, she never wanted to not see those beautiful orange eyes.
Serana smiled bashfully and nodded. "Deal." She told her.
They sat back down and began to talk of how Khara became the Archmage. "You know of the Eye of Magnus?"
Serana nodded. "The Atmoran settlers found it underneath Saarthal. I had a book about it back at Castle Volkihar, they had found the artifact during the excavation, but they didn't know what it was, so they tried to keep it buried." Serana said, she remembers reading about it.
"That's right. The Snow Elves found out about it and tried to capture it." Khara said with a nod.
"That was the Night of Tears, wasn't it? Ysgramor rallied his forces and fought them back."
"Yeah, anyways the Eye were hidden back within Saarthal in the end. When I first joined the College, we went to Saarthal to do some research and such." Khara told her.
Khara went on about how she and Tolfdir had found the Eye, how it had been transported back to the College and how Ancano had tried to use the Eye and how Khara was the one that stopped him. She told Serana about her adventure in Labyrinthian, the skeleton dragon, the dragon priest and the impressive number of undead within it. How she had managed to claim the Staff of Magnus and how she had used that very same staff to stop Ancano. She told Serana everything.
"Wait, you were contacted by the Psijic Order?" Serana asked surprised.
"Yeah, I was surprised as well when I found out who they were. They had told me from the very beginning that my actions would trigger a chain of events that couldn't be stopped." Khara said as she leaned back in her seat. "When it was all over, they told me that me becoming Archmage was the Order's intent from the beginning, all the way back to that day I was in Saarthal."
"Woah, have you heard from them since?" Serana asked as she slightly leaned over the table, curiosity getting the better of her.
"No, not a single word. The last thing they said was that they would safeguard the Eye of Magnus from those who would seek to abuse its powers." Khara told her.
Serana leaned back in her seat too and released a small chuckle. "You really have been through a lot, haven't you?" She asked with a smile, the tales of the wolf's adventures never stopped, time just continued to reveal more and more about Khara's experiences throughout Skyrim.
Khara chuckled. "I've been around, yeah."
Serana tilted her head to the side as she looked at the wolf. "It's impressive, all the things that you have done in so little time. I still find it hard that you're only twenty-four years old at times."
Khara snorted. "Do I look older than twenty-four?" She joked.
Serana chuckled as she nudged Khara's leg with her own. "You know what I mean." She then looked at Khara for a little while longer. "Tired?"
"A little, Brelyna's little experiment completely drained me I guess." Khara said and couldn't help but wince over the still very fresh memory. "I know what it feels like to be a bloody cow, that's not something I needed to know." Khara said as she closed her eyes. "Life would have been just fine without that knowledge."
"Remember Khara, all knowledge is power." Serana said, but she couldn't help herself as she released a small laugh. "You should jump in bed, there still might be a few hours before you're needed downstairs."
"Yeah." Khara got up from her seat and got out of her armor, leaving her in her shirt and trousers. She then looked at Serana. "Join me?"
Serana hummed as she got up too and grabbed a book. They moved over to the bed and got on it, Serana with her back against the headboard and Khara laying on her stomach close to Serana. With a cool hand slowly moving it's fingers up and down the back of the wolf's neck, Khara was considering never leaving this bed.
"Can I ask you something?" Serana asked as she put her book down in her lap and looked over at the wolf.
"Of course." Khara said with her eyes closed as she gave a small nod.
"Your name, did you pick it?" Serana asked as she continued to move her hand against warm skin.
"No, I didn't." Khara moved a little and opened her eyes. "I've just always known it, it's strange. I just know that in my soul that it's my name." Khara said, she really didn't know what else to tell. "From my very first memory, my name was the only thing that I knew."
"Yeah, would be nice if we could just ask the Gods and get an actual answer, wouldn't it?"
Khara released a small chuckle. "That would be nice, but the Gods are never that simple. Everything with them have to be done in riddles and such, they're almost like politicians, they never give you a direct answer to your questions." The wolf said.
"That's a pretty accurate description of how the Gods work." Serana said with a chuckle of her own.
A knock on the door forced Khara to leave the extremely comfortable bed, she walked over to the door and opened it. "The person who requested your help have just arrived." Tolfdir informed her.
"Alright, why don't you take her to the library and I'll come down in a minute?"
"Very well." Tolfdir said as he walked back down the stairs.
