Chapter XCII – Taking What's Yours

"I don't know… I just… knew. I don't know how to explain it…"

She shrugged, curling up to him in Sondas's bed.

The elf was really grumpy that they were back so soon, but the villagers were excited at the prospect of more free meat. Well… not exactly free. Sondas had to provide his services in exchange.

They were battered and bruised worse than they thought and the elf actually offered them his bed to recover – Bishop especially needed to rest somewhere else than on the ground.

He did condition it on 'no funny business'.

Karnwyr was enjoying his stay by the fire – he rarely got to stay inside, aside from when they were in Whiterun. The innkeepers generally weren't big on letting a wolf in, or even a large dog, if they managed to convince someone of that. Bishop eventually stopped trying.

"What do you mean 'knew'? You always knew, right? You always ask me about shit afterwards, like if you were on fire or stuff like that. You know it isn't real," he creased his brows at her. She looked excited when she explained to him what happened after she absorbed the dragon's soul, but he really didn't see the difference. He could see that this time it didn't take as long for her to recover, but that was about it.

Still… if she was more confident about handling the dragon souls, it could only be a good thing.

And it calmed him down somewhat too.

The events in Solitude were nerve-wracking enough for the both of them.

"Yeah… but this time I knew while it was happening. It's not… rational… I can't think straight when it's happening. This time I realized that it wasn't real. I don't know… it felt different, after," she lowered her eyes, unsure how to explain.

"Hmm… well whatever that means, it sounds good. Maybe it'll just be getting easier now…" he gave her an encouraging squeeze around her shoulder, but he had doubts. It was a good sign, but from experience, it was always a lot of ups and downs regarding her powers. But the more confident she got in them, the better in any case.

"So… you really think we can pull this off?" she gave him a wry smile, tapping her fingers on his chest lightly.

"I don't know… but it's worth a shot, right? I mean… it's kind of a perfect opportunity. And I'll be damned if I let those fuckers get their creepy hands on my shit!" he grinned. It was a bold plan, considering what happened to them down in those ruins, but the new Shout did present an irresistible opportunity.

"What did you even have in your pack?" she giggled. He didn't really lug a lot of stuff around…

"Loot, sweetness, loot!" he laughed. The idea of going to Winterhold without any money whatsoever didn't really appeal to him. If anything could take the sting out of dealing with the pompous mages, it was their enchantments and magical trinkets. Those were really expensive though.

"Well… we did go through a lot for that loot… and now that we know how, we can always run away if things go wrong," she pondered. She really wasn't eager to go back down, but she did regret the things left behind. They were just things, but still…

Besides, the fact that they almost explored and entire Dwemer complex and only ran at the very end… it was disappointing. She was so curious about the last chambers. And the Falmer would have somehow beaten the giant construct for certain with their superior numbers.

Maybe they could even clear the place out with the help of her new power. Divines knew that they've taken down so many of those creepy things already.

And getting rid of them would surely be a good thing. They weren't people anymore – she had to remind herself of that. What if some poor scholar was to explore the cleared-out ruins only to get eaten alive by those monsters in the end?!

"We're not running, ladyship. We're gonna show them not to mess with us! You know… by Shouting insults at them from all directions. That'll teach them," Bishop laughed.

He seemed really giddy about her new Shout.

After their rest and recuperation, and some time spent hunting for the payment, they headed straight back towards the structure with the moving platform.

There was a chance that the bars would close after some time on their own – Dwemer mechanisms were unpredictable. Lucky for them, that wasn't the case.

They stepped back onto the platform, pulling on the lever and bracing themselves for the challenge to come.

"You're not gonna laugh at that Shout again, are you? Because it'll blow our cover," she smirked at him, although it was hardly effective in the complete darkness the contraption trapped them in.

It was still somewhat unsettling to be enclosed in the moving chamber, but much less so than before when they were both convinced those were their last moments.

"I'll try to contain myself," he snickered. That was a bad sign already.

The light slowly peeked through the barred entrance as the chamber came to a halt. There was no creature in immediate sight, save for the crumbled remains of the giant construct.

