Work and life may slow me, but it will not stop me! Even with big sunburned patches on my arms, I bring you all this new chapter! xTRESTWHOx and NaanContributorare here to back me!
Two baths and a thorough washing of her clothes later, Weiss was certain that she'd rid herself of every scent indicative of who she had been around. Since she was doing this in Dawnstar, she had to manually heat up the water herself, which hadn't been all that difficult, but was still inconvenient in comparison to the hot spring-fed baths of Whiterun and Windhelm. As she settled into a soft bed at the Frostfruit Inn, she cast a muffling spell over her room and picked up her scroll to make a call.
Ruby was the first to answer, quickly followed by Yang, Blake, and then Brelyna with one of the portable communicators. Most everyone was somewhere with one of the women, save for Anum-La, Yngvarr, Calder, and Smells.
"Hi Weiss, are you in Dawnstar?" Ruby asked.
"I am. The ship will continue on in the morning. They have to make sure anything meant for Stormcloaks is unloaded before moving on." Weiss recalled how some sailor had threatened her when she found an open crate with weapons, but someone stopped him before Weiss could and explained her position to him. His groveling for forgiveness afterward was just sad.
"So you're safe and sound? That's good."
"Yang, when will you be departing?" she then asked the blonde.
"Yng talked about heading along the mountain ranges to Morthal's swamps. He offered to show me some tips and tricks for making it through in the winter, so we'll be going more along a scenic route."
"That sounds nice." It really didn't. Weiss did not like the idea of 'roughing it' one bit. But it did sound like something Yang might enjoy.
"I'm going back south in the morning," Blake relayed to them. "I don't know what'll be waiting for me, but I have to see. This time, though, I'm ready."
"You've got insider knowledge and allies," Brelyna pointed out.
"So does Mercer. That's the tricky part."
"Just don't try to square up with him," Yang said while looking to her side, with Blake looking to hers as well, indicating they were in the same room. "If you can't get backup, back out. I can run pretty fast as a wolf, so call if you need me."
"I will."
"And Ruby, what's your plan?"
"Gonna go up and look in on this Magne… Magna… Is it Magna-Ge or Magne-Ge?"
"Both are proper pronunciations and spellings," Brelyna answered.
"I think elves use the 'e' version more and humans use the 'a' version," Onmund added. "But don't cite me on that. It's mostly a guess."
"Okay. Well, I'm going up to Winterhold after that stuff. Thinking back on what Astetu told me, Nirn might be in danger from this Ilmaasi person, but I don't know how to fight him besides getting more of these shards, which are already zig-zagging me around."
"There's also the matter of the unique magic you have been gifted," J'zargo remarked. "Some of these spells are extremely complex, yet powerful. They also do not fall under any single School, most being a combination of Alteration and Destruction."
"Which is fine, since those are the two I'm best at," Ruby added.
"I'd like to bring up a concern, if that's all right," Onmund started. "I don't quite understand what Weiss is doing."
"You mean infiltrating an evil vampire lair?" Ruby asked him.
"Um, yes? I mean, I understand why, what with an Elder Scroll being involved and all, but you couldn't send your thief friend to take it? No offense."
"None taken. I've gotten used to it."
"If this was a simple group then it wouldn't be such a problem," Weiss began to clarify, "but this isn't some gang of bandits or a small coven. This is an actual army. Of vampires. Blake getting caught at a place like this wouldn't just mean fighting her way out, it would mean hundreds of vampires converging on her, some of which my own vampiric instincts are telling me are dangerous and not to be trifled with."
"You're not exaggerating, are you?" Brelyna asked with an eyebrow raised.
"She's not," Yang confirmed. "I smelled over two dozen distinct scents on approach, and picked up maybe thirty others when we were in just the main hall before there were too many to count. Assuming the castle is as big on the inside as it is the outside, that means there's about that many vampires for every few chambers, and even with a big margin of error that means that there's probably about a hundred and fifty."
"More than that. There are basement dwellings as well, though I didn't go in them. I didn't have much time before I was sent out on my errand. Then we have no idea how many are out and about in the world."
"Like that group at Bloodlet Throne," Yang pointed out.
"That couldn't have been safe."
"It's not. I'm pretty sure it's a dog eat dog world in there, especially after those two tried to kill me and take the Chalice. I'm going to have to keep my wits about me, even if they pretend to be harmless, like that girl."
"What girl?" Ruby asked.
"There's one who looked like a young girl, smiling at me almost innocently and out of place. Not long after I heard her talking to some others, and she's just as cold and merciless as any other vampire there, maybe even more so."
Blake's eyes went wide, but she stayed silent.
"Sounds awful. Be sure to call us every once in a while," Ruby reminded her.
"I will. And you all best not call me first. Send a message and I'll get back to you when I can. I'll have my scroll on full silent the whole time I'm there."
'Damn, damn, damn!' Blake thought as she walked down the streets of the Gray Quarter. Some of the Dark Elves were looking at her oddly, though not in the same way they would if a Nord was walking through. Just when she wondered whether or not it was a good idea to be there, a woman in a cloak waved to get her attention.
"Come on in darling," she tantalizingly called out. "We have warm beds and warm bodies for every type."
Blake felt her cheeks flush at the implication, and seeing the skimpy, skintight clothing under her cloak as she moved her arms didn't help matters. She was ready to tell her 'no' when she saw the sign above the door that read "Silk 'n' Skin" had a carving of a spider beneath it. She blinked, and then looked back down at the prostitute.
