Chapter Twenty-eight: The Sunder and Keening
Merlac and Achen had walked almost three hours in the ash storm, hoping they had taken the right path to the Dwemer fortress. Because of the constant darkness and flying sand, it was already impossible to see even the bright Ghostfence in the horizon. Occasionally, they were surprised by a creature or blighted animal, but the four Urshilaku warriors always reacted fast and killed them with arrows before they came too close.
"Err... Merlac?", Achen yelled while covering his eyes from the flying sand.
"Yeah?", Merlac yelled back.
"Don't tell me we are lost or something?"
"We are not lost."
"Oh... that's relieving. Where are we then?"
"Somewhere around Red Mountain."
"Ha ha, very funny. I'd kick you if I saw where you are."
"I think there is something ahead of us, I see a large, dark silhouette there!", one of the ashlanders yelled.
Merlac and Achen tried to look against the flying sand, and finally saw it. There indeed was some kind of large structure in front of them.
"It's a fortress!", Achen yelled.
"It has to be the correct one.", Merlac rejoiced.
"Why?"
"Because if it's not, we are going to waste a lot of time and put ourselves into danger."
"Good to know..."
After searching for almost half an hour, Merlac finally found a partly-buried switch, which would open the small, round doors into the partially ruined fortress.
"Get ready, as soon as I pull this switch, the door will be open only for a short time and then close again."
Achen and the four Urshilaku warriors waited next to the egg-shaped doorway, as Merlac pulled the rusty switch. Merlac was able to hear a quiet rumbling over the raging wind, and the stone doorway opened slowly.
"Go, now!", Merlac yelled and the others ran through the doorway. Merlac himself rushed after the others and jumped trough the doorway as well just before it closed.
Achen helped Merlac to stand up again. Merlac saw that they were in a small hall with one corridor leading downwards.
"Where is that light coming from? I thought we were going to need torches.", Achen wondered.
"Indeed, there are no windows or torches in the walls", a warrior agreed.
"The light is coming from those dwemer machines in the walls, I've seen them before. They must have worked hundreds of years."
While still wondering the strange machines and the spooky light they emitted, Achen and the Urshilaku warriors followed Merlac down the corridor.
"It's strangely quiet around here, I thought this would be swarming with creatures and Almsivi knows what else stuff."
"Yeah, they're all probably in the batt...", Merlac started, but like as an answer, metallic clatter started coming closer from the corridor in front of them.
The Urshilaku warriors aimed at the end of the corridor with their bows and Merlac and Achen took out their swords. Suddenly, two round metal balls rolled towards them up the corridor.
"Err... what the hell?", Achen wondered.
"Oh crap, sphere centurions! Those are dwemer machines who still patrol and guard these ruins!", Merlac yelled.
The two balls stopped twenty feet in front of the startled group and started opening. Two human-like robots rose from the balls and started pointing at the intruders with their built-in swords. The Urshilaku warriors started shooting arrows at the robots, but the wooden arrows smashed into pieces against the dwemer armour.
Merlac did not panic, but used the same tactic as many times before. He pointed at the roof above the robots with his palm and conjured a stunning spell at it. Part of the roof collapsed over the dwemer robots and crushed them.
"Sweat and clean.", Achen congratulated. Merlac grinned.
"Let's move on, the whole fortress probably heard that."
For the next half and hour, the group walked deeper and deeper inside the fortress, occasionally engaging smaller dwemer robots and blighted creatures. Merlac was about to suggest turning back and trying some other corridor, as they finally arrived to a larger hall with small fountains of lava in the corners. The walls had large tables and shelves, full of strange instruments, dwemer machines and animal skulls.
"Look! There!", one of the warriors yelled and pointed at the opposite wall of the hall. Merlac looked where the ashlander was pointing at and saw a small stage with a small, round table on it. On the table was a small, black pillow, and on the pillow laid a rather small, golden hammer.
Merlac was just about to go closer, as he heard one of the Urshilaku warriors scream in pain behind him. The whole group jumped around with their weapons ready, and saw an ash vampire standing in the doorway with a bloody dwemer dagger in his hands. The ashlander was laying on the floor inanimate with a bloody wound in his back.
Merlac didn't hesitate, but conjured a fireball against the ash vampire. The vampire reacted fast and reflected the spell with his hand, rebounding it against a shelf, which broke into burning pieces. Another Urshilaku warrior charged against the wizard, but he conjured a powerful spell that threw the man's smoking body against the opposite wall.
The two other warriors fired arrows at the ash vampire and Merlac used the moment to his advantage. The creature howled in pain as spell after spell struck him into the chest, leaving burning marks in the rotten flesh. Merlac conjured one more fireball and the ash vampire crashed through a wooden table, finally dead.
"Wow, that was rather cool.", Achen said.
"You have indeed become a powerful wizard, Merlac.", one of the warriors said.
"Thanks, that was nothing..."
"No, Merlac. Nibani Maesa told us to observe you, Nerevarine, you have shown magical abilities beyond the skills of the original general Nerevar, meaning the incarnation is not identical."
"Oh... ok, but we should continue now, before more Dagoth-buddies come here.", Merlac said and walked to the small table in the end of the hall.
"Is that it?", Achen asked and pointed at the small, golden hammer on the pillow.
The hammer was full of golden daedric markings, though it was not made of daedric metal. It had some ashlander symbols as well, but its design didn't look familiar to Merlac.
"It is the holy artefact, look!", one of the warriors said and pointed at the hilt of the hammer.
