All righty then folkses! Here's Chapter 19!
Weiss watched with anticipation as she carefully filled the vial with a simple healing potion. She held her breath and slowly began to smile, and then the repaired cracks shattered out, letting the potion leak all over the table. She sighed in frustration and opened her scroll to type into her notepad document.
Enchanted ice: failed. I'm beginning to think there may be no way for me to repair the White Phial.
"Having some trouble, Apprentice Weiss?"
The mage student turned to see Archmage Savos standing behind her, looking over her most recent failure. He held his chin as he looked over the cracked container with interest.
"Yes sir. I can't for the life of me get anything to work with repairing this old thing. I've tried several different kinds of glass, with different kinds of enchantments each time. I tried ice just to see if it was feasible. I even tried to stoppering the cracks with clay. Every time, the material breaks apart, usually in a near violent manner."
"Well, what was the original material?"
"Going by the legend I was told, snow."
He raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh, what legend?"
"An alchemist in Windhelm named Nurelion told me it's called the White Phial. By his telling, an alchemist from antiquity made it from the first snows to fall on the Throat of the World."
"The very peak then? Well, I can't help you there, I'm afraid. Only the Greybeards ever go to the Throat."
Weiss groaned. "Just as well then. I'll just have to deliver it back to Nurelion as it is and hope he understands. If you don't mind me asking, Archmage, what are you doing in the labs? Did you need something for study? I'd be happy to help, of course."
"Actually, I was hoping you could join me in the library. I have a request to make of you and the others."
"Oh, of course, sir. Let me just clean up this mess real…"
Weiss watched with fascination as Savos waved his hands over the spilled potion and the pieces of ice, gathering the two things in the air with an invisible grip, and then deposited them into an empty bottle and a bowl, respectively.
"Oh, wow," Weiss muttered. "You have such good control. My telekinesis attempts always end up being either struggles to make something move slowly, or launching them at the speed of sound."
"As you gain in experience, you'll learn to be more precise and fluid in your control. Come now, grab your artifact and follow me."
Weiss packed away the White Phial and followed the headmaster equivalent to the Arcanaeum, better known simply as the library. Within the massive room of knowledge, Weiss saw her three friends standing to attention before Urag gro-Shub, the Orsimer librarian. While librarian was probably the last occupation anyone would've expected for an orc, this one took his job very seriously and did well at it on top of that. Weiss once saw him come after a student who had kept a book over the time limit and nearly scare the poor man into a sobbing mess. They all looked to the two as they came in and joined the group's circle.
"Well, as you all know, we've been doing our best to research the giant orb that you all discovered under Saarthal, and we may be on to something, finally. However, we've come across a small problem," the Archmage explained.
"It's a bit more than that," Urag growled. "Three of the books we need to hopefully tell us enough information about what the object is were stolen. Just before you joined, in fact," he said while pointing at Weiss. "Some students decided they didn't like being in a school setting, almost like they expected it to be nothing but free room and board while they used up our resources for whatever research they felt like, so they left. That's not a problem. Idiots leave all the time. The problem was they stole several things on their way out, including those books." At this Urag huffed out through his nose, a low, angry sound resonating from him.
"J'zargo sees," the Khajiit student mused as he twirled a few of his whiskers around a finger. "You wish for us to retrieve these books, yes?"
"Essentially, that's what we're asking," Savos confessed. "However, this could be dangerous, as they've gone to Fellglow Keep. Not much is known about this location, other than that a group of rogue mages have had it taken over for a time now. The former students likely thought to join up with them. Now the books are in their possession. I understand if you don't wish to take on this task, but we aren't having you do this for nothing. All of you are in the top ranks of your classes, with the exception of Onmund's skill in Destruction and Weiss' in the healing branch of Restoration, and we've been thinking of having you all take the test of being raised up to journeyman level. However, should you succeed in retrieving the lost books, we'll raise you all."
The four students looked to each other, Weiss and J'zargo immediately smiling, with Brelyna adding in her own smirk a moment later and Onmund giving a slight grin.
"I accept," Weiss declared.
Nishgala struggled against her binds, but it was no use. Her prepubescent muscles simply did not contain the strength needed to break free from the leather holding her in place on the bloody altar. Surrounding her were several of the bloody-faced cultists, looking at her in anticipation as their leader sharpened her flaying knives. She knew what was coming. Just like they had done to her brothers, they were going to eat her. She saw as they skinned the two orc warriors alive, slowly, and then started cutting them apart and eating the pieces as they did, her brothers not dying until halfway through the cannibals' meals. Now they were preparing for her, and she was beyond frightened to death about what was to come.
She was no stranger to pain. Every orc child had tussled a little too hard with their siblings at least a handful of times as they grew. But the idea of the sort of pain these revulsion loving cultists could visit upon her filled her with dread that had been growing since they dragged her and her elder brothers here, to this camp littered with mortal bones and tapestries made from their skins. Still, a part of her yelled at the rest -mostly in the voice of her father- that she needed to stay strong. Malacath wouldn't take in an orc who cowed at their death, but even a helpless one that stared death right in the eye without batting a lash would be welcomed. She was determined to face it bravely, at the very least.
Then the yelling started, and the sound that she'd grown to learn was the tearing of flesh and breaking of bones began resounding out from the edge of the Namiran camp. The ones that had been readying themselves for dinner began standing up, looking in the direction that the screams came from. Then a howl echoed out and a man stumbled through the large tent's door flap.
"Werewolf!" he screamed. "Were-" Then a flash of golden yellow tore in and smashed him to the ground, where a pair of jaws crushed his neck. The beast stood and Nishgala felt her eyes widen at the sight of the golden werewolf. Most of the cultists tried to fight in desperation, but they may as well have been rabbit for all the damage they did to the creature, which sliced through them with thick, sharp claws and bit down with a powerful, bloody maw. She witnessed it rip a few hearts out from the chests of some of its victims, swallowing them almost absentmindedly as it moved to its next prey.
