Author's note:

My dear followers, here I am with a new, hopefully exciting instalment.

First things first, I deeply thank all my readers, old and new alike, for their great support. Second of all, I send a heartfelt thank you to my faithful reviewers: Valtieri, Elspeth and Maz1X.

As for Elspeth's review, I'm glad you enjoyed my take on the way dragon souls are absorbed. Also, I hope your feeling about Agda and Stein will soon prove to be right ;)

As for Valtieri, I agree with you about the difference between Skyrim and Oblivion. The quests in Oblivion were all very detailed, whereas the dungeons were rather dull. In Skyrim instead we often had the opposite problem (though I actually adored some of the Guild-related quests). Oh, and speaking of your review, I must thank you for that remark about my style: I didn't know that words like moreover are considered formal, so I found your advice very useful.

As for Maz1X, I am amazed by your loyal support and your many reviews. You are so kind to me! Also, you did a great job at guessing what the future has in store for Agda. First, however, she'll need to survive the terrible combo represented by Labyrinthian and Steinarius.

As for this chapter, I must admit I'm very excited about it - therefore, without any further words, I present you the first part of Agda's adventure in Bromjunaar.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!


Scoffing in annoyance, Steinarius cast a glance towards Agda. The young mage was walking by his side, her newly-found diadema hanging around her neck and a rather proud expression on her face.

As he noticed how smug Agda looked, Steinarius scoffed again. Over the previous few days he had done everything he could to keep the girl safe - he'd explored Mzulft on her behalf, he'd tried to talk her out of her suicidal mission, he'd shielded her with his own body less than an hour earlier; and in return, Agda had left him behind while she ventured into a dangerous maze.

It's not that bad, one of the familiar voices inside Steinarius' head suddenly said. After all, Agda did a very good job in Shalidor's maze; and then, it's not like she intentionally got us hurt.

Remembering the nasty bruise on his temple, Steinarius snorted.

Agda didn't mean to hurt us, of course she didn't, the other of the two bickering voices in his mind replied. Yet, her plan was a total failure: we lost consciousness while trying to help her and we've been feeling dizzy ever since - and we were lucky that Fire Atronach exploded a few feet away from us. Had we been a little bit closer...

With a displeased sigh, Steinarius mentally replayed the scene of his accident for the thousandth time. One moment he was outside Shalidor's Maze, screaming Agda's name before panicking when the girl appeared in front of his eyes together with a Dremora and three angry Atronachs; the next he was on the floor, the noise of a loud explosion in his ears and a silent prayer to the Divines in his mind - please let me and Agda be safe. And now the girl he'd got so worried about was walking next to him as though nothing had happened. Steinarius didn't want Agda to fuss over him or feel sorry because of her clumsy plan, but he believed the girl owed him at least an apology. Spurred by that thought, the Dragonborn eventually broke the silence that reigned between him and the young mage.

"You really are incredible, you know that?", he said in a harsher manner than he'd originally planned to. "I get knocked out because of you and you act as though everything was fine".

Agda replied to those words by shrugging her shoulder.

"You are alive, I am alive, neither of us is feeling bad: that's why I act as though everything was fine - because, as a matter of fact, everything is fine".

Confronted with that unexpected reply, Steinarius frowned. Thanks to his heightened senses he could detect the blood on Agda's undershirt, just like he could feel that the girl was still sick; yet, the mage was pretending everything was fine. Considering how dangerous their upcoming task was, Steinarius didn't approve that attitude at all.

"There's no need to pretend, Agda", he brusquely pointed out. "To say it all, I'm still dizzy from that accident with the atronach - and, even if you're trying to hide it, you're not doing fine either".

Once again, Agda's reaction took Steinarius by surprise.

"I don't know what you're talking about - and most of all, I'd like to point out that it wasn't my fault if you got hurt".

This time the shock was so great that Steinarius even stopped walking.

"Really, Agda? Whose fault was it then?"

Annoyed by that unpleasant interrogation, the girl turned to face the Imperial and replied to his words with another question.

"Tell me, Steinarius: what happens when a Fire Atronach gets killed?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Even a brainless skeever knows that Fire Atronachs explode!"

"Exactly", Agda confirmed with a nod. "Which is why an experienced warrior like you should know better than approaching a Fire Atronach that is about to get killed - unless you intentionally wanted to get hurt and have me fuss over you".