Khara closed the door and got over to where her armor was and got it on. "Looks like our mystery person have arrived." Khara said as she grabbed her Blade and dagger.
Serana got out of bed and walked over to her wolf. "Let's see what this is all about then." Serana said as she opened the door for Khara.
They walked down the stairs and entered the Arcanaeum, they spotted Tolfdir and a woman, a Dunmer woman sitting by a table. They walk up to them. "Now that we're all here, why don't you explain what it is that you need?" Tolfdir asked as Serana and Khara sat down. "Your letter mentioned that you needed help with a magical artifact?"
The Dunmer woman nodded before she spoke. "Yes, and not just any artifact, Azura's Star."
Tolfdir's eyes widened at those words. "A Daedric artifact." He said a little baffled.
Khara let her eyes roam the woman's clothes, it was so very clear now. "You're a priestess." She pointed out.
"I am, my name is Aranea Ienith." The woman said as she looked at Khara. "Lady Azura have given me a vision of her Star and that it's being misused."
"I take it this is where we come into the picture." Khara asked.
"Yes, I need help to retrieve it so that I can cleanse it." Aranea told them.
"Cleanse it? Is there something wrong with the Star?" Khara asked, this couldn't be good.
"Yes, Azura have told me that she feels a corruption from within the Star, for every second that passes, the Star becomes more unstable as those who has it, are doing vile experiments on it." Aranea explained.
"What will happen if the corruption is allowed to continue?" Tolfdir asked.
"The Star will start to crack and in the end, create a devastating explosion." The priestess told them.
"Do you know who has it or where it is?" Tolfdir asked her.
"I do. A man called Malyn Varen has it. I believe that you are familiar with that name?" The elf asked as she looked at Tolfdir.
"Ah, yes. I remember Malyn very well." Tolfdir said as he looked down at the table. "Do you know of him, Khara?"
"I'm afraid I don't."
"I'm not surprised, Malyn was here quite some years ago, he was a student and he showed great promise." Tolfdir told her as he remembered the man. "Unfortunately, we had to exile him for doing unacceptable acts with soul gems, he had a fellow student killed and broke many other rules of the College. He had this theory that he could capture his own soul and place it in a soul gem in order to achieve a state of immortality, but he never found a soul gem powerful enough for his experiments." Tolfdir explained.
"That is why he has the Star, I fear that he seeks to make it a home for his soul." Aranea said. "I believe that it is his experiments that have caused the Star to become corrupted."
"Wait, he has achieved this? His soul is in the Star?" Khara asked with wide eyes.
"I do not know, My Lady have only informed me that the Star is unstable and need to be cleansed, but it is a possibility, yes." Aranea told her.
"Alright, where do we need to go then?" The wolf asked.
"I am not certain, Lady Azura only told me to go to a Fort that is surrounded by water, yet untouched by it. In the vision I could see a lake, and the Pine Forest." Aranea told them.
Khara leaned back in her seat and searched her mind for such a location. "There is only one lake that could be, Lake Ilinalta." Khara then looked at Aranea. "Do you know how to cleanse the Star if we get it to you?"
"I believe so, but I won't know for certain before I see the Star for myself." Aranea said.
"If I get you the Star and if you don't know how to fix it, what then? The whole College will be at risk, the town too." Khara said as she looked over at Tolfdir, the old man nodded his head in agreement.
"If you can get the Star to me then I can promise you, Azura as my witness, I will at least be able to keep it stable." Aranea told Khara with a voice that held honesty to it.
Khara held the elf's eyes for a little longer before she nodded. "You better be ready for when we return then, and if anything goes wrong once the Star is in your hands, then I will hold you responsible." Khara told the woman as she and Serana got up from their seats.
"I expect nothing less, Archmage." The elf said.
"Good, we'll leave then. It shouldn't take too long." The wolf said as she looked over at Serana.
"But Lake Ilinalta is quite the distance away." The woman said with a little confused voice.
"It is, but that distance is easily traveled while in the air." Khara told her.
"You will call for Odahviing?" Tolfdir asked.
"I will. You two should prepare yourself, take a room and close it too, I don't want anyone else around the Star once it gets here." Khara told them.
"Of course, Archmage, I will get right on it." Tolfdir said as he got up from his seat along with Aranea.