The young orc girl could only feel thankful when the werewolf was done with her tormentors and turned its attention to her. She had been ready to die in slow agony, but now it was looking like it would be a quick death instead. She watched as the creature walked over to her and sniffed at the altar, her heart pounding in her chest. Its eyes looked down at her, and Nishgala noticed how they were a striking violet. Gulping, she forced herself to stare the creature in the eye, defiant and brave.
Just as she thought it was over, the werewolf outstretching a claw towards her, but instead of it striking her, she felt the binds at her wrists slacken. Surprised, Nishgala looked up to see that the werewolf's claw had cut through them with gentle care. It then did the same with the binds at her ankles. Now free, the orc girl sat up in surprise and pulled the gag from her mouth, and the werewolf smiled.
"Wha- Why?" she wondered aloud, not even sure if the lycanthrope could understand her. The golden werewolf looked over to the ripped apart opening in the man-mer skin tent and then leaned towards her.
"Go. Home," it enunciated in a clear, feminine voice. Nishgala was only surprised for a moment, then swallowed all of the surprise within her and ran from the horrendous place to the east, feeling that the memories of her salvation from death through the claws of a werebeast would stay with her always.
Yang brushed her teeth thoroughly for the third time in the last ten minutes, trying to get the last of the coppery taste from her tongue. Aela checked her bow and armor and then looked over to her.
"Was letting the girl go wise?" she asked. Yang spat in the river and then glared at her fellow Circle member.
"What's she going to do, spread rumors of a couple of werewolves killing a secret Namira cannibal cult?"
"Rumors of one with golden-yellow fur will certainly draw attention," Aela countered. "Honestly, I've heard of blonde werewolves, but it's always the sort of blond color you could expect a wolf to have. You look practically gilded. And then there are your claws, which are way larger than normal."
"Well, I'm not exactly normal, myself."
"No. You were recently scratched and bitten by two other lycanthropes. I think some things may have carried over."
Yang thought about it as she scrubbed her tongue one more time. Her claws did bear a little resemblance to bear claws (heh), and her fur wasn't really normal. She had figured it just matched the person's hair, but she supposed that her case was rather different. She was on her way to changing, so maybe a bit got left behind.
"Guess I'm just a mutt," she stated offhandedly, which got a bit of a sputter from Aela. Yang smirked and then stretched up. "Anyways, let's pack it up now. I need some z's, and you need to turn in a head or two."
"Very well, but…what do you mean you need 'z's'?"
Yang affably sighed. "Sleep."
'How did I get myself rolled into this?' Ruby thought miserably as she attempted to walk down the road to the Blue Palace in a brand new red and black dress, wolf fur coat, wide-high-heeled boots, and enough makeup to last Weiss for a few days. She certainly felt pretty, and the third man to run into a wall or street lantern post confirmed for her that, indeed, she was, but she couldn't help but feel like she was in the wrong place the whole time.
'This is the last time I agree to help someone before I know what they need help with. Stupid lady stilts...' Oh, it started out innocent enough. Endarie, an Altmer stylist for Radiant Raiment, had noticed her regular clothes when they bumped into each other out in the marketplace and asked about it in greater detail than Ruby could answer. Eventually, she straight up offered to buy it in order to copy its design and perhaps start up a new line. She was actually surprised to find that it was essentially light armor (slightly better than average leather, but armor all the same), and now the Altmer woman was brewing up ideas for a new line of 'beautiful battle dresses' with her sister Taarie. Then Ruby got roped into agreeing to wear a new dress to the Solitude Court, hoping to catch the eye of Jarl Elisif and perhaps a few other noblewomen. All Ruby knew when she agreed to it was that Endarie and Taarie needed some help when she agreed to assist them. Apparently, after learning who she was, they were riding on the coattails of her growing fame as the Red Dragonslayer and the newest member of the Bard's College to get more attention and make more sales.
At least she would be getting a lifelong discount out of this.
After close to an hour of being dressed up like a doll, Lydia barely able to hold back her laughs and failing to hold back a smile, Ruby was finally released to the street to make an impression, with her housecarl finally figuring out her scroll's camera function and snapping a few photos before she left. They weren't that great, to be honest, but Lydia was proud of them all the same. Now, she was entering the palace, the guards seemingly believing she was supposed to be there. As she struggled up the stairs, Lydia extending a helpful hand, she heard the Court currently in progress.
"I swear to you, unnatural magics are coming from that cave," she heard a man saying. As she topped the stairway, she saw what looked like an everyday citizen standing before the well-dressed nobles, making his case to them. "There are strange noises and lights! We need someone to investigate!"
"Then we will immediately send out a legion to scour the cave and secure the region," the Jarl in her throne responded, which to Ruby's ears seemed to be an overreaction, since, as far as she knew, a legion consisted of thousands of soldiers, whereas caves could likely be cleared by a squad or even a single, well trained individual. "Haafingar's people will always be safe under my rule."
"Your eminence," a woman in robes jumped in after gazing at a crystal ball for a moment, "my scrying has suggested nothing in the area. Dragon Bridge is under Imperial control. This is likely superstitious nonsense."
"Perhaps a more…tempered reaction…might be called for?" a well-dressed man just to the left of the Jarl suggested.
"Oh, yes, of course you're right. Falk, tell Captain Aldis I said to have a few extra soldiers assigned to Dragon Bridge." Ruby raised an eyebrow at how quickly she changed her idea around. She'd heard Elisif was new to the role of Jarl, but what Ruby was seeing wasn't much of a leader, as much as she hated to think it.
"Thank you, Jarl Elisif," the commoner expressed. "But, about the cave…"
"I'll do it," Ruby spoke up as she entered and curtsied before the court, most of her focused on keeping her balance as she did. "I can go check out whatever cave it is and clear up any threat there."
Several in the Court seemed either shocked or sneering, while a few began to chuckle while covering their mouths.
"I'm…sorry?" the Jarl began.