"I'll just have a look around," she said before entering. The first room of the brothel was the reception area, where a few underdressed Dunmer women and a handful of men, both elven and human, were being tended to by the ladies as they waited for one of their rooms to become available so that their transactions may occur. Blake wondered for a moment if she maybe had gotten it wrong when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and felt something pressed against her back.
"One wrong move and your liver's decorating the floor," a voice threatened. "Who sent you, cat?"
"No one sent me," she calmly responded, ready to jump out of his grip with her Semblance the moment she needed to. "Just thought something might be in here."
"Careful," another voice said. "Take her weapons. We can just-" As soon as she felt the Ebony Blade shift on her back, whoever it was seemed to trip backward as he gasped. "Great Three…! Let her go! Quickly!"
The one holding her hesitated, but the small point at her back went away and the grip on her shoulder disappeared. She turned back to see two Dunmer men, both wearing robes of red and green, with the sigils of Boethiah's fist on one and Mephala's spider on the other.
"What's going on?" the Boethiah priest asked, still holding his wicked looking dagger.
"That sword… Please, my lady, I ask that you draw it and let us see."
Blake grimaced, but took the Ebony Blade from her back and held it out while revealing a handspan of its engraved blade from its covering. The priest gasped again and bowed at the hip while the whores and their customers looked on in confusion.
"Is that…?"
"The Ebony Blade of Mephala. We stand in the presence of her own Champion!" The priest collected himself and cleared his throat. "Forgive me. Perhaps we should speak elsewhere. Thank you for bringing her in, sister Breel, but it's not as we'd feared."
"Well, I'm certainly happy for that," the woman that lured her in exhaled in relief. "Cleaning the scent of blood out is always a hassle."
"Not today it seems. We'll be at the back room. Continue on with business as usual. Come, Champion. We have a few things to discuss." The two priests led her from the reception area down a narrow hallway. Even in her hand, the Ebony Blade stayed silent, though Blake's suspicions immediately dissipated when she realized that, as far as they knew, they had her right where they wanted her. Her thoughts were then distracted by the sounds of moaning and other such noises that sent her cheeks flaming red. As they entered the room at the very back, she noticed that all sound became, thankfully, silenced. An elf sitting at a desk then turned towards her and gasped, and she started herself when she recognized his face.
"Malborn?"
"You? I never thought I'd see you again, of all people," the Bosmer said in surprise.
"You know her then?" the Boethiah priest asked. "She's not the one after you?"
"No, though she is a part of the reason." Malborn sighed and stood up. "By the gods, this is actually a bit fortuitous."
"What's going on?" Blake asked.
"Due to old oaths, we have an obligation to house and protect anyone of our friend's family that finds themselves in need," the Mephala priest began to explain. "However, our organization hasn't the strength it once did, so we've had to keep him safe from the public eye and hope that his aggressor takes the bait we've set so that we can get him into Morrowind, where our brothers and sisters will be more able."
"The Thalmor sent an assassin after me," Malborn continued for him. "It's a Khajiit, but that's all we really know. It's the Thalmor's standard operating procedure, unless they decided to mix things up. We can't do anything about him as he's waiting outside of Windhelm. We were hoping he'd come in, and the whole Quarter's been on the lookout. However, with you here… Tell you what, you owe me a bit of a favor."
"I guess you want me to kill this assassin?" Blake deduced, and Malborn nodded.
"If you would be so kind."
"Well, I suppose that would make us even. What do you have on him?"
"We know a Khajiit has been around the stables," the Mephala priest told her. "It is likely the assassin, though you may need to either kill him quietly or find a way to do away with him…legally."
"He means goad him into attacking you, then play the part of a maiden simply defending herself," the other priest expanded. "Or even let the guards do it. We know how they think. A furry or scaly face is far less sympathetic to them, especially when the other side has a more pretty face."
"Subtle," Blake deadpanned. "All right, I'll get rid of this guy. Then you're off to Morrowind."
"And if by some miracle, you ever see me there, it won't be me."
"Gotcha. Well, wish me luck."
"All the luck in the world, oh Champion," the Mephala priest wished her as he opened the door. Blake nodded and went back out and down the hallway, but as she came near the reception room she felt something brush her cheek, causing her to flinch back and see the one that lured her.
"So, Champion of Mephala? I suppose that makes you someone we should look up to. I wonder how many of her gifts you bear…" She let out a small laugh, the notes of it almost musical to Blake's ears. "Well, feel free to come by any time. Personally, I feel I could stand to…waive a few septims from the price for you."
Blake resisted the urge to gulp and just nodded. "Thanks," she said quietly before rushing back out, barely noticing a few looks of jealousy and respect coming from the workers and patrons of the place. As she stepped back out into the cold air, she could practically hear the god of the establishment laughing at her.
Lydia swung forward, her sword slipping from her grasp and then flying through the air until it cut deep into a post. Ruby made a face with a hissing sound while Lydia sighed.
"It's okay," the Dragonborn encouraged her. "I can't tell you how many times I lost my grip when starting out."
"I'm not starting out," she complained as they walked over to retrieve the orichalcum blade. After yanking it loose, Ruby looked to the side and gasped at what she saw. She sped over, confusing her housecarl a moment before she ran after her, nearly tripping in her first few steps. They both stopped at the end of the bridge, where a Khajiit man was currently tied up with Blake right in front of him and a handful of Windhelm guards presiding over them.
"'He has inside knowledge of our procedures," she read from a letter in her hands, "so he will be warier than usual. Malborn is not his real name - he's now been identified as a survivor of a family of traitors who were all believed to have died in a fire in Falinesti.
"'Do not risk him evading us. He's likely trying to leave Skyrim. Make sure of your kill, and do not implicate us.'" She then looked up from the letter and at the Nords. "Well, there you have it. I take it being a Thalmor spy is a crime in Eastmarch."
