Cearbhail:
So... new chapter already. Yup. Trying my best to finish this story already. Got a fun chapter filled with exposition that no one requested! At all! But... it's important! Yay, importance!
=^^= Enjoy...
Dear diary,
Today is the 7th of Morningstar. By the time we got back to Winterhold, it was already the 5th, just barely one in the morning. So… I crashed for a whole 2 days. And I mean CRASHED. I walked into my room, didn't take off my armor, didn't take a bath. I just walked into my room, crashed onto my bed, and I was out. Slept like a rock. Woke up, and it was the 7th. That means… I slept at least a full two days. I was hungry when I woke up too. Luckily, by the time I opened my eyes, there was a full platter of pancakes and bacon sitting on my nightstand. Maleek was sleeping next to me. All felt great. I got out of bed, ate my pancakes, and my bacon, and then lied back down in my bed, wrapping my arms around Maleek. It's… this is what I want. Right here. Wake up in the morning with my fiancé… eat some bacon, and then spend the rest of the morning wrapped up in his arms. What else could I possibly want?
But, unfortunately, as time passed by, my mind started to come back to me. The war we started in the Soul Cairn; the fact that the Dwemer have machines that can annihilate any town with little effort. We didn't have technology like the Dwemer did. Well… not entirely. And we only have two Dwemer comrades that followed us here. One that makes our armor, and another that helps make us battle suits for that armor. We don't have much in the way of weaponry excluding our new hammers and swords. We should really start upping our technology. If we can match what they have… we can do some real damage to them. Or… if we can get this pillar to work, we can at least stabilize everything to the point where they can't return.
I'm going to check up on Ashana as soon as I get out of bed. Perhaps she found a way to block out the malachite interference already. If not, I'm going to have a chat with her and Ahmbra, to find a way to do so. She might have an answer for us. Or maybe Aku and Noish. They seem pretty knowledgeable, even for their race. Oh well, I guess it's time for the day to start. First thing's first… I really need a hot bath.
Nisha Ruby Stonearm…
…
My bath was lovely. My fur gathered a lot of soot for some reason. Had to take three separate baths just to get all of it out while still having nice clean water. By the end of the third bath, I settled for a shower to make sure it was all gone. Almost fell asleep in the bathwater too… and then again in the shower. It was like my body wanted nothing more than for me to sleep the next six or so days off. I had to check my calendar, which marks off the days on its own, to see that in one day… my curse will be lifted. I wonder… how bad can today be? I slept through all yesterday. Did things happen around me or to me while I slept? Or… did it all store up for today? I couldn't see anything wrong with me, and my shampoo wasn't lathered in honey like it usually was. It was odd… a whole two days without something weird happening. So… why?
After I got myself cleaned up and dressed, I exited my personal bathroom to see that Maleek was up and about, getting dressed in a new battle suit. It looked kind of like the Dark Brotherhood leather armor only… it was the newer battle suit Noish made for us. He had newer, sharper, and cooler armor plates attached to his battle suit, matching his dark green scales with a black under layer. He looked really hot in it. I wanted to tear his suit off and toss him into my bed. It's been a hard set of days… why not?
"Maleek. That armor… it's so good looking, I want nothing more than for you to take it off…" I said to him with a hint of playful wording as I walked out of the bathroom.
Maleek looked over at me, smiling. "Perhaps later, furball. Today… I believe Ashana has a date in store for you." What? And he was ok with that? Most understanding fiancé ever.
"I love you so hard right now."
"I guarantee… I love you harder." He replied back, walking over to me and kissing me on the cheek. "But unfortunately, Lydia has a mission for the Brotherhood. Dominion agents were spotted near Markarth. She thinks…"
"The MSC, right?" It's the only thing I could think of. Why else would the Dominion focus their efforts in Markarth? The MSC there was still functioning… and if they wanted to deteriorate the world's dimensional barriers faster, thereby letting the Dwemer into our realm… they would need to shut down the MSC. There are only two in Skyrim, and the one here in Winterhold is already gone, because some agent from the Aldmeri Dominion decided to play with it. And now that I learned that the Dominion was doing it all on purpose to herald in the Dwemer invasion… well… it only made sense to get yet another MSC offline.
Maleek shrugged. "She doesn't fully know what to think. But I'm heading up there with the Brotherhood. If the Dominion is after this… MSC… whatever that is… we'll guard it."