"Look, young lady," a man in a blue silk jacket over an embroidered cotton shirt began, "I don't know what you think this is, but this is no place for a young girl to be talking about going off on some half-brained cave dive. Please, let the adults handle this business."
"Hey! I've gone in plenty of caves! And tombs! All of them filled with undead, bandits, undead bandits, necromancers, Falmer, and frostbite spiders. Not to mention the dragons outside of the caves."
"Erikur," Falk said, catching the man's attention, "you do realize that she is the Red Dragonslayer? Or did you miss her joining the Bard's College yesterday?"
Anyone who had been laughing or sneering suddenly straightened up, and the commoner man seemed overjoyed at the prospect of his worries being completely taken care of.
"I… I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you," the man frantically tried to apologize.
"It's fine. This is a whole new look for me, anyways." Quickly, her mind knit together a plan to go ahead and get the awkward 'sales pitch' out of the way. "The ladies at the Radiant Raiment helped me to pick out a more suitable outfit to approach the Court with."
"They did a splendid job, Ruby Dragonslayer," Elisif commended. "And I must thank you for offering to help us with this situation. I'm certain it puts everyone's mind to ease as to what may be going on in that cave."
"Of course. Um, which cave was it?"
"Wolfskull Cave," the commoner answered. "It's on the Kilkreath Mountains, north of the old, ruined Kilkreath Temple."
"Oh, I was headed that way anyways. So, it all works out in the end. I'll go there right as I'm performing my other tasks."
"Thank you so much, my lady."
"Err, I would like to apologize," Erikur began, seemingly nervous. "As you said, it was hard to recognize you, Dragonslayer."
"Oh don't worry about it…Erikur, right? Gisli's brother?"
Now several members of the Court had to keep themselves from laughing aloud, although two failed while one didn't even try to hide his mirth. Even Jarl Elisif went rosy cheeked as she tried to cover a smile. The man in question just looked as downcast as could be. Ruby smiled inside, thankful that those introductory Talking Lessons seemed to be effective.
Blake wasn't sure if these people were supposed to be a test or some sort of defectors from the Thieves' Guild, but in the end they were able to take them down quite easily. After taking anything of value from them, they tied them all up before throwing them out of the door to the Ratway. Blake herself was currently focused on a pair of strange gloves one of them had, finding that they were enchanted to be able to raise the skill of unarmed based combat. She still didn't understand how magic like that worked, but then again it could heal wounds, make people invisible, and create fire out of nothing. Magic was weird. At the very least Yang would like this, and so would Weiss, who would be able to get more use out of it than she could.
Putting the gloves in her pocket, the three catlike beings then entered the area where several people were seated at one side, a bar setup on the other side of a reservoir. As they walked over, Inigo looked over to the other two.
"So, what did you do to show you were thieving enough?"
"M'rissi stole a sword and belt from a guard. He did not notice. Brynjolf actually just wanted the dagger on the belt, but that was there, so M'rissi passed."
"Oh? That was dangerous to do. The guard you stole from may have not been feeling particularly merciful. All I had to do was steal a ring from Madesi and then plant it on Brand-shei."
Blake paused, causing the other two to stop behind her as she turned to glare at Inigo.
"Seriously? You framed a man for stealing something you stole?"
"It was a part of the test."
"And he's in prison now?"
"For a few days. Madesi was not overly angry. Apparently they have a sort of history, which is odd. Then again, Brand-shei is an Argonian name, which is very odd for a Dunmer. Such an odd place, Riften. I love it."
Blake rubbed her forehead, sighed, and turned to continue back towards the gathering of thieves.
"So, these your new protégés?" they heard a woman say as they came to where Brynjolf was waiting. "Well done. You got three cats."
M'rissi hissed, but Blake just crossed her arms while Inigo walked forward, looking around.
"Sorry, I thought I heard a rat squeaking around. Must have been my imagination."
"Why you-"
"Glad you sports could make it," Brynjolf interrupted. Blake noticed that he was now wearing black, leather armor with several pouches and a bandolier, which seemed to be a sort of uniform going by what several others wore. "Hope you didn't have trouble finding the place."
"No more than I usually have trying to find anything in Skyrim," Blake admitted.
"Oh, I'm certain you've had worse. Well, now that I know you all can do a decent job, how about you help me take care of some deadbeats?"
"What is a deadbeat?" M'rissi asked.
"It is someone who does not pay the money that they owe," Inigo explained. "Like a person in debt who does not pay back, or a particularly lazy father who contributes nothing but grudges and alcoholism."
"Oh, she understands now."
"We'll handle that," Blake told the thief, silently praying that M'rissi was more familiar with the former and not the latter.
"Good. It's Keerava, Bersi Honey-Hand, and Haelga. Now, the money isn't the important thing here. What matters is the message. We can't have people thinking we can just be short-handed like this."
"No worries. We'll get it done," she affirmed. "But about my special pay…"
"That'll be with a bigger job I have in mind for the future. It's a rather hefty piece we're giving you, so we need something equally hefty taken care of. Now, I'm sure you all work well as a team of fighters, but this is the Thieves' Guild, so let's make it clear. We're in the business of thieving, not killing. This ain't no Dark Brotherhood or Morag Tong. Killing's bad for business when it comes to us. Rough someone up if you must, but keep the bloodshed to a minimum."
"Sounds fair." Blake looked back to M'rissi then to Brynjolf. "So, we were hoping to find Salthasar while we're here. He should have some info for my friend."
"Ah, one of our trinket specialists. The old reptile's over there." Brynjolf thumbed over to a table where a rather pale green Argonian sat, tracing lines in a book with one hand and munching on some meat pie with the other. "Just…be warned, he's a little… Well, some people lose the bit of them that keeps them from saying stupid things in their old age. Don't take anything personally."
Dreading what exactly he meant by that, Blake walked towards the Argonian, her companions following along.
"Yess? Iss there ssomething you need?"
"Salthasar, right?"
"That I am. How can I be of sservicce, fair lady?"