"Oh, it's a death sentence," one of them responded coldly as he walked up to the prisoner. "You'd be lucky to be sent to the Pit. Even if you were, they'd never let you out. Probably feed you to a sabrecat. I think it'd be damn funny, too. But you know what boys?" he asked the other men.
"What's that?" one responded.
"I don't feel like paperwork." He then grabbed one of the Khajiit's ankles and pulled up. The Khajiit's eyes went wide as he tilted back against nothing and started dropping. Ruby gasped and ran over to the edge, but he was already in the air and headed for the ground while screaming at the top of his lungs past the gag in his mouth. She flinched back as he bounced off the stony canyon with a loud, wet crack and then rolled into the river. The men actually laughed at that.
"Well, if the fall didn't get him the cold will," one got out through his chuckles.
"I could see the spatter from up here. He's gone," another said before they started walking away. One noticed Ruby and bowed his head with a salute.
"Dragonborn," he said before walking away. The three women just watched them go on in shock, Blake looking back down at the paper in her hands before sighing and folding it up to put in her pocket.
"I'll have to take this back to Malborn." Blake sighed and shook her head. "Sorry you saw that. I thought they'd take him in, honestly. If I'd known that killing him myself would've been more quick and merciful than the 'legal' solution…"
"Compared to what they could've gotten away with, that might have been one of the least horrible ways to go," Lydia told them as she looked over the side of the bridge as well. "What was that about him being a Thalmor spy?"
"Thalmor assassin, really. Remember the Bosmer that got my stuff in and had to run away when we were done at the embassy?" Both of them nodded at that. "They sent that Khajiit to kill him. I met him in the Gray Quarter and he asked me to take care of it. And now we know why he was willing to help us. Apparently, the Thalmor might've had something to do with his family being killed." Blake sighed and brushed back her hair. "Well, I'll let him know the coast is clear. You…going to keep practicing?"
Ruby looked at Lydia then at the place where the Khajiit had been thrown from. "I think that's it for today, actually."
Yang tried to find that faint scent, nearly giving up, but then caught its feeblest whiff and then followed it, shoving aside several bushes to reveal the reddened goodness.
"Gotcha," she said while plucking off the frozen berries. Snowberries were an oddity in Skyrim, but a beloved one. They grew and ripened with all the other berries and fruits, but stayed good even as the frost came in and resisted it, thus keeping themselves edible throughout the winter. She ate a few of them and passed the rest to Anum-La, who chewed on a couple awkwardly.
"Good, good, you learn quickly," Yngvarr stated as he walked up behind them. "If you ever find yourself near starving, the snowberries will often be your best chance, though they may cool your tongue if you eat them too quickly."
"Brain freeze, right?" Yang asked around a mouthful. As she stepped back, Bjarni and Toggle immediately stuck their faces in and raced each other to eat as many as possible.
"Hm, a good name for it, I suppose." As they continued walking, Yang thought back over some of the tips he'd given them and the ones he considered.
'Glad he decided to wait for spring for the whole getting out of frozen water alive lessons,' she thought as she looked across the snowy horizon. Winter had begun in earnest, and if she had to guess they only had a scant few more days before all of Skyrim would be covered in a blanket of snow and ice. In a way, it was beautiful, but annoying nonetheless. Her eyes then caught some carved stones sticking out of the mountain and she pointed them out to the Nord. "Those look like decent shelter?"
"Could be. We'll have to take a closer look. Could be too exposed, or infested with dangers." They started towards the stones, soon coming around to the front of them to see that it was a sort of worn overlook. Inside were two coffins and a table, along with a person cloaked in deer fur looking closely at a cage blocking the way to a chest. Suddenly, the two coffins fell open, and a pair of skeletons came out, causing everyone to jump and grab their weapons, save for the one inside the overlook who conjured a sword into his hands near instantly. Yang was about to charge one, but Yngvarr brought a throwing axe into his hand and threw it into the skeleton's skull, carving into and pinning it to the wall. The other one was chopped down by the overlook's living occupant, whose hood had flown back to reveal honey-colored hair on top of a yellow head. The Altmer let out a sigh of relief, then banished the bound blade before turning to the three.
"Wow, that was a really frightening experience," he said rather nonchalantly. "The Nords should really consider burning their dead. Although granted, it would make opening urns a lot more harrowing."
"They did jump out pretty fast. You okay there?" Yang asked him while Yngvarr retrieved his weapon.
"Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry, that's not blood on my face, it's just makeup," he assured them, likely referring to the two red finger lines under both of his eyes. "No, I'm sorry, 'war paint'," he corrected himself with such sarcasm Yang could visualize the air quotes. "Doesn't help much in actual war though, but you did great," he indicated to Yngvarr, who quietly harrumphed. "That's why you get first shot at robbing these graves."
"Uh, is that okay?" Yang wondered. She'd never actually figured out how Nords felt about people looting the ancient tombs and catacombs. Given how there was a true-blooded Nord who was not one of their housecarls standing right next to her, now it seemed a lot more prudent to know.
"Personally, I don't care," Anum-La spoke up. "It's not like they're using it."
"In some tombs, it's rather the point," Yngvarr said as he went over and looked at the chest behind the gates. "A reward for those with the skill and knowledge to find it."
"Oh, and here I was thinking that they were trying so hard to take it with them because of extortionate rates in the markets of the afterlife," the elf said with a shrug. "Well, there I am. Wrong again. Not as surprising an occurrence as you'd think, actually."
Yang chuckled a bit. "I'm sure." She offered her hand. "Yang. Nice to meet you. These guys are Anum-La and Yngvarr."