"It's a Magicka Stabilization Center. Take Dorthe with you. She knows where the MSC is. She can help explain what it is on the way down, as well as why it's so important to keep guarded against the Dominion." I said to Maleek, hugging him close to me.
He hugged me back, squeezing me pretty tightly. "I don't know when I'll be back, but hopefully it won't be a month this time. We have a Shadowwraith joining us in the Brotherhood. He can do the whole Shadowporting thing so… we should be there and back in no time."
We stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before we kissed. It didn't feel like it took too long before he broke away. I had barely noticed minutes had ticked away. "I really have to go now." He said to me, hugging me one last time. He broke our hug and grabbed a newly formed katana. He mock-saluted me, smiling before vanishing into a puff of Shadow. "Bye, furball." His voice whispered through the fading smoke, leaving me alone in my room.
I had to admit… I was pretty sore. Not… not sore about Maleek leaving, but… just physically. No wonder I slept for 2 whole days. My body took the brunt of that military exercise in the foreign land. Heck, I don't think I stopped for six hours. It hurt to breathe, which didn't surprise me. My legs were sore from flashing; my arms were sore from slashing; and my chest was sore from my armor plates taking all that bashing. But… at least my tail wasn't cut in half… or my left eye blown out by one of the Master Generals. And then tossed into a cage in Qron's kitchen to be mocked and prodded by their psientists while waiting for a rescue from my guildmates, only to be found and freed by Vatu and his younger sister a few months later as they escape a prison breakout. You know… stuff that COULD have happened to me while I was over there. I'm just glad things worked out the way they did. Huh… it's almost like I avoided an alternate ending to that quest. Weird… I usually don't pick up on stuff like that.
I shook the very image from my head as I walked over to my nightstand. My armband waited for me, my crystals glowing as I came closer to them. I forgot… my spirits were still inside the armband. I hope they didn't get too lonely while I slept the past two days. I grabbed the armband, slipping it on. I was immediately overwhelmed by the presence of all my active spirits.
Ruby! It's about time! We can't stay purified without constant auric cleansing. If we get too impure, we'll end up jinxed… and you don't want that. None of us want that. Oh, calm down, Rubi. It would take at least 100 years of inactivity to make a crystal spirit impure. And even then, a basic cleansing process would help restore the crystal spirit to its cleansed state. And what if you and all your guildmates die, hmm? Who would cleanse us? Huh… good question. Hope our guild doesn't die off any time soon, leaving my crystal allies alone to hibernate for 100 years before slowly drifting into a state of jinxed hijinks. A jinxed spirit is a corrupt spirit that basically goes mad. They become slightly crazed and become more like Daedra than anything else. Luckily, it doesn't happen much with crystal spirits.
After my spirits ran their energy through my aura, cleansing themselves with my energy, I started heading downstairs. I was surprised that nothing bad had happened to me since we started this whole thing. Not one curse mishap… even while in the Soul Cairn. Everything went according to plan, but that's probably because if something had gone wrong, I, or someone else, could have gotten hurt. And that's a no-no for the curse, for some reason. I never really got the full explanation from Dad. I should ask him about it. He might know more.
"Ruby!" Jynna, my favorite maid, screamed as she ran up to me. Before I could fully turn around, she wrapped me up in a hug, crying into my new dress. "I'm so glad you're back! I thought… I thought you left us for good! And then… the High Queen and King left to find you… everyone got ready for war. It was crazy. But… you're back! Everything's ok now!"
I nodded over my shoulder. "Yup. Everything… turned out okay. It's weird though. I'm cursed so… it shouldn't have." Well… maybe it worked oppositely just to keep me and the others alive. A nice little twist, if I think of it like that. I just hope that was the case.
"Oh… speaking of the curse. Um… someone's here to see you." Jynna looked down, releasing me from her hug.
"Who?" Seriously, we were just talking about the curse, and it made her think of someone wanting to see me? Oh… oh… Don't tell me someone's here to mess with me. Not Fiirnar, not some Dwemer. It better not be…
"It's Sheogorath. He says it's urgent he speaks with you."
That caused me to pause. Sheogorath? The Daedric Lord of Madness? What? Why would he be here? Oh no… I was expecting someone evil… like the gingerbread man to come knocking on my door today. But… the Daedric God of RANDOMNESS? No… just no. No! Screw today, I'm done with it. I did not sign up for this curse, and I did not sign up to entertain the God of Madness and Chaos during my last two days of it.