Merlac turned his head and read large letters in the side of the hilt.
"Sunder.", Merlac read.
"Oh well, rather obvious, isn't it?", Achen grinned, and before Merlac was able to stop him, he grabbed the hammer and turned it around.
"No!", Merlac yelled and pushed the hammer out of Achen's hands.
"What the hell is your prob...", Achen started, but then his face went pale, as he remembered what Vivec had said about Sunder and Keening and their magical abilities.
"Err... shouldn't you be dead or something? Do you feel anything?", Merlac asked sounding worried.
"Umm... no, nothing.", Achen replied and stared at his hands.
Merlac looked at the golden hammer, which was now laying on the floor.
"Be careful", Achen said.
Merlac kneeled next to the hammer, made sure he had the wraithguard properly in his hand, and touched the hammer. Nothing happened. Merlac took up the hammer and rose up. He turned it in his hand, but nothing showed it would be anything more than just a small hammer.
"Hit the table with it", Achen suggested.
The other took few steps backwards, as Merlac rose his hand and hit the table with the hammer. There was a quiet slam as the hammer hit the table, but nothing else happened. It had barely made any mark on the strong wood.
"Let me try", said Achen and took the hammer from Merlac's hand.
"Are you sure that's smart?"
"Nope, but I want to be sure.", Achen replied and hit the table with the full strength of his hands. To everyone's surprise, the hammer itself smashed into two pieces.
"What the...?", Achen breathed and stared at the wooden handle in his hand.
"Err... you broke the Sunder.", Merlac said.
"God damn, it must be a fake!", Achen cursed and kicked the table. The table cracked open and another small, golden hammer dropped from a secret safe.
"Everybody stay back!", Merlac yelled and carefully approached the second hammer.
As Merlac walked closer to the artefact, it started sparkling slightly. Merlac slowly lowered his hand on the handle of the hammer and rose it up. The hammer sparkled a bit but he didn't feel anything through the wraithguard.
"All right, I think this is the real stuff.", Merlac said and carefully put the small hammer into his belt.
"Ok, lets go then. We will have to hurry in case Sul-Matuul and the others have accidentally taken a fake Keening or something.", Achen said.
"I agree.", Merlac nodded and the group started heading towards the surface again.
Engaging only few small spider robots along the way, the companions reached the surface rather quickly. The weather around the mountain was the same as when they had entered the fortress, as the wind was still very strong and sand flying against their faces.
It took Merlac and the others almost two hours to reach the edge of the crater on the top of the Red Mountain. It didn't matter much though, as it was already very dark and impossible to see if it was day or night. When the small group approached the crater, they saw Sul-Matuul and the Urshilaku warriors already waiting there.
"Sul-Matuul, great to see you made it here!", Merlac yelled over the wind.
"Yes, we ran into some difficulties but we made it. However, I'm afraid to say that we lost three of my men. Two of them killed by an ash vampire and third ran into an ancient dwemer trap.", the ashkhan said sadly.
"We also lost two of you clanmates, I'm sorry.", Merlac replied.
"It's a great burden, but they all died for the cause."
Merlac nodded.
"Did you manage to get the Keening?", Merlac asked, though he wanted to ask how the ashlanders had defeated the ash vampire.
Sul-Matuul took a small bag from his back and opened it. He took out a small, wooden box with symbols of lightning on it, and the word 'Keening'.
"That was the only thing we were able to find, but we couldn't be sure as the box started sparkling as soon as we approached, so you'd better open it.
Merlac took the box and opened with the wraithguard in his hand. Inside the box was a short sword with a blade made of some kind of crystal. The blade glowed slightly in the dark box and the hilt sparkled a bit when Merlac took the sword out of the box.
"I think this is the right one, great job. We ran into a fake Sunder, so I had to be sure with this one."
"I wonder how is the battle going down there", Achen said suddenly and stared down the dark slopes of the mountain.
"There is no way of finding out yet, we must hurry just in case.", Sul-Matuul said.
Merlac nodded and peeked over the small rock they were hiding behind. On the other side was the huge crater of Red Mountain and built inside it, a enormous dwemer fortress itself.
"Home of Dagoth Ur.", Achen said quietly.
"Yeah, but we have a small problem. The Urshilaku don't know how to levitate and we only have one levitation potion for you, Achen, but the ashlanders can never reach the bottom of that crater."
"What if we try to find some rope or something?", Achen suggested.
"No, there wouldn't be enough strong rope, not even close."
"Merlac is right", Sul-Matuul said finally. "We cannot join you on this journey. We helped you as far as we could, but it is now up to you to find the false god and kill him."
"Are you sure about this?", Merlac asked.
"Yes, I am. Me and my men will join the battle for the Ghostgate and see if there is something we can still do."
Merlac looked at the large fortress and its towers inside the deep, dark crater, and then agreed.
"Sure, lets do so. Good luck, Sul-Matuul, and in case we don't return, thanks. I wouldn't be here without your tribe."
"Do not worry, young Merlac. You still have a great path to walk, it is you who needs to be wished luck to. I am honoured to be allowed to follow you this far and I'm sad I can't come any further. Farewell, Merlac, may our paths cross again."
The old Ashkhan made a symbol of friendship on his chest with his hand, and then turned around. Merlac and Achen stared after the ashlanders as long as they could not be seen anymore through the flying sand and darkness.
"So...I guess it's you and me alone again.", grinned Achen.
"Just like good old times", Merlac replied and tapped Achen in his shoulder.
"All right, lets go and find that little ash vampie!"