Confronted with that accusation, Steinarius felt his cheeks become as red as a tomato.

"I didn't want to get hurt, and I certainly didn't want you to fuss over me! I was just trying to protect you!"

Agda rolled her eyes at that.

"You'll never get it, Steinarius, won't you? I never asked for your protection and, even if you don't believe it, I can look after myself!"

"Of course you can look after yourself! Tell me, Agda, what's the story behind those new scars on your face? Did you get them because they're fashionable? Or did it happen because you actually couldn't protect yourself when you needed to?"

There was a long moment of silence, during which Steinarius could see a few tears welling up in Agda's eyes. As he noticed her reaction, the man mentally insulted himself. Agda had shed her face mask during their ride towards Labyrinthian, a fact the Dragonborn had immediately taken as a sign of trust - after all, in Winterhold the girl had been too ashamed to show her new scars to her friends. And now, he'd thrown everything away just because of his usual potty mouth.

"You are incredible, not me", Agda faintly murmured, thus breaking the perfect silence that for a long while had reigned over Labyrinthian. "You say you want to protect me, but you always end up hurting me. Do you know what, Steinarius? I hope that one day someone will treat you like Ancano treated me. I hope they'll make you feel lonely and frail and powerless and that they'll hurt you as badly as that monster did to me - and when that happens, I'll be there to mock you because you got hurt!"

"This is not the point", Steinarius muttered through gritted teeth. He'd been rather surprised by the violence of Agda's wish, but he knew that he fully deserved it. "The point is..."

"The point is that you're as heartless as the dragons you're meant to slay!", Agda broke the Imperial off. "I guess that people like you are the very same reason why the end of the world would be a good thing! Actually, I can't even understand why the Divines thought you'd be fit for saving us all from Alduin. You're a monster., Steinarius, not a hero!"

Maybe for the first time since they met, Agda's words managed to cut through Steinarius' granitic defense. The Imperial gave her a pained and confused look, but when he made to speak nothing came out.

For once in his life he was completely, utterly speechless.


When Steinarius' eyes found hers, Agda didn't look away. She wanted him to see the determination that burned there, she wanted him to feel her rage, she wanted him to sense how powerful she'd become while in Winterhold; but most of all, she realized, she wanted him to know that she hated him.

It took her a long while to finally break that contact, but the young mage eventually resumed walking towards the main temple of Labyrinthian. As soon as she turned her back to Steinarius, a loud clang echoed through the ruins.

"If you want to fight your way through Labyrinthian, you'll need this", the Dragonborn said while pointing at a weird object he'd just thrown to the ground. "As for me, I think it's high time you and I parted ways. Monsters like me don't get on with heroes like you".

When Steinarius turned his back to her and started walking away, Agda was overcome by a hurricane of feelings. Part of her wanted to run after the Imperial, to grab him by the elbow, to apologize to him for getting him hurt and disobeying his orders; another part of her instead felt the need to set Steinarius on fire and dance around the pire until that arrogant warrior turned into ash.

Caught between those very different states of mind, Agda stood perfectly motionless as the Dragonborn slowly walked away from her. She noticed the way his cloak floated behind him, the way his back seemed to give in under the heavy weight of his shield and his bow, the way his dark robes stood out in the snow; then, however, the girl resumed walking until she faced the entrance of Labyrinthian.

It was high time she proved that arrogant Imperial that she was among the best mages of Skyrim.


Steinarius didn't feel anything as he reached his horse and slowly caressed its velvety nose. He didn't feel anger, he didn't feel happiness, he didn't feel hatred; to say it all, the Dragonborn felt nothing at all - and that's what worried him the most. Perhaps Agda was right: he'd really turned into a monster.

All of a sudden the Imperial remembered one of the many nights he'd spent in Riverwood with the girl. He recalled the warmth of Agda's body against his own, her soft kisses on his lips, the tender smile that lighted up her features whenever she was with him. Then, Steinarius remembered pulling away from the young Nord and cupping her face in his hands.

You are the only one who doesn't treat me as a monster, he'd told her out of the blue. And I really must thank you for that, Agds.

Moved by the sufferance in his eyes and his voice, the Nord had gently tousled his hair and caressed his face.