"Rumarin," he said while taking the hand, "professional adventurer, bladebinder, and grave robber."
"Never heard of a bladebinder before," Yang commented as Yngvarr pulled the gates off their hinges behind them. "What do those do?"
"It's right there in the word. I summon and bind blades and weapons from Oblivion." He nodded his head at that. "I was always good with a sword and bow, and always too lazy to carry them. Learning how to conjure the weapons I need solves that dilemma."
"So you just figured," Yang snapped her fingers, "like that, you'd just bring up a weapon whenever?"
"That's where the knife ears come in handy." He gained a thoughtful look for a moment that was only offset by his light smirk. "Or was it crocodile lips? Toadskin? I can never forget these infernal nicknames the humans give us."
"You mean remember?"
"Remember what?"
"Never mind."
"Yes, well, what I'm trying to say is that High Elves are born with an affinity for magic. A head start, if you will, in the skill of hand waggling."
Both Yngvarr and Anum-La had to guffaw at that. Yang just smiled.
"Yeah, okay. You know a lot of magic, then?"
"Ever seen an elf juggle three axes while conjuring a fourth? Tie a cherry stem into a knot with their tongue? Now that's magic." Yang did go still for a moment there at the thought, but the distinct lack of rustling had her turn to see Yngvarr staring dead at Rumarin with his eyes wide and jaw hanging a little loose. "Now, if you mean spells and things, that requires more than being born with your ears pointed skywards. That requires…ugh…studying," he explained while shivering in revulsion.
Yang was reminded of every other student back home that couldn't stand the thought of studying. She didn't like it herself, but she did what she had to in order to get the material down. That and Weiss could be a slave-driver at times. The idea of an elf reviling study to that extent or perhaps even greater hadn't been one that had crossed her mind before, but here one was.
"Huh, I'll be…"
"Where do you suppose you're heading?" Anum asked him.
"Oh, I have a friend who works the stables at Windhelm. That's where I'm staying for the time being. I normally travel alone, but that's because I'm insufferable," he stated as though it were a simple fact. "If by chance you're willing to overlook that, I might make for a good traveling companion."
"Of course!" Yngvarr shouted happily while patting the mer on the shoulder. "We'd be happy to have you!"
Yang wanted to object to his sudden decision, mostly because she felt like it should've at least taken some discussion. She wondered why Yngvarr was so gung-ho about taking him along when she recalled how he froze at the cherry stem comment. She looked over to Anum-La and shrugged.
"You cool?"
"I'm actually freezing my tail off, if you're wondering."
"No, I mean, are you fine with Rumarin joining in?" she specified while indicating the two men above seven foot tall, Yngvarr having pulled the Altmer over to introduce him to Bjarni.
"The more the merrier, I suppose. Though, at this rate, it might seem like we're starting up a new company. Just need an actual mage. Preferably a healer. Maybe if we're lucky, Elia will be at the end of this trip. Although she might try to seduce the men if we don't hide them."
"Yeah, well, I got a feeling that if she did, she'd be barking up at least one wrong tree."
"Hello, Arch-Mage," Ruby cheerfully greeted the wheelchair-bound Dunmer as she entered the College with a pack laden with weapons of all kinds.
"Ah, Miss Rose. Good to see you again." He looked past her and frowned. "I suppose Weiss has yet to return?"
"No sir. Sorry, but…this whole thing with the vampires…"
"No, I understand. We're all doing what we can. If nothing else, along with the increasing number of requests for anything that can harm a dragon, we're getting many requests for Turn Undead enchantments. Sometimes it feels like I'm filling out a requisition for one of the holy knight orders. But don't mind that for now. What brings you to Winterhold?"
"Well, there's something somewhere east of here I need to look into, and I was also hoping to work on enchanting, too. It was Warrior's Day right before we left, so I got a bunch of weapons for half off." Ruby took the pack from her back to show him and he chuckled.
"Well, I suppose you didn't go half-way yourself. We can certainly help you enchant all of these items, but don't expect the same treatment as a student. You are a guest, after all."
"Uh, okay. Not sure how people get a different treatment here anyways. I'm just hoping to figure out how to put my Semblance on stuff." The other three students walked in, and Ruby took an enchanted quarterstaff from among her things and reared back. "Hey, Brelyna, catch!" she said before throwing it. It wasn't going very fast, and was rather straight in its path, but the younger Dunmer gasped as it flew at her and held her hands out, where a multicolored orb formed and exploded against the staff, sending it flying back at Ruby, who caught it.
"Whoa!" the Huntress cried out. "I wasn't trying to hit ya!"
"Sorry!" Brelyna apologized with a wince. "You just surprised me!"
"What spell did you hit it with?" Onmund asked in curiosity.
"Spell? What spell?"
"The spell that you sent it flying with," he pointed out.
"Yes, that was no simple Repulse spell," J'zargo agreed. "Repulse has no such coloration to it."
"I really don't know what you mean."
Ruby wondered about it herself, but then noticed something else. Surprised, she handed the staff over to Savos.
"Sir, do you feel an enchantment on this?"
Savos studied it for a moment before looking back up towards Ruby. "No, my dear. It appears to be a common steel and wood staff."
Ruby fished through her pack, pulling out a wrought iron spiked mace. "And this?"
"Stamina draining," he answered quickly.
"Thanks. Brelyna, catch!" she called out while throwing it. The Dunmer screamed as it came flying at her head and blasted it back like the staff, only this time the mace landed on the floor halfway between them.
"Are you crazy?!" she yelled at Ruby as the younger girl retrieved the weapon.