"Good, we'll be back soon." Khara said as she and Serana left the room and went up the stairs. "The roof is big enough for Odahviing to land on." Khara told Serana.
"Okey, good. I was wondering why we were walking up." Serana said with a nod.
"Yeah, are you alright though? You were awfully quiet down there." Khara asked as she looked at Serana.
"Oh, yes I'm fine. I just didn't want to interrupt." Serana told her, but she felt the need to tell a little bit more. "That and I don't feel too comfortable around priest and priestesses, or temples for that matter."
"Alright." Khara said as she nodded. "When we get back, you can wait in my chambers if you want?" She didn't want for Serana to feel uncomfortable.
"No, it's fine. As long as you're with me, I should be fine." Serana told her wolf with a smile.
"Okey, but…" Khara stopped right before she was about to open the door that would take them to the roof. "Let me know if that changes, alright?" She told Serana as she looked at her.
Serana smiled at her for that, she took a step closer and brought a hand up to the wolf's cheek. "I will, Khara." She placed a sweet kiss on the wolf's lips. "Thank you." She whispered against warm lips. She felt the wolf smile into the kiss before she pulled away.
Khara just looked at her for a little moment, a smile on her face and her eyes filled with affection. The wolf then opened the door and was met with cold wind, the storm had passed, but the wind hadn't fully settled down yet. They walked to the middle of the roof. Khara inhaled deeply and looked to the skies. "OD AH VIING!" The shout echoed long after the words had passed the wolf's lips. "How's that cloak working out for you?" Khara asked as she turned to look at Serana.
Serana looked at the wolf with a smug look on her face as she had fully wrapped the cloak around herself. "It's working pretty well, it's warm and I almost don't feel the coldness of the wind." Serana said back in a content voice.
Khara chuckled as she looked around "I'm glad." She said back as she heard her brother approach them from the skies.
"Greetings, Khara and Serana." Odahviing greeted as he landed. He turned his head to the two women and took a few steps closer.
"Drem yol lok, Odahviing. Nii los kul wah koraav hi." Serana told the dragon with a pleased smile on her face.
Odahviing's eyes widened the tiniest bit as he brought his snout closer to the woman who had just spoken in his tongue. "Hi tinvaak ko fin tinvaak do Dovah?" He asked surprised.
"I don't know too much yet I'm afraid." Serana told him as she placed her hand on the warm, scale-covered snout.
"And yet you pronounce the words with great precision, you show great promise." He said as he lowered his head as well as his body to the floor. He then looked over at Khara. "You teach her our language?" He asked.
"Oh, she learns it herself, I only provide the books." Khara said as she smiled at Serana.
"Impressive. Now, where do you need to be?" He asked as he allowed the two women to climb his neck.
"To the Pine Forest, Lake Ilinalta. There should be a fort somewhere in the lake." Khara explained as she and Serana got on him.
"Geh, I know of what you speak." Odahviing said as he moved over to the edge of the roof. He spread his wings and felt how the wind felt against him, he loved this. He jumped off and flapped his wings as he climbed ever so higher into the air. The area of Winterhold was still covered in dark and grey clouds, and the sun was till up so, he got an idea. "Ready too see what only dragons are allowed to?" He asked.
Khara smiled bashfully as she knew what he was talking about. "Geh! Show us!" She yelled with a smile.
Odahviing chuckled as he aimed for the clouds, his wings working hard to bring them closer. They could see the town beneath them slowly fade as clouds swallowed them whole.
Serana narrowed her eyes as she moved her hands to Khara's shoulders, she couldn't see a damn thing in all this. The only sound was that of the wind and the wings of Odahviing, all else was quiet.
They continued to fly through the clouds and then, when they had finally beaten the clouds and were above them, then they saw it. Beauty in it's purest form. They saw the sunset, they saw how its light was slightly being reflected on the clouds just underneath them, and it was so beautiful. The wind was gone and Odahviing's wings hovered in the air as they glided forward through the skies. The sky was purple and slowly faded into a warm orange as closer as it got to the sun.
Serana swore that in this moment, there was nothing else in existence except the three of them, the skies and the sun. There was no other sounds or anything else that stood out. White clouds that looked like they were made of the purest materials were at their feet. In this moment, Serana could see why Khara liked dusk as much as she did, she could also see why orange was an admired color of the wolf. In all her years, all her life, Serana had never seen anything like it. Serana moved her hands down to Khara's waist and rested her head on the wolf's shoulder, she never wanted to leave.