'Wait, what?' Part of Blake's mind questioned. 'Why would he- Whatever.'
"We need a ring looked at. We were told you could help."
"A ring you ssay? I haven't found a trinket yet that I couldn't appraise."
"We aren't going to sell it or anything, so the value isn't what we're after. M'rissi?" The Khajiit handed over the ring, and then Blake showed it to the Argonian. "We want to know its history, any hidden inscriptions, or any enchantments it might have that we're missing."
"Well," he began, looking it over. "You should know my knowledge of magic is rudimentary. I can tell if there iss an enchantment, but if you want specifics, you should seek out a mage. Curious, little trinket." He then reached into a pack sitting next to him and pulled out a leather binding folder before opening it up and going through several pieces of parchment held within. "I have the information on it," he concluded.
"All right," Blake went as M'rissi began to beam. "What do you have?"
"Not sso fast," he stopped. "I have done you a sservicce, and you must pay me for it."
"Oh, um, that's fair, I suppose. What do you want for it?"
His eyes looked over to M'rissi and Blake could see the feathers under his hood raise up. "Your companion there iss quite beautiful, yes. I would not mind spending some time with her."
Before Blake could object, she heard a vaguely tiger-like growl rise up from her other side, and looked back to see Inigo baring his teeth at the now frightened Argonian.
"You know, I have been in the market for a new pair of boots," the blue Khajiit hissed, not bothering to hide his anger. "I think I might have found a good waterproof material."
"All right, all right, no need for violence!" He looked back at her. "But you certainly can't blame me for trying."
"I can, actually," Blake muttered.
"Let's say… Three hundred gold, and I'll give you all the information on it that I have."
Blake sighed. "You're lucky I don't demand it in exchange for you keeping your hide." She reached into her pouch and began counting out malks along with one denar.
"Such unkind youths," he lamented as she handed over the coins to him. A quick count and then he passed her a few pages. The words were a little difficult to read at first due to the distinctive Argonian handwriting, but eventually Blake was able to perceive them easily enough.
…a clan ring that once belonged to the chieftan of the Mirrsha, Ri'vir.
"Does the Mirrsha clan mean anything to either of you?"
"Sounds familiar," M'rissi admitted.
"Sorry, I am not well versed in Khajiit clans."
"Right. Well, we're at least getting somewhere," Blake admitted before going back to her reading.
When the Thalmor 'brought' back the moons, many of the Khajiit were quick to take the Thalmor side and give up their own pride, bowing their heads before their new masters. But not all. One of the Khajiit clans didn't bend the knee. Ri'vir, their chieftain, considered the situation too beneficial to the Thalmor and suspected the clans had been deceived. The chieftain decided to not take their new master's side.
The Thalmor declared this a full-scale riot. In order to prevent such an attitude from spreading, troops were committed. Ri'vir managed to smash the forward units that had been sent to put down the rebels, but soon the major reinforcements came. Nevertheless, Mirrsha clan's land was well fortified and suitable for defense, so the Khajiit managed to withstand the siege.
But then a sudden split shattered all their dreams of freedom. Ra'sadir, Ri'vir's younger brother, refused to obey his elder's command and took sides with the Thalmor, taking part of the clan with him. There was a bloody assault and, although many of the 'long-eared ones' lives were taken by brave Khajiit, the defenders had been sabotaged by the brother's betrayal.
Ri'vir and a handful of his companions were taken alive. The Thalmor ordered Ra'sadir to take his brother's life himself. Ra'sadir did so willingly.
That clan ring eventually became a symbol of the riot. The gem in the ring was special, a rare stone called a beacon, and when the moons were not seen in the sky, it illuminated the future of clan. Alas, one day it suddenly disappeared.
Blake ruminated over what she had read after she passed the papers over to M'rissi, who began to read over them as well. She looked over to Salthasar, who peered up when her gaze fell upon him.
"It feels like something's missing. Where'd you get this information from?"
"Well, that sshould be confidential, my dear. I do admit I got it from a book, but that book has long been ssold for a little more than what I bought it for, after I wrote down any pertinent information of course."
"So you can't tell me where you got it from?" As her eyes narrowed in anger, Blake's left ear suddenly twitched, a motion the Argonian noticed.
"Anonymity creates opportunity. In this line of work, those that reveal secrets do not live long."
"Look at this girl," Blake pointed out to him. "Right now, that ring is the only link she has to her past. Can you say that you'll sleep well knowing that you've deprived her of her memories and family?"
"You truly are a heartless fiend to play on a tired, old lizard's heartstringss," Salthasar bemoaned before forking up another bite of meat pie. "Very well. The one who sold it to me broke the ruless to get it. So it may be that I go unpunished for letting it slip that he goes by Creep." Salthasar then looked over to the side, where a man in ragged, threadbare clothing sat on a barrel a fair distance from everybody else, a few empty bottles around his feet and another in his hand. "You can find him ssomewhere in here."
"Thanks for the information. Don't spend it all in one place."
"So, now we're going to talk to a Creep," Inigo guessed. "Or at least, another one."
"So, is she of the clan Mirrsha?" M'rissi asked as she looked up from the notes.
"I think so. Let's see where this Creep got that book from. If we can trace it, we might find someone who knows more. Come on."
Now the three walked over to the haggard drunkard, who looked at them all with bloodshot eyes. While they were in a pretty dark spot, to them it was still as clear a though a torch was lit.
"Yeah? Wha' d' you want?"
"We have recently acquired the information that you hold information pertaining to information that we are in need of, my friend," Inigo explained.
"Wha'? Wha'd he say?"
"You sold a book to Salthasar," Blake elaborated. "Tell us where you got it from."
"And jus' why would I do tha'? You're in my turf, friends, and these are my people." He spread his arms out wide. "You can n't intim'date me 'ere."
"You think they're fast enough to save you?" Blake asked, getting annoyed by people's attitudes in this place. "You think they care enough about you to get in our way?" She reached up, pretending to go for the hilt of Gambol Shroud.