I physically held up my arms. "No, no. I'm not touching that. I'm going right back to bed." I turned around to walk back into my room, but as soon as I turned around, I was already somewhere else. I was standing in a dining room… our dining room. And I was facing Sheogorath. He was sitting at the far end of a table, like… three mile long table. When I appeared before him, almost three miles away, I barely saw him wave to me. He stood up to say something, probably whispering too… but I couldn't hear a drop of it.
"What?" I held my hand up to my ears. "I can't hear you! You might want to move further back. Like… back to your Shivering Isles. And leave me alone. I'm not doing this today with you."
"Oh, that's too bad." Sheogorath's voice suddenly exploded from behind me, making me screech and jump into the air. My cat reflexes took the better of me and I found myself stuck on the roof of dining room, my claws dug into the ceiling stone. Remember… drink your calcium. It does miracles for the talons. I looked frantically down at the Mad God. He was dressed in his usual attire of his half-red half-purple suit, swinging his cane around amusingly as he looked up at me. "I was hoping to discuss the terms of your curse's end."
My curse's end? What? I slowly let my claws retract, and I let myself fall to the ground. I landed as gracefully as I always do, doing a slight bow accidentally to the Mad God as I did so. "What do you mean? The terms of my curse's end?"
Sheogorath smirked, waving at me to join him at the table. "Breakfast, first?"
"You're way too lucid." I responded as I walked over to the three mile long table. "Not one reference to cheese or a talking potato."
The Mad God nodded. "Aye, I thought about it. But, seriously, who takes me seriously? If I made a reference… I'd be giving into a coordinated chaos… which does not exist!" He shouted to the roof. He continued to stare at the roof before looking down at me. "The whole idea of a Chaotic Order… while I love the idiocy behind that… I do not subscribe to the idea of a "Chaotic Order"…" He made quotation marks as he said Chaotic Order. He pulled out a small pipe, putting to his mouth before lighting it the top on fire. He brought the pipe to his lips and took a deep breath. Bubbles started popping out his nose and ears. Weird… but… it is Sheogorath.
"So… this curse?" I started to prod him.
He nodded, pulling the pipe from his mouth. "I created it. Well… not me. The old me… Which… that confuses me. When I took up Sheogorath's Spiritual Mantle… I forget when I actually became Sheogorath. I was once a man! And a good looking man! And a boastful lad… filled to the brim with pockets filled with… I don't remember… buttons? Bottle caps?" He waved it off. "Ah, it was ages ago… speaking literally this time. But. What I can tell you… the old me that I have become, was once another god altogether. Jyggalag. The dumbest name ever to exist. Now… he was the God of Order. Order, Chaos… eh, eh?" He prodded me in the arm with his elbow.
"Get to the point, please."
Sheogorath rolled his eyes. "Ah, youth. Never wanting to listen to their elders. Always want to get right to the point. Hey… remember that time I almost killed you with a sword? And a fish?"
I nodded. "Yes. I still have nightmares about it."
"And that… that is why I love you." He said as he took my hand. "You, Ruby…" He leaned in for a kiss. What? What was going on? I looked down at my plate, seeing a perfectly fried fish. I grabbed the fish, slamming it across his face.
"Kiss the fish!" I screamed as I stood up on my chair, shoving the fish in his face. "You're not kissing me!"
Sheogorath looked down at the fish. "Well, it was worth a try. Well, let's get down to business."
"As long as that business is not the one I'm very accustomed with." I growled at him.
He shrugged. "Actually, it is." Ugh… men. "You see, I've had my eye on you for a long while, Ruby. Destined to go so far down the rabbit hole. To go utterly insane. Destined to take your place as my number 2. And not the kind you make when you eat too much novapenyo." Eww…
"Wait. You think I'm going to go crazy?" I found myself laughing. "In your dreams!"
Sheogorath shrugged. "You can't change what's inside you… festering like an inch you can't scratch. You've been places, you've seen things… experienced more. You know better than any of my demented residents the horrors of this world. Is it too much to expect that you might one day…" He turned to his crab, snapping a leg in half. "well… that?"
What was he saying exactly? "Are you suggesting… I'll go crazy one day?"
"And kill your little boytoy? Yes." He nodded. "However, that day is long in coming. I'm not here for that, but I am here for something else." He started to lean forward more. Was he going to try kissing me again? Ugh… I'm so stomping him flat.