When the bars retracted, they slowly crept through the room, peeking outside into the large chamber to check on the Falmer.

There was still plenty of them, but their situation seemed way less daunting now than before.

They had a plan now.

Maybe a little bit of a ridiculous plan, but they were sure it would be effective. The new Shout was perfect for not only getting their things back, but also for actually getting rid of all the Falmer down there.

They discussed previously whether to try and explore the last chamber and get their things stealthily before attacking the Falmer, but the knowledge of those creatures scurrying around made them both too nervous.

As counterproductive as it would have been, they could have always just escaped again and try later.

The opportune exit made everything so much easier.

"Alright, please stay in the light this time. They can't see you anyways," she whispered to Bishop reproachfully as he was taking position on another ledge above the stairs, right next to the exit to the last chamber. This time he was looking under his feet constantly, checking for any traps. He did not need another surprise like the last time.

When he was in a good position, he started to pick off some of the Falmer. He began with the ones that were more secluded at first not to alert the entire horde right away. He took his time, aiming properly, making sure to kill them in one shot. Last time was too hectic, too out of control. They were exhausted and eager to get to the end.

This time they wouldn't make such mistakes, no matter how long it took.

She watched the scene with the wolf silently, not engaging. None of the Falmer seemed to notice Bishop's stealthy attacks yet.

Karnwyr gave her a rather disappointed look – this was not his idea of a battle.

She shrugged her shoulders at him apologetically. It wasn't exactly exciting, but the idea of having the entire area free of those creatures, with them free to explore and loot as they pleased, was too tempting to ruin with reckless behavior.

Suddenly one of the Falmer started screeching.

That was her cue.

"ZUL mey gut…"

"HEY! MOSS LICKER!"

Why were those insults even in current Cyrodilic, if she wasn't the one saying them? It was so disturbing…

The Falmer scampered towards one of the dwellings immediately, further from Bishop, leaving him to pick off several of them again on their way.

This went on a for a while. The Falmer were getting panicked and confused, running around, screeching and trying to find the source of the disturbances.

Finally there were only about a dozen more of those things scurrying around.

Bishop kept picking them off one by one as Aeyrin decided it was safe enough to join the fray, rushing down the stairs with her mace ready.

Karnwyr joined her eagerly and lunged at one of the creatures at once, sinking his sharp canine teeth into its leg with a feral growl.

She swung her weapon around, crushing it unto the Falmer, felling them with ease.

A few moments later the battle was over.

Bishop hopped down from the ledge and headed straight towards the other side of the room to locate their abandoned packs.

She scoured the nearby abodes meticulously. She found odd ingredients and weapons, all looking like they were made from the bug-like creatures that attacked her during their previous raid. At least those were all gone by the time they made their escape – whatever substance they were spewing, it was beyond nasty.

Bishop returned to her with a victorious grin on his face and passed her pack to her. Fortunately, it was untouched by the creatures, all her stuff still right where she left it.

"I was worried those things would take our things and… eat them or something…" she gave him a wry smile.

"I guess the packs were hard to find when you're blind," he smirked, looking over the loot she gathered in some of the dwellings. He had no idea if that stuff was valuable to anyone – he never really explored many Falmer-infested caverns and if he by a chance stumbled upon one, he never lingered. Those things seemed to be everywhere, always getting the jump on him.

They looked through the remainder of the dwellings, but found nothing of much interest besides a few gnawed bones and some body remains.

Aeyrin really hoped all of those people were bandits.

Then again, even bandits probably didn't deserve that fate.

She has been struggling somewhat with her previously black and white view of them ever since Bishop revealed part of his past to her. She couldn't help but wonder how many of them were just caught in a rough place, trying to survive.

But she knew that if she gave into those thought, it would just take her down a slippery slope. Nothing was ever black and white, Master Therien made sure to teach her that from a young age, but many of her Stendarrite compatriots seemed to be of a different opinion. She valued his teachings, but it was hard not to get influenced by the other priests' tales and experiences.