"N- Now, le's not be hasty. Jus- Jus' the mead talkin', right." He groaned. "But please, don't be so loud. I was out searchin' for a mark when I happ'd by what loo'ed like an abandoned shack. Bein' the curious type I am, I wen' inside to look around, but 'stead of dust I found an ol' Khajiit. I- I drew mah knife and told 'im that I wouldn't hurt him if he stayed still, an' he said I could have anythin' I wan'ed as long as I didn' take that book. So, uh ahha, I assumed the book was extremely valuable. I took it, and he tried to stop me so I… I struck 'im."
"With your knife?"
"I-i-it- It's not my fault!" he stuttered out in defense. "I didn't mean to kill 'im, just woun' him a little. If he'd jus' stayed where I told him… And to top it all off the book was worthless. If the leaders found out-"
Blake heard more growling, interrupting the drunkard, but this time it was a higher pitch, more akin to a housecat getting riled up by something. She didn't need to glance back to know it was M'rissi.
"I have a feeling they should only be your second biggest worry, right now."
"Please, no! I- I'll show you where I found it! Look! Er, uh, map. Map!"
Blake pulled her own map out and Creep quickly pointed out a place near Ivarstead. "Here! There! It's right there! Now please, I can… I can go now, right?"
Blake marked the spot with a high-lighter and then folded up her map before placing in back into her pack. "I won't hurt you." She then backed up away from the drunken thief. "But I'm not who you have to convince."
The man's fearful gaze went over to M'rissi,
"Wha'?"
"How dare you hurt her kin!" the Khajiit girl yelled as she brandished her knife with a hiss. Blake didn't even have time to intervene before M'rissi pounced. The man screamed as she came at him with a slash, and then stabbed upwards into his rib cage. He fell down with a gurgle and M'rissi silently sheathed her blade. "She would like to leave this place," she muttered darkly.
Blake felt a twinge of apprehension. She had been hoping for M'rissi to be a little less murderous in her reaction, but it seemed the idea of her kin being harmed was a lot more unforgivable than she'd originally assumed. Inigo looked over the corpse and then nodded approvingly.
"Between the fourth and the fifth rib. That's where I'd usually go. You should pull a twist next time, just to be extra sure."
As Blake, Inigo, and M'rissi silently left the Ragged Flaggon behind, the rest of the Thieves Guild silently watched. Some out of the corners of their eyes, others throwing away subtlety entirely. Once the three closed the door behind them, the room exploded in commotion.
"Brynjolf, are you out of your gods damned mind?!"
"You do realize they could easily kills us or, worse yet, turn us into the Penitus Oculatus?!"
"Why are they even here!?"
"Calm down, lads. Calm down," Brynjolf yelled out over the cacophony of voices. As the silence grew, Brynjolf began to speak once again. "Now, I know that you all don't trust her-"
"You damned right I don't trust her," a Nord man grunted.
"You got something to say, Delvin?" Brynjolf asked, eyebrow raised.
"In case you've forgotten, she slaughtered the Dark Brotherhood," Delvin dryly explained. "Every single one of them, including Astrid. And now she's here to finish the job. Who's to say that she won't turn her sights on us next? We've worked with them a few times in the past, after all." At Delvin's declaration, the commotion started up again, only for a Nord woman to slam her mug on the table, shutting them up.
"Ignoring her past, slightly, Delvin brings up a good point. All of us, including you, are here for two things: gold, or the thrill. She's not here for that. She's here to get information on surviving Dark Brotherhood members and nothing more. And to top it off, she apparently has, uggh, 'morals'. Half the jobs we'd have her do for her 'payment' I doubt she'd do!"
"Vex is right!" a thief yelled out, causing the group to erupt in shouting once more.
"Alright, that's enough!" Brynjolf shouted, shutting the noise down. "Now, to a certain extent, I agree with your concerns. Yes, she did kill the Dark Brotherhood to the last man. Yes, she is working with the Penitus Oculatus to hunt the rest of them down. Yes, she does fancy herself to be a moralist. But, before you all decide to kick her out, let me ask you this: Do you really want to make her an enemy?" Brynjolf's question was met only with silence.
"That's what I thought," Brynjolf huffed. "We are survivors, and unlike the Dark Brotherhood, we are not going to make the mistake of making her or the rest of the Four Dragonslayers our enemies. So, we have entered into a business arrangement with her. We help her, she helps us. Everyone's happy and, more importantly, alive and not behind bars. Now, off you lads go. Each of you have jobs to do, I expect you to do them." At Brynjolf's command, the group began to disperse with a few grumbles while Delvin and Vex stayed behind, glaring at him.
"This is a mistake, Brynjolf," Vex declared, crossing her arms.
"Maybe," Brynjolf nodded. "But trust me. I've got a good feeling about her."
The first step in the four apprentices' upcoming travel was actually learning a new spell. Or at least, it was new for everyone but J'zargo. Called Longstride, it was an Alteration spell that simply made the caster walk and run faster. It started at about a quarter increase, and then picked up until one was going three times as fast as they usually would. The Khajiit mage taught it to the rest of the four over the course of a few hours, and then they packed their essentials once they all got the hang of it.
After setting off, the four headed toward the Shrine to Azura, as both J'zargo and Brelyna considered her as one of their patron gods, and Onmund had no problem with her as a 'good' Daedra. Weiss, on the other hand, was a little apprehensive after the last few communications she had with beings like her. Sanguine ended up okay, though his message made clear he was annoyed, but Meridia had scorched her just for touching an artifact, and likely could have done far worse. She wasn't sure what might or might not tick off this Daedric Prince.
As they released the Longstride spell and began heading up the stairs, the four mages couldn't help but be in awe at the great structure. They walked up and across a catwalk, nearing the altar at the foot of the shrine, where a priestess held up in her arms in veneration. She suddenly turned towards them, her eyes landing directly upon Weiss.
"Azura has seen your coming, traveler. It was not curiosity, but fate, that has led you here."