You are not a monster, Stein, she'd reassured him with her usual loving smile. You're just a simple man with a heavy burden on his shoulder. Don't worry, however: I'll always be there to help you carry it.

As that quick memory vanished, Steinarius bitterly shook his head. Over the previous months he'd thrown away Agda's love, he'd thrown away her trust, he'd even thrown away her respect, and now the girl had finally lost her temper and called him a monster. It wasn't the first time somebody called him that, of course it wasn't; yet, it was the first time those words actually got to the Dragonborn. Becoming a monster had always been Steinarius' biggest fear, something Agda was very well aware of - and by telling him her opinion about him, she'd made it clear that things between them were now over, helplessly and hopelessly over.

Did you really believe a different ending was possible?, a malicious voice inside Steinarius' mind suddenly whispered. Did you really hope that being the Dragonborn would prevent you from becoming a monster? It's time you faced the truth, Crepusculus: your best friend was murdered by a usurper, your son is dead, your wife dumped you without an explanation; you fought in the war, you murdered many rebels in cold blood, you killed more people than you can count; on top on that, you're a werewolf, you're champion to Hermaeus Mora and you've got the soul of a dragon. Agda is right: you really are a monster, Steinarius.

While listening to those words, Steinarius nodded. Somehow, he believed that seductive voice to be completely right.

You always knew how it would end, the voice continued. With you, alone, waiting to die in the fight against Alduin - and when you die, no one will mourn you. They may build you statues, they may write songs about you, but no one will really miss you - not your friends, not your family, not even your loved ones. They only put up with you because they hope you will defeat Alduin and save their lives, not because they actually care about you; as a consequence, you'd better do the world a favor and take your leave as soon as you accomplish your mission. That's why the Divines chose you for killing Alduin: not because you're a hero, but because your death won't trouble anyone.

Sighing, Steinarius admitted that the voice was perfectly right. Willing to finally put an end to his misery, the man hopped on his horse and began jogging east.

It was high time he talked to the Greybeards and finally fulfilled his destiny.


Crunching on a loaf of bread, Agda sighed. Upon entering Labyrinthian, the girl had had a weird vision starring the late Savos Aren and some other unknown mages. Shocked by that unexpected encounter, the young Nord had decided to take a break, eat something and gulp a couple of healing potions before venturing into the main part of the former city of Bromjunaar. Hopefully enough, some food would prevent her from having further visions.

As the pain in her ribs became stronger, Agda grimaced. Until then she'd behaved stoically because she didn't want Steinarius to notice how much she was suffering; now that she was alone, however, the girl couldn't take her mind off the stinging sensation that surrounded her whole torso. When she understood that the scars left by Ancano had probably resumed bleeding, Agda hoped draugrs couldn't detect the upsetting smell coming from her injuries.

"I'd feel much safer if Steinarius were here", the mage suddenly sighed.

Agda herself was shocked by the words she'd just uttered out loud. Steinarius had been as mean as usual to her, he'd almost caused her to cry, he'd implied once again that she couldn't protect herself; as a consequence, calling him a monster was the least Agda could have done in return. Yet, the girl felt sorry for the way she'd treated him.

Sighing in confusion, the young mage suddenly remembered a night she'd spent in Riverwood with Steinarius, during which the man had made love to her with a passion and a sweetness she'd never witnessed before - and as she'd been about to fall asleep on his chest, the Imperial had thanked her because, despite his fate as the Last Dragonborn, she was always there to help him and treat him like a common human being. Agda knew how troubled Steinarius was, she knew how much he'd suffered throughout his life, she knew that becoming a monster was his biggest fear - and as she remembered about that tender night in Riverwood, the girl asked herself how she would feel if she were in the Dragonborn' shoes.

Imagine, Agda: one moment you're an accomplished soldier, you've just captured Ulfric Stormcloak and you believe that the war is about to end; the next they tell you that you're the Last Dragonborn and that you're meant to save the world - and if you fail, everyone you know will perish. It's not that surprising that this task eventually messed up with Steinarius' head!

Spurred by that thought, Agda frowned. She knew that Steinarius was scared by his destiny, she knew that he'd suffered a lot throughout his life, she also knew that his inner wolf often made him behave like a heartless jerk; yet, that was no valid excuse for the way he'd just treated her - after all, being the Dragonborn didn't allow you to be mean to the only person who still put up with your craziness.