"No, it's fine. You would've been able to take it with your Aura anyways."
"My… Oh, I had almost forgotten."
Ruby brought the mace back to Savos, who was looking at her oddly.
"I don't appreciate you throwing deadly weapons at my students' heads," he warned her.
"It's okay. It's for learning. How about now? The mace, I mean."
"I don't see…" his fingers wrapped around the hilt, and then he seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "What is this?! The enchantment from earlier! It's…completely gone." He took it fully into his hands.
"You mean…I removed the enchantment?" Brelyna asked as she walked up.
"I think we just found your Semblance," Ruby declared. "That was quicker than I expected, to be honest. But it's kinda cool. Isn't that something most people can't do?"
"Unraveling enchantments from items without damaging them is normally a master enchanter's skill," Savos explained. "And by then, most wouldn't have a use for it, unless someone wants a new enchantment but on the same item like an old family heirloom or some such. Yet there appears to be no damage to the mace, and no sign of its enchantment."
"Cool, so we have a starting point. Maybe your Semblance is erasing magical effects or something like that," Ruby wondered.
"Well…that could be useful in and out of a lab," Brelyna supposed. "How did I…do it, though?"
"Well, we could keep-"
"Miss Rose, I kindly suggest you don't throw any more magical weapons at my student, even if you think she can take it."
"Yes sir. Sorry. We'll figure out another way."
"Well, in some parts of Tamriel, war paint is seen as a tribal mark for warriors," Rumarin answered Yang's query onto his choice of cosmetics as they led their steeds along the road. "In others, it can be a family crest, an artistic splash, or just too much makeup. Of course, excessive makeup is traditionally a sign that you will service wealthy nobles for gold," he continued in such an even tone that Yang was fighting to keep from sputtering. "And before you ask, my price is one hundred septims and no kissing on the mouth. Okay, maybe once or twice, but no tongue."
"Ha, and here I thought you were interested in other males," the Argonian said from behind him.
"Oh, but I am," he said confidently. "Males, females, beasts, goats, the list goes on and on." Before Yang could question him, he continued, "Although I confess I don't like billies. You're not a billy, are you? Well, if you are, I'll still do it, but it's going to cost extra."
"Okay, in all seriousness, and I mean serious seriousness," Yang emphasized, "you're kidding about the goats, right?"
"Perhaps. Though I might be willing for a Satyr. I've never actually seen a Satyr before, but I know they're supposed to be some sort of goat man thing. If they're like Centaurs, then no. I don't trust anything that can kill me by just ramming me into a wall with its rump, especially something that knows that they can do it. Sure, it may sound like the perfect way to go, but imagine that as your epitaph: crushed by a speeding ass!"
Yang clutched her face as she crackled into laughter. When she finally calmed down, the party began seeing the edges of what her map indicated would be Heljarchen Creek. As they came closer, they heard a roar in the sky and looked up to see a dragon covered in spindly spines. Just as they readied themselves in the case of its aggression, another dirt red dragon came up and rammed into its side, the two clawing and biting each other as they tried to keep themselves in the air. As they separated, one began yelling at the other.
"Golt lost lokrot dii!"
"Rot do dinok arhk saan kos!"
When the four realized that the dragons were too embroiled in their own battle to notice them, they quickly sped towards the town, pulling Lucky Day along with them and trying to keep the horse from being startled. As they approached, Yang saw a group of guards watching the fight anxiously.
"What's going on?" she demanded as she stopped next to the Dwarven metal gate.
"Those two dragons have been fighting each other on and off for hours now," one of the men answered her. "They go at it like savages while shouting in that language of theirs, then they split up and go rest somewhere for a while, then one of them flies back up and it starts all over again."
"The citizens get antsy every time it starts, but I think we're slowly getting used to it," another explained. "Some of the men have even started placing bets on who'll win in the end."
"I hope they finish each other off," the first said. "Whichever horror comes out on top, I guarantee it'll look to Heljarchen next."
Yang looked up and saw the two dragons slowly circling each other a few times before silently splitting apart and going separate directions. She looked to where both went and saw them land, the two looking in each other's direction as they seemed to roost.
"Okay, I have an idea."
"Does it involve us taking on a couple of dragons?" Rumarin asked.
"Kinda," Yang answered with a shrug.
"Well, I suppose it's a glorious way to go, but in this day and age it's more likely to seem statistical than noteworthy. Could you gentlemen please take note of us should we die in a heroic struggle?"
"Go hump a tree, elf!" one cursed him.
"That's more a Bosmer insult than an Altmer one. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go die trying to save some ungrateful Nords."
"We won't be dying here. Well, we shouldn't, anyways," Yang reasoned as she and Rumarin started forward, Anum-La tailing right behind them. Yngvarr remained behind a moment to glare at the other Nords, enough to make a few of them back up from the giant of a man.
"True Nords would be honored to have anyone willing to die by their sides in battle. I'd take a brave elf over cowardly Nords any day," he announced before stomping away from them.
The first dragon they approached was the closer one, with wine red scales, large yellow eyes, and a flattish tail. Along with the three black horns atop his head, there were two growing from beneath and pointed backwards, giving his crest an image like a windswept star. He saw them coming and leaned up, but made no aggressive movements.
"Close enough, jorre! I cannot see to you this moment, for I have tinvaak to continue," he told them, his moving mouth letting them see that he had a beak in place of teeth. The four stopped where they were, but Yang waved an arm towards him.
"It's okay. We're actually here about that. What's going on?"
"Use your eyes and ear, jorre!" he said while waving a bloodied wing in emphasis. "One of my brethren and I are locked in tinvaak! We cannot move on until it has been settled. As of now, I am considering his arguments and forming my counters."