Everyone looked to their white-haired companion, the vampire herself trying to figure out how to respond to such a statement.
"…What do you mean you've 'seen my coming'?"
"It is as I said," the Dunmer priestess explained. "Azura has given me the gift of foresight. I had a vision of you walking up these steps long before you were born, young heiress."
Weiss felt her blood run cold at that, and gulped. Brelyna stepped forward and bowed her head while pressing her hands together.
"My lady, may I ask, what does this mean? What has Azura foreseen about my friend?"
"She has been chosen to be Azura's champion. Do not worry, child, for it will all unfold as she has predicted."
"What-" Weiss swallowed and cleared her throat. "What do- What does Azura need?"
"You must go to a fortress, endangered by water, yet untouched by it. Inside, you will find an elven mage who can turn the brightest star as black as night." As Weiss' eyebrows began to rise up, the priestess shook her head gently. "It is cryptic, I know, but Azura's signs are never wrong. I believe the fortress may refer to Winterhold. Perhaps someone there knows of this elven enchanter."
"Winterhold has been in danger of falling into the sea for a long time now," J'zargo reflected, "yet it is still high above the water."
"Um, not that I don't want us to suddenly embark on a quest within our quest," Onmund jumped in, "but we'd have to backtrack all the way to Winterhold."
"It will be no huge delay. J'zargo has seen that you are fairly skilled at your new spell. We are expected to be gone for days. We have the time."
"And, well, I'd rather not be on a goddess's bad side," Weiss stated. "We'll look into this, don't worry. But… I must ask, is there anything else Azura has shown you about me?"
"I've seen a serpent, but I don't know what it means just yet. Perhaps Azura will grant more once your task is complete. Trust me, she will not leave you unrewarded."
Ruby jumped off a boulder and swung Crescent Rose around and up, smacking the blunt end against Gaafsulir's chin, knocking the small, brown dragon's face up. She then hooked Crescent Rose against his neck and pointed herself in the opposite direction.
"Wuld! Nah!"
She sped through the air, dragging the dragon along with her, slicing deep into his neck so that his roar of pain turned into a loud, sickening gurgle. Ruby turned, and this time pressed against the trigger of her weapon as she Shouted the two words of Whirlwind Sprint again. This time she sliced all the way through, sending his head on one way while his body went straight down. As the severed head hit dirt, his flesh began to combust, tendrils of his soul reaching out towards Ruby. The Dragonborn took in a deep breath and focused on rounding up the wild energies as they flowed into her, funneling into that place within her soul. Soon, a brown dragon joined the other two in circling around the pillar, letting loose a roar as he did. Ruby could see what he had once seen, and could recall what were once his memories, but they were held back from pushing into her mind by her efforts. She took another breath, and then looked over into the nearby woods.
"It's all clear now!" she called out. After a few moments, Lydia came out, leading a couple of scared farmers, who seemed both horrified and relieved to see the smoldering dragon skeleton.
"Thank goodness it's gone," the husband said with a sigh of relief. "Don't know how it ended up like that, but thank you so much. That damned thing burned down our home, and then was going after us. We were lucky to make it this far, and then you showed up."
"How can we ever repay you?" his wife asked.
"Don't worry about it. In fact," she reached into her pocket and passed a malk over to them, startling the two with her generosity.
"This… We couldn't-"
"Look, it's not a hand-out, just a leg up. Go up to Solitude, get some food and rest, and see if there's some way for you to start back up. I think they're always looking for more fishermen."
"Thank you! Thank you so much! Divines bless your kind heart!" the woman praised.
"May the ground quake at your passing," the man added before they began heading uphill towards the capital of Haafingar. Ruby watched them go, and then followed the traces she heard at the edge of her senses, the familiar tug of a Word Wall nearby. She followed the draw until she came to one exposed on the mountainside and began reading it.
"Het nok Fjoldmod Bein-Su wo pook ol pogaas nau gol ol ok kopraan dreh nu ko golt. Hehe, pook."
"What's so funny?" Lydia asked, eyebrow raised.
"Pook means stink. Kinda mean to put up how bad they smelled for someone's grave epitaph, though. Need to meditate on these words later. Gol sounds important, but so does su." She looked over to the side and saw the statue of an angelic woman holding up her arms. "I think that's Meridia's temple. Let's see if we can finally drop off her beacon."
"Right."
The two heading downhill towards the old temple, and then the voice of Meridia echoed out about them. "Look at my temple, lying in ruins. So much for the constancy of mortals, their crafts, and their hearts. If they love me not, how can my love reach them?"
"It is kinda sad that it's been left like this."
"Not too many people want to be seen openly worshipping a Daedric Prince."
As Lydia held on to their horses' reins, Ruby took the beacon from her pack and headed towards the statue, where a pedestal lay before it.
"Restore to me my beacon, that I might guide your destiny."
She set the beacon into the pedestal, figuring that it was where it went, and in response, the beacon began to glow brightly and floated upwards with a line of light beneath it. Ruby then felt a sensation of weightlessness, and suddenly she was in the air. She yelped a little as she began flailing her arms, but then her eyes were caught by the vast distance of land before her. Verdant forests pockmarked by orange and red trees stretched out in all directions, mountains and snowy valleys everywhere. Far to the east was more snow that she'd ever seen in her lifetime, and to the west the rocky landscape seemed to go on forever. But before her, an orb of pure light shone, like a magical candlelight spell big enough to engulf her, bright enough to cancel any darkness, yet gentle enough not to blind her.
"It is time for my splendor to return to Skyrim," the light she knew was Meridia spoke. "But the token of my truth lies buried in the ruins of my once great temple, now tainted by a profane darkness skittering within."
The light seemed to come closer to where Ruby was standing.
"The Necromancer Malkoran defiles my shrine with vile corruptions, trapping lost souls left in the wake of this war to do his bidding. Worse still, he uses the power stored within my own token to fuel his foul deeds. I have brought you here, mortal, to be my champion against him. You will enter my temple, retrieve my artifact, and destroy the defiler. Guide my light through the temple to open the inner sanctum and destroy the defiler."