"Don't make me break your bread." I growled at him.
He paused in his tracks. "I call it my Wabbajack, actually." He turned back to his crab, taking a bite out of it. "Here's the deal, Ruby. Oh… wait. I never told you the story, did I? I was about to, but I got lost in your crazy eyes…" He smirked as he looked over at me. "You see… Jyggalag had a hand in everything created. Because he wanted to make sure everything was up to code when it came down to our planet. Well, Azura, my dear sister, created the Khajiits and the crystals to boot. Well, she had help from Jyggalag. And when the other gods turned Jyggalag into well…" He pointed to himself. "My younger, more… disapprovingly normal me, he still remembered the Khajiits he helped create with Azura. He demanded, nay, asked, or maybe threatened… Azura with an eternity of nose-picking, wet-willies, and other naughty things if she did not let him, or me… or even you… I don't remember… have control over one aspect of her beloved creatures. I was given one month… on the 16th year of the Khajiits' birth, to do with whatever I pleased… as long as it wasn't fatal and did not affect anyone else. I must admit… the old me was too soft. He agreed! Now, I think I could have pushed for more. Maybe some death. So…" He took my hands, which I quickly pulled them away. "Ruby… my dear…"
"Yeah…" I kept pulling my hands from Sheogorath in a complicated game of 'don't touch me', where he ends up grabbing my other hand as I pulled the other one free. Where did he get four arms from? Gods… I really hate gods…
"Would you do me the honor… of letting me do whatever I want to you?"
"No." I didn't even have to think about it.
"Now, now. Don't be that way. This is the deal. I get one moment… one glorious moment. To do whatever I want. No limitations… no exceptions! Anything at all I desire! And in return… I will let the other Khajiits free from their curse. Every single one… even the horribly sane ones. And you'll get the rest of your two days without anything else happening to you. One moment… that's all I demand, nay! Ask." The fact that he could say any of that without breaking a straight face told me that he was dead serious about this. He really wanted this. And that… that really scared me. I know what Sheogorath is capable of.
Even so… that was quite the thing to ask. "Wait! You're saying, you'll drop the whole curse thing altogether? The other Khajiits?"
"And your future children." He nodded. "And your closest friends. Remember your 'sister'? In a couple years, well… let's just say I plan on having fun with her as well. Make what you went through look like nothing, if you say no. I'm looking forward to it actually. I'm thinking… a constant polarity that keeps metallic objects that crash into her, and then repulse… only to slam back into her again and again… nothing fatal of course, as is my agreement with Azura."
Dammit. He knew just the buttons to push. I found myself weighing my options. In exchange for a solid minute with Sheogorath… I could save the rest of the Khajiits… but… it was a full minute with Sheogorath. Ugh… and… I'm betting the next two days would be the worst of all. He'd make me regret it with all his being. "If I said no… you'd make the next two days very painful, wouldn't you?"
"I've been letting you have it easy, actually. You don't know what I normally do with my favorite Khajiits." He smirked. "And I would make sure to enjoy it, regardless of what you choose."
Crap…. Such crap! "If I say yes… and IF! If I say yes… what do you plan on doing?"
He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I didn't think you would even consider it. But then again… you are pretty special for me. Always sacrificing yourself for others. It's quite the mental disorder you have. It's why I love you so much. My perfect little nutcase." He ruffled my mane. I had to knock his hand out of my mane.
"Would it be fatal?"
He shrugged. "It might. I'm not sure. But… if you don't accept my generous offer… I will find a way to make you regret it. Trust me on that, or don't. I don't care which."
Yup, just like I thought. One minute of indescribable torture vs. everyone else I know and love, as well as the other Khajiits, being forced to go through it too. I think… I think I had to do this. I shrugged. "Ok… Fine. I accept your offer. Do with me what you will. But!" I pointed my finger at him. "You will release the curse from everyone else, right now!"
He snapped his fingers. I felt something mystical surrounding me suddenly pop out of existence. "There. It is done. Azura has her favorite cats back. I can't do anything to them anymore… other than what I do to everyone anyway. Didn't expect that, did ya?" He stood up, throwing water in my face. "Expect me sometime within the next two days. Nice doing business with you, my love." And just like that, I was standing in my room again. Was… was that it? My face was still soaked with Sheogorath's water. So… that wasn't a hallucination. That really happened.