Yang looked at the other dragon a distance away. She was familiar with the term 'tinvaak'. Ruby had described it to her earlier and had mentioned that to dragons, fighting and arguing were one and the same. Judging by what she was seeing, Ruby was entirely correct. "So you're arguing?"
"What you humans think of as 'arguing' would barely pass for a minor disagreement among the Dov. This tinvaak is over who this malokaaz – this lake belongs to."
"You're…fighting over the lake?" She looked over at Lake Yorgrim then back at the dragon. "Why?"
"Why does anyone fight? To be right, of course. My claim is older than his, but he claimed it while I slept beneath the ground after a mortal smashed my head beneath a stone hill. He had returned from Atmora just before thuri revived me, claimed it as I still slept, and now I must reclaim it."
"Uh…" Yang was at a loss with the situation. It was definitely outside of her normal caliber, but at the same time, these two continuing on their fight could likely cause a lot of collateral damage. "Okay, so what'll make you guys settle this?"
"That is to be determined. I do not expect you to understand, jorre, but I will entertain you, as I have already made tinvaak rok krif arhk spaan. One of us must prove the other wrong."
"Okay, I think I get it actually. Hey, would you mind holding off while I talk to him?"
"The tinvaak continues, but the Words may yet stay a time."
"Awesome. Give me a minute."
"So you just wanted somewhere to live alone?"
"Ge," the thorny backed and tailed dragon answered her, likely an affirmative. "I had no knowledge this golt was still held, but once he engaged in tinvaak, I could not back down. I am not wrong in this."
"No, you're not, but he's not wrong either," she explained while thumbing towards the other dragon. "You must have noticed that by now."
"This…is true," he admitted with a slow shake of his head. "My position in the tinvaak has been faltering. He may win, but I do not wish for defeat."
"Look, I hate being wrong too, trust me."
"I love being wrong," Rumarin spoke up. "Of course, that's usually because I guess the worst possible outcomes."
"Yeah, see, look at it like that," Yang pointed out. "It's not the end of the world. Besides, you can always find a nice lonely place, like a mountain. Heck, I think there's a mountain up for grabs right now. You know where Shearpoint is?"
The dragon seemed to ruminate over this for a moment before releasing a, oddly, quiet laugh. "You mortals and your concepts can be so confusing at times. Tell me then, where is this mountain? Who was its lord?"
"Uh, Hortu- No, Horvetki- Uh, hold on." Yang typed a text to Ruby real quick, inquiring to the name of the dragon. "I remember my sister describing him as being purple with gilded horns and… Oh, Hor-vut-o-kin-ah," she pronounced carefully after receiving the response.
"Horvutokinah has fallen?" the dragon asked in surprise. "Your sister? Dovahkiin?"
"You aren't going to try to kill me if I say yes, are you?"
"Nid, but this wing beats oddly. If the Dovahkiin could overcome Horvutokinah… Hm, this wind blows another way. Very well, I shall see to this strunmah, but first, our tinvaak."
"What?! I thought we got that out of the way!" Yang objected as the reptile began walking forward rather than take wing. The red one matched him and the two met near the middle of where they had been waiting.
"Zeymah," the spikey one called out as they neared one another, "Zu'u ofan hi daar golt."
"Ofan?" the other seemed to question. "Golt arhk malokaaz ni hin wah ofan!"
"Zu'u gahrot nol hi, ruz ofan nii wah hi."
The red dragon raised its head up, as though surprised, then let out a loud and long laugh. The other joined him, and once the two were done, the red one seemed to be smiling at him from the side.
"Genaz! Orin brit ro! Kron voth saan!"
"Ge. Bo nu, wah strunmahi."
"Pruzah wundunne," the red one said just before the spiky one turned and took off, heading southwest. After a few moments, he had become little more than a shrinking point in the distance, and the party of four felt it was safe to approach the remaining dragon.
"So… I take it everything went well," Yang said to him as they cautiously drew close.
"It has. I now have my malokaaz again, and can enjoy myself once more."
"That's good. Uh, you're not doing to do anything awful like roast people alive and stuff, right?"
"Too troublesome. I have better things to do until thuri gives me commands to do otherwise. Tiid bo viing. I go now." The red dragon then jumped up and took off in one motion, heading toward the lake and dipping down, letting his wingtips brush the surface as he flew overhead.
"Well that was strange," Anum-La commented. "One minute they're trying to tear each other apart. The next, they're sharing jokes. At least I think it was jokes."
"Yeah. I guess they really were brothers," Yang decided with a shrug. "Anyways, it's getting late. They should have an inn there, right?"
"I think it's better if I show you how to find a warm place to sleep when you're too far from civilization," Yngvarr spoke up. "There's a cave nearby I know of, where I can show you the proper way to defend against the cold. We may have to fight whatever's in there now, but it'll be good exercise, and perhaps it'll give us something fresh to eat."
"Fighting for our lives when there are comfy beds in reach?" Rumarin wondered aloud. "Sounds like a grand time."
"Well, uh, if you'd prefer…we…"
"I'm just jesting, old chap. I actually can't help but wonder what we might find. And, like you said about the little fox hidy holes, better to learn while it's safe."
The old Nord smiled at that, as did the others.
Blake traveled down the road towards Riften, seeing Volgahrotru fly over her just before she reached the rising settlement of the Ashen people on the first night. They seemed to have settled on the name Onsen for the place, and Blake could really appreciate the reason behind it when she got to bathe in one of the hot springs. After having most of the tension in her body relaxed by that visit, she continued on, stopping at Shor's Stone on her second night and finally arriving in Riften. Rather than immediately head into the Ratway or Ragged Flagon, the Faunus first checked her home for the Thieves' Guild armor she never wore and changed into it, adding the black veil to help conceal her identity to pass off as just a regular, everyday footpad.