Encouraged by that thought, Agda finally stood up from her place on the floor and threw her loaf of bread to the ground. It was high time she stopped thinking about Steinarius and his annoying attitude: she already had enough problems of her own and clearly didn't need an overconfused Imperial to make matters even worse.


As his horse drank the water he'd just provided him, Steinarius ran a hand through his hair. He would have liked to reach High Hrothgar before nightfall, thus turning his back to Agda, to Winterhold and to all their problems. Yet, the Imperial had immediately discovered that he couldn't bring himself to do that. That's why, after riding east for a few minutes, he'd abruptly stopped his horse and headed for Stonehills. From there he would be able to check on Agda every once in a while and to make sure the girl made it out of Labyrinthian before dawn. Had she not exited the place by then, Steinarius would have taken it upon himself to venture into the ruins and look for that overconfindent mage.

"It's been a while since we last met", a woman suddenly spoke.

When he turned his head, Steinarius found himself face to face with Sorli, the woman who ran Rockwallow Mine on Thane Bryling's behalf. His acquaintance with her dated back a long time.

"I take it you're not heading to Solitude", the tall Nord added. "Also, I take you're not doing very well".

Steinarius scoffed at that. He hadn't used a mirror in quite a while, but he knew that right then he probably looked like a bandit who'd just ran away from his camp after a close encounter with the Companions.

"No one is doing well these days", he replied, thus hoping Sorli wouldn't ask him any further question. "And no, I'm afraid that this time I cant' talk to Bryling on your behalf".

"Fair enough", Sorli said with an amused smile. "You know, Steinarius, it's amazing how you always manage to guess my thoughts. Actually, I think you know me much better than my own husband - and I probably know you better than your wife did".

Under other circumstances, Steinarius would have smiled politely at that; yet, right then the Imperial couldn't bring himself to show any sign of amusement. Sorli and Vigdis had once been close friends, therefore the woman knew everything about his troubled love life - and in return, Steinarius perfectly knew that the miner's marriage wasn't a happy one. It wasn't the first time Sorli made a reference to their unlucky relationships, but for once the Imperial felt annoyed by that intrusion into his personal life.

Luckily enough, before Steinarius could find a way out of that unpleasant situation, a loud roar echoed through the nearby mountains. That sound was enough for the Imperial to grab his sword and get into a fighting stance. His trained ears had namely recognized the battle cry of an ancient dragon.

"It's one of the two fire-spitting lizards from Skyborn Altar", Sorli explained when she noticed the way Steinarius had tensed up. "One of them is quite small, the other one instead is rather impressive. Luckily enough, the big dragon still hasn't bothered us, as it prefers to roam the area around Labyrinthian".

As he heard those words, Steinarius deadpanned. A moment later, he hopped on his horse without even bidding Sorli farewell. If Agda still hadn't entered the ruins, she was about to have a close encounter with a rather angry ancient dragon - and despite the nasty words they'd exchanged less than half an hour earlier, Steinarius wasn't ready to let that happen.


As she put her loaf of bread back in the knapsack, Agda began exploring the foyer of Labyrinthian. That room was very creepy: it was lit by very few braziers, it was cold and dusty, it smelled like dampness and mold. But most of all, there were many dead corpses that had seemingly been left in front of the entrance as a warning.

Abandon hope all ye who enter, Agda thought. They did find a rather conving way to convey that message.

After exploring that room, Agda moved to the following chamber. Once there, the ghosts of Savos Aren and his fellow mages visited her again. When they vanished into thin air, the girl noticed a lever in the middle of the room. With a worried frown, Agda moved it, thus activating a mechanism that opened the door to the following chamber. The young Nord was surprised by that wide area: it namely resembled an arena and hosted a weird burial mound in its center. Alarmed by that sight, Agda readied a spell and unsheated her sword. A moment later, hell broke loose.

When a few skeletons attacked her, Agda didn't lose her cool: waltzing through the chamber, she traced a path of fire runes and summoned a few fire atronachs to aid her in that fight. At the same time the mage began casting a rapid series of shock and frost spells at her enemies.