So… with that done and over with, I made my way to the throne room. I dwelled on what Sheogorath said right before I vanished. "See you sometime in the next two days." So… he was playing that game huh? He plans on using that moment later on… not right away. Jeez… the whole anticipation thing is way overdone. I wish he'd just take me now and get it over with. Oh boy… I'm suddenly reminded of my slave days. My last customer. Great… I never thought I'd turn into a toy for a god at some point. Guess Ranjier is having a final laugh at me after all.
As I walked down the staircase, I couldn't help by think about what Ondaisseun said about his view of the gods. And… I was just turned into a possible sex toy for Sheogorath… I hate to admit it, but he might be on the right side for this war. I might want to consider helping them. You can't! Citrina cried in my head. They won't stop with the gods, you know. They'll enslave all humanity, the rest of elvenity, not to mention any other spirit they come across. I guess that was also correct. The Dwemer, for what they believed to be right, also represented a very strong threat against everyone else besides the gods.
By the time I made it into the throne room, I had a pretty long time to think about Sheogorath and the Dwemer. I can't believe it. The curses were gone… but… Sheogorath pretty much said it didn't matter because he could still mess with them whenever he liked. So… why did the curses even exist in the first place? I didn't know. I doubt anything anyone told me would make sense anyway. It's Sheogorath after all. Like the god needs a reason to be himself. But… to have an interest in me? Why me? Why not someone else? He hinted that one day… I'll go crazy, and kill Maleek. Why? Why would I do that? I couldn't handle the thought.
"Ruby." Lydia called as I walked into the throne room. "You're finally awake."
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm awake."
"Good. Get with Ashana. She's with Ahmbra and Tolfdir at that place you've been studying."
"Saarthal?"
Lydia nodded. "Yeah, that place. They're setting up that tower. They… um… Ruby? Are you ok? Your face is dripping wet."
I nodded. "Yeah… I met with Sheogorath."
That got her attention. Her eyebrows shot right up. "Oh… yes. I forgot about him. He stopped by yesterday looking for you. So, what did he want?"
"Me."
She nodded. "That much was obvious. But, what did he want from you?"
"Me. As in…" I waved my hand around my body. "Me…" I hinted to her with my eyes.
Lydia still looked pretty confused, but she nodded like she got it. "Ok then. Oh…" She finally got it. "Oh…" She closed her eyes, rubbing them. "Gods, I hate him."
I nodded. "Yeah. He wanted a deal. That curse all Khajiits go through… it's because of a thing he did with Azura. He pretty much gets one month to do whatever he wants with Khajiits, non-fatally of course. And… he wanted to make me a deal with me. One minute… one minute with no limitations to hide behind… to do with me whatever he wanted… and he would release the rest of the Khajiits from their curses. And if I said no… not only would he make me suffer the rest of the curse, but he would take it out on my future children and Ahmbra."
Lydia scoffed. "I swear…" She shook her head in disgust. "To think he would do that to you. So… how bad was it?"
I shrugged. "He didn't do anything yet. Just threw water in my face and said he'd see me soon, or something to that effect."
I glanced from Lydia over to Asger. He stayed perfectly still as he sat on his throne. "Well, that's unexpected. Be on guard, Ruby. Sheogorath… he… well… You might think you know what he has in store for you, but… with a god like him… you're never quite sure. He's been playing a game with us for a while now. And now… it would seem he's ready to play with you next."
I nodded. "But it's only for one minute. Whatever it is, I'll endure it to the best of my ability. And… that's not all. He hinted that… that I go crazy and end up killing Maleek."
Lydia shook her head. "No. Remember the note from future Cecilie? Losing Ashana and Samantha drove you suicidal. You end up killing yourself and Maleek after you were hit with some kind of narcotic drug. He was misleading you. Justifying whatever it is he wants from you."
Wants from me? I thought he just wanted me. "But still. It's only a minute."
"In a plane of existence where a minute can last an eternity…" Asger looked at me, making sure I understood him. "Sheogorath might not be Clavicus Vile… he might not take advantage of deals being made… but he rarely makes deals. And he knows his way around loop holes, I'm sure. I'm just saying, Ruby… don't take Sheogorath at his word. One minute… can mean anything to him."