As she descended into the Ratway, she did her best to try and listen with her ears stuck under the hood but was finding it difficult, somewhat reminding her of when she first put on the bow back on Remnant. Once she was at the Flagon, she found herself a dark, secluded corner and adjusted her hood to let her ears more freely listen.
"-shipment we heisted on the Cyrodiil frontier was worthless!" Vex complained to the bald Nord.
"That's impossible," Delvin objected. "I distinctly heard that lout in the tavern say it was a full shipment of furs. They should be worth a fortune."
"You idiot. He said "firs" not "furs." It was a damn logging caravan!"
Blake wanted to smack herself in the face at that, but then Sapphire came up to the two.
"Has Mercer come back down from his work yet?"
"Haven't seen him," Delvin admitted. "Don't know what he's doing up there. He usually doesn't stay in his house for long." Blake wondered what they meant, but Sapphire just sighed and walked away after that. Undaunted, Blake subtly got up and walked to the Cistern after the woman, hoping to hear more about whatever Mercer was up to. She saw her go up to Niruin, who was currently practicing his archery, working more on speed than accuracy.
"Hey, Delvin and Vex haven't heard back from him yet. What do you think's going on?"
"Well, honestly, the whole think stinks like piss," the Bosmer said as he let off three arrows in quick succession before turning towards the woman. "I mean, this Khajiit shows up just as an old traitor resurfaces, seems to protect some of the traitor's assets, then, when she goes after the traitor with Mercer, runs off after her and 'disappears'." Blake's eyes went wide at what he was suggesting.
"You think Belladonna was setting us up for Karliah?" Sapphire seemed to shake her head at that. "I don't know. She killed the Dark Brotherhood. What was keeping her from doing the same to us?"
"Mercer, for one. Also, I think they aren't planning to get rid of us. They were trying to take over." Blake wanted to object as she walked by them, trying to keep up her disguise, but chose to keep herself hidden and just went toward the practice room, pretending to pause at its entrance.
"A lot of people in the Guild wouldn't stand for that."
"You're right, but now Belladonna has a good idea of who those people are. And if this Karliah is as dangerous as the senior members make her out to be, then the two of them could probably work together to thin the ranks and consolidate."
"Gods, Niru! You really think it'll come to that?"
"Maybe not. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and poor Blake's really just dead and lost under the snow somewhere. But I'd rather be proven wrong than caught off guard. Mercer seems to be preparing, too. Can't imagine him doing anything else upstairs. 'Til then, I'm going to focus on practice, just in case." As he went back to shooting at his target, Sapphire sighed and walked away.
Blake walked on into the practice room, going over what little she'd found out.
'Mercer's doing something on the ground, and it looks like he just told everyone I disappeared. Guess it saves him from having to show a body. But what is he doing? And where's Brynjolf?'
"It steps softer than before," a voice suddenly came up from behind her, "but this one still hears the cat's plodding."
Blake spun around and prepared to grab the dagger at her side as she saw Gnives smirking where she was just standing.
"You…"
"To be fair, you are doing much better than before. To any other's ears, you might have been discreet. So, it seems you have not vanished in a blizzard or fallen to a Dark Elf's arrows."
Blake sighed, but kept herself ready. "No. But I'm not sure if you'll believe what really happened."
"Gnives might believe. The best way to determine is to watch and see," the Khajiit said while crossing his arms. "Will you tell him what happened?"
"Okay, but first, I need to know. How much do you trust Mercer?"
"How much does he trust anyone?" he ruminated while leaning slightly to the left. Blake saw how his left foot was holding his weight as though on a spring as he did. "Mercer is the Guild Master, so Gnives will often do as he's told. But like with Gnives' old master, he will not let himself be misused by someone just because they lead."
"Does he talk with you much?"
"He thinks the Guild Master has spoken to Gnives…three times." The Khajiit made a quiet, throaty laugh. "There are so many loud presences in the Guild. This has always suited Gnives, letting him hide among their numbers from anyone, even others in the Guild."
"Good." Blake thought over what she was about to share with the man she barely knew, but right now might have been her only chance at a neutral perspective from the Guild. "Okay, so…this is going to sound insane. We were tracking Karliah."
"This he and everyone with ears knows."
"Just listen, okay? When we found her I…did get hit with an arrow, but it had a paralytic potion on the tip. I was only a little injured by it, but I couldn't move." Gnives raised an eyebrow at that, but kept his smirk. "Then Mercer and Karliah argued, but the thing is, Karliah accused him of killing Gallus and not only did he not object to it, he seemed to admit it and gave his own reasons. She got away with an invisibility potion, then Mercer stabbed me in the chest."
"And yet, you're still alive. Unless Gnives is speaking to a ghost." The Khajiit raised his brow and lowered his ears skeptically.
"I… Karliah came back and stitched me back up. Something about the potion kept me from bleeding out before she could. Look, the point is, Mercer is the actual traitor, and I need to get proof. Right now, I have a journal that might implicate him, but I need to get it translated. I came here to see if I could find anything or anyone to help, but…"
"Mercer has already spread word of your disappearance." Gnives nodded and began twirling a finger through his whiskers while leaning on his other foot. "When he returned alone, he told everyone you had chased the Dunmer, running ahead of him and not heeding his advice. Then the blizzard rolled in and he lost all traces of you both. Some think you are dead. Some think you have turned and joined this enemy. It seems to be half-true. Brynjolf ran to the north to try and find you, and Mercer began sending nearly all in the Guild on various assignments, most to gather information. The entire Ratway was almost empty for days, then Mercer went to the surface and has not come back down since."