At first the young Nord seemed perfectly able to stand her own in that heated fight. Yet, when a loud roar echoed through the room, everything changed - to Agda's dismay, a huge skeletal dragon had namely entered the battlefield. The girl was shocked by the appearance unexpected enemy - so shocked that for a moment she remained perfectly still, thus allowing a skeleton to pierce the sleeve of her robes with a sharp arrow. Surprised by that close encounter with a weapon, Agda began running like mad throughout the little chamber. Only then did she realize that the door to the previous room had been magically sealed behind her.

Panicking, Agda eventually found herself face to face with the skeletal dragon. The beast opened its jaw and prepared to spit fire at her, thus causing the girl to summon a weak ward and close her eyes - it was too late to move and she clearly didn't want to witness her own death. To Agda' surprise, however, after a few seconds she still hadn't been engulfed in a sea of flames. Quite on the contrary, the girl soon received a powerful shove that made her fall to the ground.

Confused by that sudden encounter with the hard ground of that huge chamber, Agda opened her eyes. When she did, she noticed a weird man waltzing around the dragon. The stranger resembled Steinarius and was moving around its opponent in a surprisingly skillful and fearless way.

"Agds, get on your feet and dispatch the skeletons!"

Confronted with that scream, the mage realized that the man who'd come to aid her really was Steinarius. At the same time, she realized that his orders surprisingly made sense.

Willing to put an end to that fight, Agda got up and immediately resumed casting spells at the remaining skeletons. When the last of them fell to the ground, a loud shriek echoed through the room. Upon turning her head at the source of the noise, Agda noticed that the huge undead dragon had been beheaded; beside its corpse, a rather pale Steinarius had fallen to his knees. Surprised by that display of weakness, the mage slowly approached her ally.

"Is it..."

"Dead", the Imperial grimaced in reply. "Although, technically, it was already dead. It didn't even have a soul for me to absorb".

Agda was surprised by the relief in Steinarius' voice - and she was even more surprised when she finally took a good look at him. The Imperial' cuirass was namely covered in ash and blood, whereas his gauntlets were missing; moreover, his face was surprisingly pale, while his eyes were completely golden. A moment later, when the man began retching, the mage was quick to place a hand on his shoulder.

"What..."

"Too many fights", Steinarius replied with effort. "I turned into a werewolf to get to you as fast as I could, but I had to shift back to my human self when I met an ancient dragon in the courtyard. The change was very rapid, therefore I didn't have enough time to absorb the soul of that beast. I suppose that's why I'm vomiting: I've stressed my body too much because I wanted to get to you you as fast as I could".

Agda remained speechless for a moment. A part of her was moved by Steinarius' efforts to reach her, but the other still hadn't forgotten everything the man had put her through over the previous hours, days and weeks.

"I never asked you to check on me", the mage coldly said after processing her feelings. She had namely realized she didn't want Steinarius to feel like her savior. "As I already told you, I can look after myself. And then, I had everything under control when you arrived".

"Of course you had everything under control!", Steinarius chuckled. When the Nord made to protest, the man sighed and gestured for her to let him speak. "Agds, listen to me: you're a good mage, I've got that, but this place is too dangerous for you to explore it on your own. Hell, even I couldn't make it on my own in a place like this! I know that our adventure didn't start well, and I know that you probably hate me by now. Yet, this is not about you and me getting on: this is about being professional and working together for the sake of Winterhold. I promise that, if you follow my orders, everything will be alright".

"I don't need to follow your orders", Agda hastily replied. "This place was built by a mage and only a mage can disclose its secrets!"

Those words caused Steinarius to roll his eyes.

"Agds, would you please stop behaving like a stubborn little goat?", the man cried out in exasperation. "For Talos' sake, the last mage who explored this place ended up becoming a charred corpse right outside Shalidor's Maze!"

"And the last dragonborn who explored this place ended up becoming a dragon priest!"

Steinarius sighed at that, then he slowly got up from his knees.

"You don't need me to protect you, I get that", he slowly said. "And I get it that you're going to explore this place with or without me. If you don't want me to follow you, however, you'll have to knock me out and tie me somewhere, because there's no way I'm letting you face such a huge danger without backup!"

There was a tense moment during which Agda actually thought of her chances to paralyze Steinarius with the power of the Serpent Stone and leave him to rot in that huge chamber. At last, eventually, the girl understood that that strategy would only be a waste of energy.