"Well, that sounds pretty bad," Ruby answered nervously as she looked down to the temple far beneath her. "Okay, can I ask what the artifact is though?"
"Mortals call it Dawnbreaker, for it was forged from the shards of a great paladin's blade in a holy light that breaks upon my foes, burning away corruption and false life, like those that he destroyed in his time. You will enter my shrine, destroy Malkoran, and retrieve this mighty blade."
"So a really good knight guy's sword. Or the reforged sword? Eh, whatever! Sounds pretty cool either way! And the necromancer's gotta be stopped! I'll do it."
"Of course you will. I have commanded it!" Ruby rolled her eyes at that, but the goddess didn't seemed bothered by the action. "Go now, the artifact must be reclaimed and Malkoran destroyed."
"Kill evil necromancer, reclaim sacred artifact. Got it."
"Malkoran has forced the doors shut. But this is my temple, and it responds to my decree. I will send down a ray of light. Guide this light through my temple and its doors will open."
Suddenly Ruby felt herself being given back to the forces of gravity. "Whoa, whoa whoa whoa! Gently, gently!"
And then her feet were on the ground.
"My thane?!" Lydia shouted as she ran over and began checking over her charge. "Are you all right, Ruby?"
"I think I saw Whiterun from up there. Also, we gotta get this necromancer guy. He's apparently taking the souls from fallen soldiers in the war. That's bad for too many reasons."
"Absolutely it is. Are you certain you're fine though?"
"I'm okay. Meridia just seems to be theatrical and bossy. Like, really bossy. Worse than Weiss ever was. Okay, so we need to guide the light through the temple for it to lead the way, somehow." Ruby looked over to where a beam of light poured straight down from the beacon and into the pedestal. "So, where's the door?"
"Over here, I believe. I noticed it when I started looking around for you."
"Okay. So, let's get started then."
Inside, Ruby immediately tensed up. There was a dark miasma, visible from the moment she entered, floating through the air and along the ground, pushed by hollow winds that seemed to grind against her very soul. She heard steel clinking and looked to see that Lydia was tensed up as well. Only a few steps in, and Ruby saw a body, nearly hidden in the darkness. She stooped over it, and saw that it was unnaturally desiccated, the flesh on it shrunken until the bones warped, all inside of an Imperial soldier's uniform.
"Wait," she muttered as she looked to the face, and then pulled something from its eye. "A malk?" She plucked up another. "Why are there malks in his eyes?" she wondered aloud. She almost jumped when she backed up and hit another corpse with her feet. She turned and saw another corpse, only this one in a Stormcloak uniform. She looked at his face and found a few malks in his empty eyeholes as well. She plucked up four of them and looked at the moonstone coins in her hands.
"He's putting malks in their eyes."
"It might be a part of whatever foul ritual he's using," Lydia commented as she checked around them, her sword at the ready. "It might disrupt whatever he's doing if you take them. And, it wouldn't hurt if we put them to good use later."
"True." Ruby pocketed the money and then the two continued forward. A little ways in they found another body, this time with five malks, three of them set in his mouth between gaps in his teeth. After Ruby reluctantly pulled them, they went on again, this time coming across an old, locked door, and an iron gate with an open hall across from it and a chest behind it. Ruby looked over to the door and tried fiddling with the lock for a moment before giving up.
"Do you know anything about lockpicking?" she asked her housecarl.
"A little bit, but not enough to get into anything serious."
Ruby groaned and then looked at the stubborn door. It was wooden, but rather well-preserved given the environment. Sighing, she gave up all pretense of subtlety.
"Fus! Ro!" Her Shout smashed against the door and broke loose its hinges. It spun and fell forward, and Ruby stepped out of the way and looked forward expectedly to see that she had just uncovered a small, broom-closet sized room with a steel lever as its only feature.
"Well, at least it's not nothing." She went in and pulled the lever to hear something move and then looked back to see the iron gate had lifted itself. "Yay!" She went into the opposite room and found a rather sharp, ancient sword as well as some old gold coins and a moonstone dagger.
Going past the bend the two emerged into a large chamber, where some of the stone work had collapsed due to lack of maintenance, and in the very center sat a strange pedestal where a beam of light was focused on. Lydia began looking over it while Ruby made a quick search of the room, finding a few more desecrated bodies with malks embedded in them and some broken furniture. There was a door before her, but there seemed to be no direct way to open it, and Shouting did not so much as budge it. Crossing her arms, she walked back over to where Lydia was observing the pedestal and the noisy light.
"She said something about guiding her light so that the light would guide me." Ruby looked up and saw the light emanating from an orb similar to the beacon, then in the direction of the door where another one rested above it. Wondering how she was supposed to make the light shine there, she placed a hand on the platform, and then another orb began rising up from it, redirecting the light towards the one above the door. Ruby moved out of the way, and the light shone upon the orb and the stubborn doors opened.
"Oh, okay," the Dragonborn mused.
Lydia shrugged and the two pressed on again, only this time at the bottom of the stairs they came across enemies. The beings looked like blackened skeletons with a darkness wafting off of their bones, but the things had no legs beneath them and seemed to simply float in place. Two turned towards them and one drew a common Imperial sword while the other drew a warhammer. Ruby realized that the dark shapes mimicking armor around them matched the commonly worn armors of Imperial Legionnaires and Stormcloak Rebels respectively, and that these must be the things the necromancer was creating from the dead. Feeling anger welling inside her, Ruby drew forth Crescent Rose and met the hammer wielding undead while Lydia crossed swords with the other. They weren't particularly fast, but they had some strength to them. In the end, Ruby was able to beat down her foe easily with Lydia ending hers soon after, and then a ball of fire was Shouted at one that had been drawing a bow and aiming for them across the rooms.
"He's making corrupted shades," Lydia stated as she observed the puddle-like remains with bone shards sticking out of it. "This kind of necromancy… I can't even put into words how foul this is."