Khara smiled as she held onto the spikes of Odahviing with one hand, and held the other one over Serana's hands. Khara would make sure to thank Odahviing for this, because if Khara turned her head the tiniest bit to the side, she could see the most beautiful smile she had ever had the honor of laying her eyes upon.
They followed the sun as they flew and Odahviing lowered one foot down into the skies and left a trail behind them as he slightly swayed to the sides in a slow and delicate motion. "Take it all in, we will have to bid our farewell to it soon." He told them, and after a few moments he slowly started to descend back into the clouds.
As they moved through the clouds and they could start to see the water that made up Lake Ilinalta. Khara's eyes scanned the water and spotted what she thought to be their desired Fort. "There, Odahviing." She said as she looked at the Fort that was well on it's way to be fully swallowed by the lake.
"Geh, I shall land." He said as he flew towards an open area right next to the fort. He landed with ease and lowered himself so that the passengers could easily get off of him. Once Serana and Khara's feet were firmly planted on the ground, he prepared himself to take to the skies once more.
Khara moved over to his head and placed her hand on his snout. "Will you stay close?"
"Geh, I will wait for your call, briinah, proudly so." He told her.
Khara smiled at him as she bent down a little to place a kiss on his snout. "Thank you for sharing that view with us, zeymah." She told him, and the dragon flashed his teeth to her, it was always entertaining to see him try to form a smile.
"Hurry now, I shall take watch from the skies." He said as he raised his whole body and stretched out his wings.
Khara smiled at him one last time before she walked up to Serana. They took a few steps back as Odahviing took to the skies again. They saw how his red form was being swallowed by the night sky. Serana turned to the water and spoke. "Do you think we'll be able to enter?" She asked with a skeptical voice.
Khara turned around to look as well. "Let's find out." They walked closer to the sunken fort and saw a wooden path that led to one of it's towers. "That might be it." Khara said as she nodded to a trap door that was on the tower.
They walked over to it and kneeled down. Khara grabbed it's handle and pulled it open. "This does not look like a good idea." Serana said as she and Khara looked down to where the ladder would take them.
"You're right about that-" Khara then looked at Serana. "But that hasn't stopped us before now, has it?" She asked with a small grin.
Serana shook her head and smiled. "True, let's get down there." She said as she moved to climb the ladder. Once inside she looked around, her hand hovering over her sword and her mind ready to summon spells.
Khara climbed down right after her and jumped off the last bit of the ladder and landed next to Serana. They looked around and was for the most part only met with water, that and a skeleton. Khara huffed and pointed to the poor bastard that was chained up to a pole. "That's one way to greet your guests." The wolf didn't dare imagine what pain the owner of that skeleton had to go through. She then looked around and took a step forward, the water reached up to just underneath her knee. "Oh, we're bound to get wet." Serana snorted. "Oh, shut up." Khara chuckled.
Serana grinned as she looked around some more. She saw a door opening behind the skeleton and nodded to it. "Looks like that's where we want to go." She whispered.
Khara looked behind the skeleton and nodded. "Yeah." She grabbed her Ebony Blade, and with caution she walked through the opening. She summoned a detect life spell, but could see none, that was also the same result for her detect dead spell. "Looks clear." She mumbled.
Dovahzul Translations:
Serana: Drem yol lok, Odahviing. Nii los kul wah koraav hi. – Greetings, Odahviing. It is good to see you.
Odahviing: Hi tinvaak ko fin tinvaak do Dovah? – You speak in the language of dragons?
Other words: Geh – Yes
Briinah – Sister
Zeymah - Brother
My opinion on the Chapter and info:
We got to meet some of the members in the College in this one, always nice. I don't really have that much to write about right now to be honest, I will say that I liked this chapter more than the last however. We got to see Khara's raven for a moment and see how poor Khara got transformed into a few animals, I love that quest in the game.
I'm also very excited about the nest chapter as I get to introduce a character that I think will be very entertaining to write about.
So, this new questline might not seem that big and mighty, but rest assured my dear readers, it is a mixture of a few quests and I am looking forward to seeing what you think of it. As we progress throughput the quest, more parts will be revealed.
As always, thank you for the review people, I love em'.
Till next we meet!
-Zep