When the Nord rolled her eyes and finally gestured for him to follow her, Steinarius sighed in relief. Who are you, and what have you done to Agda?, he would have liked to ask the young mage. Then, however, the man realized the truth: the sweet innkeeper he once used to know had turned into a determined woman with the braveness of a sabrecat - and although he found it hard to believe, that determined woman clearly didn't need his help to venture into a dangerous place like Labyrinthian.


Exploring Labyrinthian was a rather surprising experience for Agda. At first the girl was tense, but then she eventually learned to savor every place she came across.

Thinking she was the first person in years to set foot in those chambers sent a shiver down her spine; also, imagining the story of the rooms she was visiting made her feel as though she was taking a walk inside the very history of Skyrim.

While Agda was very fascinated by the ancient city of Bromjunaar, Steinarius couldn't help but feel nervous. As an Imperial, he didn't feel at ease roaming through those ancient Nordic halls; also, the many enemies constantly had him worried for Agda. To tell the truth, Steinarius and the mage soon elaborated a successful strategy: after she almost incinerated him twice because he'd got in the way of her spells, the Dragonborn namely realized it was better to let Agda create her traps and summon her atronachs before he eventully charged at their opponents. Thanks to that, the Imperial could dispatch the many undead on their path in a rather simple and fast way. At the same time, Steinarius understood that sheer force wasn't everything in battle - Agda' smarts were namely as lethal as his own muscles.

While walking through the ancient city of Bromjunaar, the two fighters came across some rather unexpected surprises. The frequent appearances of Savos Aren's ghost quite upset them, and so did the booming voice they soon began to hear.

"That wasn't the common tongue", Agda pointed out after that voice spoke for the first time. "Also, it has drained all my magicka".

"It actually sounded like the dragon tongue", Steinarius confirmed.

"Did you understand what it said?"

When the Imperial shook his head, Agda deadpanned.

"I thought you were fluent in the language of dragons!"

"Actually, my vocabulary is rather limited", Steinarius sheepishly admitted. "I can say that my sister is beautiful, though. And I can also apologize in draconic".

Agda gave the man a puzzled look.

"You don't have any sister".

Confronted with that objection, Steinarius sighed.

"You must always spoil the fun, right? Krosis to you then!"

The man's good humor, however, was rather short-lived. A few minutes after that weird dialogue, he and Agda namely came across the decomposed corpse of an Argonian.

"You shouldn't look at that, Agds", Steinarius said while shielding that lifeless body from Agda's view.

"I'm not a child, Steinarius", the girl replied. "And then, I didn't give you permission to call me Agds".

The Dragonborn was rather surprised by Agda's reply, but he clearly saw her become paler when confronted with the corpse of that poor Argonian woman.

"She was one of Savos Aren's companions", the mage said after a moment of silence. In her voice, Steinarius could feel a slight tingle of worry.

"You're not an Argonian, and I'm not Savos Aren", he said in an attempt to calm Agda. "Actually, we're much better than your Archmage and his friends: whatever dwells in here, it won't have any chance against us".

"I know", Agda immediately replied. "By the way, you are the one who's scared, not me".

Once again, Steinarius gave the girl a baffled look.

This new Agda definitely had a fire in her.


Agda didn't know how long she and Steinarius walked. When they came across a small room that hosted a bed and the skeleton of a dead enchanter, the girl was tempted to ask the man for a break. Her feet were hurting, and so were her scars; but most of all, the mage was slowly starting to feel dizzy: although she was trying hard to deny it, all the efforts from that long day were rapidly catching up on her.

"We can stop here for the night", Steinarius said as though he'd just read her mind. "You look very tired, Agda".

Those final words managed to anger the young mage once more. She actually felt safe knowing that Steinarius was by her side and she actually found his renewed kindness rather amusing. Yet, she didn't want him to believe that she was more tired than him.

"I'm not tired", she stubbornly replied. "Let's move on".

The Imperial tried to protest, but the girl was quick to shut him up with a gesture. Agda heard him murmur something in annoyance, but decided to keep going anyway.

Over the following hour the two adventurers found themselves in rather dangerous situations: they had to face a couple of angry trolls, they were forced to walk inside a river, they were confronted with the spectral voice on many differet occasions.

Feeling more and more tired, Agda drank as many stamina potions as she could. The girl hoped Steinarius would tire before her: had she gulped a few more vials, she would have probably ended up with a serious intoxication.

While pondering her situation, Agda and Steinarius found themselves in a corridor that hosted a weird grate in the middle. The man carefully approached it.