"We've got to stop him then. Things are bad enough without an evil necromancer killing people to make… You know, I have no idea why Malkoran's doing this."
"Likely as both an insult to Meridia and a way to build his own power. "
"That's petty and dumb. Well, let's go get him."
Ruby activated the next pedestal, and then the two left the temple-like room to the right after finding the forward way to be blocked. After activating another and destroying a couple more corrupted shades, Ruby hopped over a gap that Lydia simply went around, and then the two went through a doorway that led outside, where the light began hopping from one orb to the next.
"Oh, so there's two sections," Ruby realized. "Well, definitely better than being underground all day." She stretched herself in the sunlight as they continued on, pausing at a chest that Ruby tried to open in vain. Lydia attempted to pick the lock for a moment, but gave up when it turned out to be beyond her skill. They left it behind, Ruby trying to memorize the spot where it was at in case she ever had someone with the skills to open up something like that by her side.
Inside the upper section of the ruins, they walked into a large chamber where a more complex setup was made. Several of the corrupted shades were quickly dispatched, and Ruby activated three more of the orb holding pedestals to reveal the way forward, finding an old book called The Battle at Red Mountain. At first she was only half interested in it, but then recalled that it was the Battle of Red Mountain where Jurgen and others had been defeated, and where the Master of the Voice had apparently met a defeat so soundly it turned him into a monk. At the very least, she figured it might give her a little more insight into her own odd ability.
Another pedestal later, and the two walked down into a chamber where dozens of desecrated corpses were strewn about, and eight corrupted shades stood guard around one man who seemed to be focusing a magic onto something. He turned and waved his hand at them, and then the shades attacked. Ruby watched for the incoming enemies and dodged away from their first attacks before going on the offensive, swinging her scythe around her body and then slicing through three of them. She rammed one with the spear-tip end of her weapon's shaft, and then ducked under a swing and spun around, slicing upwards and through a fifth. Her path cleared, Ruby jumped forward and knocked Malkoran onto his back with a shoulder check, then pressed down on him with the blunt side of Crescent Rose's blade just as Lydia finished off the last of the shades.
"It's over," Ruby declared to the necromancer. "Give up now and-"
Before she could finish, Malkoran grasped her weapon and sent arcs of electricity up its metal body. Ruby yelped and stumbled back, but before the evil mage could send the icy looking spell in his hands at her, Lydia jumped forward and plunged her blade into his chest. Ruby caught her breath and looked at her dying foe disappointingly, but she got a bad feeling when she saw his face curling into a smile.
Lydia jumped back as dark energy exploded from the necromancer then congealed into a skeletal form, floating above the newly desiccated Malkoran. The shade summoned up a fireball and launched it at the housecarl, who tried to block it, but was flung far back. The abomination turned its attention towards Ruby, but the Dragonborn was already on the move, swinging her scythe at the undead. Malkoran managed to mostly dodge, but still lost an arm to Ruby's blade before she stepped in and used her momentum to, once again, bowl into him. Another spin and the shade's lower torso was removed before it found itself pinned, only this time directly next to the object where Meridia's light shined.
"You should have quit while you were ahead," Ruby said before shoving the shade over and into the beam. The undead screeched as its black skull was burned away, then the remainder of it became engulfed in a burning light, scouring it all away until nothing was left. Ruby sighed and looked back to where Lydia was getting to her feet. Her shield was scorched, but she was otherwise unharmed.
"You all right?"
"I'm fine, my Thane. Just a bit rattled."
Ruby nodded, but then the voice of the one who sent her here rang out.
"It is done," Meridia announced. "The defiler is defeated. Take Dawnbreaker from its pedestal."
Ruby walked up to the pedestal in question, and saw the hilt of a sword sticking out from the top of it. Carefully reaching around the beam of light fed into it, Ruby grasped the hilt and pulled the sword free. Ruby looked it over in wonder as she felt its power. The hilt was seemingly standard, but felt natural in her hands. The guard was composed of two ovals, a smaller one inside of the larger, with a fiery light shining in the center. The blade itself was sharp, yet for some reason seemed familiar to her somehow. Before she could ruminate on it any further, Ruby felt herself being drawn up and into a light.
The young girl felt shocked as she ended up outside, in the air far above everything like she had a while earlier. Looking down, she saw the top of the temple, yet again. This time she looked and tried to spot whatever she could in the distance, but then Meridia's ball of light caught her attention.
"Malkoran is vanquished," she stated. "Skyrim's dead shall remain at rest. This is as it should be. This is because of you. A new day is dawning. And you shall be its herald. Take the mighty Dawnbreaker and with it purge corruption from the dark corners of the world."
"As long as you don't try to make me hurt my friends, we're cool." Ruby glared at the light, who didn't seem to care.
"Your vampire follower is of little consequence, and may yet prove to be useful to my greater efforts even with her unnatural form. But know this; though you shall be the bearer of the mighty Dawnbreaker, it shall return to its line someday. You will know its rightful master on sight, and you will gift him this blade to wield in my name. So it is foreseen."
"Um, okay…" Ruby stared in confusion. "…How will I know who he is?"
"You will know, and that is all you need know now. Until that day, carry Dawnbreaker with you, so that my light may touch the world. And may the light guide you to your destiny."
Ruby felt herself drop, and then she was on the ground in front of Meridia's statue. The beacon lowered itself into its pedestal, and the beam and its noise faded away. Ruby looked up at the angelic carving and then looked at the sword in her hands. Touching the blade, she felt a comforting warmth to it, but part of her was still concerned with how it was familiar. Deciding that it was likely because the blade's shape itself wasn't anything unique, Ruby lowered the sword and looked outwards at the stretch of land that could be seen from her position on the mountainside, glad that there was at least one less credible threat to the people of this world.
After observing Skyrim's beauty for a long moment, Ruby suddenly started. "Oh crud! Lydia's still in the temple!" Ruby turned and rushed to get back to her housecarl.