Dammit… I hadn't thought of that either. Now I had no idea what to expect. But, what's done is done. Everyone else is free… and I, ironically, will fall on my own sword, yet again. I think everyone's type-casting me correctly nowadays. The 'Self-Sacrifice'. That's me alright. I bet Sheogorath was just counting on that. He's clever. But… what does he want with me? And will he actually make it a minute long… or will he use the eternity loop hole thing? Will I lose my mind by the end of it? I honestly couldn't tell. But… I guess time will only tell.
I sighed as I shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wait to find out." I turned to leave. "I'll be heading to Saarthal then."
"We're not done yet." Lydia said. "I bet you know that Dominion agents were spotted around Markarth. Maleek wouldn't have left without telling you. So… be careful. They already know about Saarthal. Be on guard."
I nodded. "I will." I turned to leave again.
"Be back by sundown! We're having a funeral for Esbern tonight." Lydia screamed after me.
I stuck my thumb up in the air. "Don't worry! I'll be back… if Sheogorath hasn't stolen me!"
"That's my girl!" Asger screamed as I exited the room. "Oh! And… Ruby! When you get back, I'll introduce you to my little brother! And your grandmother!"
"My grandmother?" I asked as I turned around. "As in… Grandmother from one of my Khajiit parents? Or… your mother?"
"Both." He said. "The Mane's in town. So is his wife… your grandmother. And… well… my mom's not here yet, so you'll have to wait on meeting her."
My grandparents were in town? Wow. I never got to meet them. This… this might be fun. I just hope I'm not taken away by Sheogorath when I meet them. At least I didn't have to worry about anything weird happening to me while I walk around town anymore. No more random rain clouds, no more stubbing my toes on buried treasure chests filled with jars of honey, and no more honey shampoo. I had to admit, it was great to not be shedding like crazy.
As soon as I got outside, I could see the Fire Legion forming up to do their morning exercises. That teenage professor was leading the class in their morning stretches. I could see the Khajiits I met in the Soul Cairn standing up front of the formation, ranked by their classes no doubt. Enji and Idzo were standing in different lines, but I could see him staring at her, and her trying to avoid returning it. I wonder… would I have to step up and help them? I've been through some crap, I can definitely help them. There was an empty spot next to Enji and on the other side of that empty spot was Ashi. I guess the empty spot was where Ahmbra stood. Since she's with Ashana, I'm guessing that's why she's not here either.
As I looked at them… I noticed something. While everyone was stretching, Ashi was just standing there, arms crossed, and looking very bored. Why wasn't he stretching? Why wasn't someone correcting him? I found myself shrugging as I turned to leave. I shouldn't get involved. Not my gang. But still… I wanted to meet with their class leaders. See if I can get my guild allied with theirs. Might be fun.
"Ruby!" Veselle screamed as she ran up to me, her training staff in her hands. "You're awake."
I nodded. "And so are you." I laughed as she crashed into my chest, throwing me into a hug. It awoke a lot of sore muscles inside me. Oh yeah… I totally forgot my body was basically thrashed upon by the battle with the Dwemers. "Oh… be gentle. I'm still pretty sore."
"Sorry." She quickly broke away. "That was quite the fight, huh?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Where were you anyway? I didn't see you out there."
"Using Kyuu as a distraction mostly. And using my Shock magicka to keep the automatons off me. Spent most of my time with that Ahmbra girl. Gotta say… Compatibility Lighting Ballista was a glorious move. Knocked that giant eagle right out of the sky." So… that was them then, not just Ahmbra.
"So… Compatibility. Don't you have to get intimate with the other person to use it?" I nudged her with my elbow.
She shook her head. "What? No! Not like that anyway. I had to use Compatibility with High King… remember? We… we didn't get intimate. Gods… oh gods…" She shook her head. "I do not want that thought in my head for the rest of the day." She turned around. "I'm going to take a long hot bath now.. Thanks… thanks so much for that visual." She said sarcastically as she turned away. Well… that was fun, and worth it. Oh no… I'm no better than Sheogorath. Dammit! I'm just as chaotic as him! Well, not entirely, I guess.
I shook my head as I turned to leave for Saarthal. It's a pretty short hike through town and up the path for the ice plains. From there, Saarthal was pretty much in a hole in the ground. I just hope Ashana's having some luck as to what's she's going to do with the pillar. I sure don't know. As long as it will work, that's all that matters. We can deal with the malachite problem later. I just want this place protected now. The sooner, the better.
Cearbhail:
So... Sheogorath stole a minute of Ruby's time. Want to guess why? Huh, huh?