"This looks rather old", he said while stepping over it. "I wonder what would happen if it opened".

Right then, almost as though something had heard the Imperial's wish, the grate suddenly burst open.

Agda heard Steinarius scream, then she heard a loud clang. A moment later, she ran to the pit and looked inside it. When she realized that the Imperial was surrounded by five angry draugr overlords, Agda didn't hesitate: despite her tiredness, she readied the most powerful spell she'd learned until then.


When the first coffin to his right burst open, Steinarius scoffed. He was sure that the unexpected fall had caused him to sprain his ankle and he was sure that fighting a draugr in that condition was going to be very difficult. When three more enemies approached, the man realized he was in for a very close encounter with death.

Without losing his calm, Steinarius slowly got up from his crouching position and looked the draugrs in their dead eyes. A moment later, he used a shout to paralyze two of them, then he charged at the remaining ones.

At first the Imperial seemed to have the upper hand: surprised by his strength, one of the draugrs met its end in less than a heartbeat. The other one, however, carried a shield that made it very difficult to get to its heart.

Grunting in effort, Steinarius managed to disarm its opponent and thrust his sword through its skull. At the same time, however, a sharp bolt of pain reverberated through his whole body. As he fell to the ground, the Dragonborn realized that one of the paralyzed draugrs had got back to its feet and cut through his armor with a lethal ebony hammer.

Confronted with the bitter laughter of that undead creature, Steinarius realized that it was going to be very difficult for him to survive.


When she saw Steinarius fall under the blow of an enormous draugr, Agda understood that time was running out. Without waiting, she therefore jumped in the pit where the man had clumsily ended up. As soon as her feet touched ground, the girl immediately used the power of the Serpent Stone.

When the undead that was threatening Steinarius was paralyzed once again, Agda was quick to thrust her sword through its chest. In the meanwhile, the Storm Atronach she'd previously summoned took care of the last standing draugr. When the conjured creature crumbled into ash, Agda faced that dangerous enemy. She created a fire rune to stop it, but the draugr skillfully avoided it. Overrun by fear, the girl closed her eyes and summoned a defensive ward. Before the draugr got to her, however, it was swiped off its feet by a shout on Steinarius' part. Taking advantage of that moment, Agda thrust her sword through the thick skull of the undead.

There was a long moment of silence during which Agda could clearly listen to way her heart was beating madly in her chest. When she heard Steinarius whine in pain, however, the girl was quick to forget her tiredness and approach him. The Imperial's face was a mask of pain, whereas one of his arms was completely limp.

"I've been a fool", Steinarius said as soon as Agda crouched beside him. They were both panting and were completely covered in blood.

"You're always a fool", the girl replied. Despite her harsh words, she was sincerely worried for her friend.

"Yeah, tell me about that. Falling through a pit in the ground... I'm in awe I survived this far".

When the man whined again, Agda suggested he stopped talking. Then, with swift and rapid movements, she helped him took off his cuirass and carefully analyzed his arm.

"That Blade armor is incredibly resistant", she commented. "Your shoulder is dislocated, but doesn't seem broken. Had you been wearing any other armor, that draugr would have probably cut off your arm. Can you walk?"

Steinarius shook his head.

"I'm afraid I sprained my ankle".

Agda rolled her eyes at that.

"You have a sprained ankle and a dislocated shoulder", she resumed. "And to say that you were here to protect me, Steinarius. I don't think it wasn't supposed to go the other way around".

"Can we please argue later, Agds? I'm suffering".

The mage was tempted to mock the Imperial again, but another whimper on his side had her change her mind. Despite her tiredness, she therefore sat down on the ground and began casting the strongest Restoration spells she knew.

It took almost an hour, but Steinarius' injuries eventually improved to the point where the man could walk and move his arm without pain. The Dragonborn was amazed by Agda's talent.

"You really are the best, Agds", he said after the girl had helped him to his feet. "Had it not been for you..."

Agda made to speak, but then she abruptly stopped. Steinarius frowned at the way the mage's eyes suddenly got wide and he frowned even more when the girl whispered something. The Imperial could only make out the word help, then darted forward as fast as he could. When Agda fell limp in his arms, the man cursed.

After all the efforts from that long day, the young mage had finally given in to tiredness and to her old injuries.