"They're so… human-like. The dwelling, the pens… it's… disturbing," she sighed as they made their way towards the last chamber.

"They're not people, princess," Bishop scowled. The last thing she needed was sympathy for those monsters.

"I know… I just… do you think it's… them? The elves? Do you think they're the same people who…"

"You think they survived for thousands of years? I doubt that… not even powerful mages live that long…" he shrugged.

"Why are they in Dwemer ruins? I know there are stories of some alliance of the Dwemer and the Falmer, but I never heard about them… 'moving in'," Aeyrin pondered. There didn't seem to be any passages that would indicate them getting there from some nearby cavern they occupied. Then again, they might just have been hidden like the one from which the Falmer surprised them the first time.

"Don't know. People say that they live down in the deepest ruins. Maybe they just… found the ruins a long time ago. Took up residence like the bandits."

She nodded. It sounded like the most likely explanation.

"Hey, how long do Bosmer live anyways. One never knows with you elves," he smirked after a while. It seemed that their discussion on Falmer life spans made him wonder.

"I don't know… two hundred on average I think. I met one who was three hundred and twenty years old in Leyawiin," she shrugged. It was pointless to think about, her life was in constant danger anyways. Besides, not many people actually lived to ripe old age due to diseases, wars or other things.

"Fuck… You better not be planning to chase after young Nords after I croak," he laughed but it didn't have the effect he intended.

Aeyrin stopped in her tracks, staring at him in surprise. Did he just insinuate they'd be together until he dies? It wasn't as if she was against the idea, but it seemed rather strangely… optimistic of him. And she definitely did not expect him to voice that kind of commitment.

She never even thought about this stuff – their lives were so uncertain anyways.

He cleared his throat somewhat uncomfortably when he realized what he just said.

"It… was a… joke…" he stammered, uncharacteristically flustered. He quickened his steps instantly and continued up the stairs into the chamber.

She mercifully didn't say anything about it further.

That was… weird. He didn't even think about it when he made that joke. He just assumed…

All he knew was that for a while now, he couldn't really imagine anything else. He didn't think about the future often, it was too uncertain, but anytime some thought crept into his mind, she was right there, at his side.

Ugh! Enough of this mushy crap! You're supposed to be plundering a Gods-damned Dwemer ruin.

"Wow! Look at this!" she interrupted the awkward silence, her hands deep in the rubble left of the giant automaton.

She carefully pulled out a spherical chunk of Dwemer metal with an odd red orb inside – it was glowing menacingly, emitting some sort of energy.

It didn't seem to be harmful.

"That looks… weird. And valuable…" he took the orb from her and studied it curiously.

"Maybe the mages will know more," she smiled, taking the orb back and placing it carefully in her pack.

They found some other strange contraptions but couldn't figure out what those were for. There was an odd round platform with some holes on top, looking as if they could fit some sort of other mechanism. There was also a strange empty chest with a glass oval on top, swirling with colors.

They eventually took only the weapons and metal they found in the last chamber, ready to get back into the dark tunnel and make their way out.

"So… Winterhold?" Aeyrin smiled at him as they breathed the cold outside air, happy to leave the ruins behind for good.

"I guess. Ugh… mages… I hate mages," Bishop grumbled with a smirk.

She raised her brow at him, shaking her head. She cleared her throat a second later, trying her hardest to imitate the worst Nordic accent she could manage: "All magic is evil! Kill the elves! Skyrim belongs to the Nords!"

He looked at her in surprise for a while, then he burst out laughing heartily.

"See? I told you the Shout was good practice for you."

"So, why do you hate mages? Aside from the usual reasons of you just hating everyone?" she chuckled at him in response.

"What's not to hate? All stuck-up, thinking they're smarter than everyone else… And who the fuck wears dresses in knee deep snow?" he scoffed derisively.

"They're robes…" she shook her head at him again.

"Call it whatever you want, they're fucking stupid to wear up north. But… I guess it's worth it for the enchantments…" he sighed.

After another second he looked her over, a mean smirk plastered on his face.

"I can't wait to see how much you'll enjoy the weather."