"I don't know what he's up to," Blake admitted. "He might be readying himself for Karliah, or trying to find another way to get her. There isn't a small war keeping him from focusing resources on tracking her this time. And he thinks I'm dead, which means he won't be looking for me." Blake nodded and looked at the Khajiit. "Listen, don't tell anyone about any of this. I'm going to try and get the proof from Markarth first. That way, Mercer will have nothing to hide behind when we do come after him."
"A very exciting time to be alive. Gnives wishes it were not so." He hummed in thought. "Very well. Go and find your proof, then. Gnives will not talk of this unless he must. Do not take it personally, but he does not value your skin over his fur."
"That's…fair, I guess." Blake sighed. "Well, I'll be off then. I can't really let people know that I'm here. For what it's worth, thanks for the tips." She went around him and started to head out.
"A final thing," Gnives spoke up, his voice rising above its normal volume for but a moment. "If proof of Mercer's guilt is found, what then?"
She looked back at him then down at the floor.
"I'm not sure, but it's not going to be pretty."
When Ruby prepared to leave for the Skyshard, rather than head out the city gate she started heading straight east, taking the group through the broken down and ramshackle part of Winterhold as she did. Part of the reason was to get a look at the old ruins that had slid away from the rest of the Hold capitol, and another part was to test Brelyna and Lydia on landing strategies.
Lydia did fine, but luckily for Brelyna the snow was soft and her Drop Zone spell helped to further cushion her fall. She decided after that to dedicate more time to perfecting Levitation.
They continued on eastwards, first touching the shore then going across the water with prodigious use of ice manipulation and Waterwalking spells. Towards late afternoon, snow and wind started blowing upon them fiercely, but the light of a fire could be seen ahead.
"Phew, let's take a second there to get warm," Ruby said to the four following her.
"Are you…sure?" Brelyna trepidly asked.
"Yeah, what's the matter?"
"Well, I'm just a little apprehensive of coming up to complete strangers to share their fire."
"We should be fine," Onmund assured her. "There's five of us, and three of us are experienced mages while the other two have a sort of soul magic power. Unless a small army of trolls have gathered, there shouldn't be anything out here that we can't handle."
They came upon the campfire, which was in the shadow of a long wrecked ship that they had missed while approaching. On the other side of the fire was a pair of lean-tos, both with a sleeping roll beneath them and someone sleeping in each roll. Another man was sitting in a chair close to the fire, appearing to have dozed off with a spyglass in his hands and a crossbow in his lap. Ruby smirked and shook her head at that.
"Well, good thing for these guys we aren't bandits." As Ruby tried to think of how to wake the man without startling him, another voice rose up from the direction of the derelict ship.
"What in Oblivion?!" The group turned their gaze up to see another man looking down upon them from the deck of the grounded ship, this one hefting what seemed to be a scythe made of orichalcum and wearing iron armor over his furs, along with a spiked black and red half-helm. As Ruby wondered about the effectiveness and utility of a scythe made from such a material, the man vaulted the railing to charge at them with the weapon reared back for a swing. For a moment they were all stunned, but then Ruby jumped back as he went for her, holding out her hand to signal for Lydia to wait as the housecarl made to draw her blade.
"Whoa there, buddy! Hold on!"
"This ship's stuff is ours!"
"I never said it-"
"You won't get the best of me!"
"I'm not trying to-"
"I'll have your head!"
Ruby sighed as she dodged the fifth wild swing in a row, then pulled out Crescent Rose and extended the mechanical scythe to block the man's next attempt, stopping him dead.
"Okay, first off all, you have no idea how to wield a scythe," she scolded him as the other three men in the camp roused themselves to see what was going on. "Second, we aren't here to take-" He shoved against her with a shout and Ruby hopped back. "Well now you're just being difficult!"
"Boss, what in the world…?!" the formerly sleeping sentry went.
"Kill, maim, burn!" the man screamed while frothing at the mouth, the red lines along his helmet beginning to glow. "KILL! MAIM! BURN!"
"He's possessed!" J'zargo warned them as he started gathering magicka, the other two mages doing the same. Even as two lightning spells zapped into the man and a firebolt burst behind him, he continued running at Ruby, this time his scythe swings actually having some skill to them. The young girl was caught off guard by this sudden change and she was caught by a pull from behind her knee. She kicked forward trying to avoid injury, but then was slammed by the weapon's pole onto her back. As the man went for an overhead swing, Lydia jumped in and summoned up her shield Semblance, stopping it completely and causing the man to stumble back. Her sword then swung out and through his neck, sending his head flying away, where it rolled out of the helmet after crashing against the ground.
Everyone remained still for a moment, then the decapitated body fell over.
"Poor Borldar," one of the salvagers lamented as they buried their friend into the ground that Onmund had magically dug out for them. Each of them had claimed a portion of his belongings, including his armor – which the man was now wearing – but still felt he deserved a decent burial.
"Never thought he'd die possessed by a Daedric helm," another said. "Always figured it'd be under a woman after one too many."
"One too many what?" Onmund asked as he and Brelyna continued carving out a headstone with Alteration magic.
"Drinks, bites of food, skooma, women, you name it, he was about a breath away from too many."
"Well, dying in battle like that, least he's got his chance at Sovngarde," the first man figured.
Nearby, Ruby had looked over the scythe and also found that it had come from among the salvage from the broken ship, along with tons of other items. The ship itself was called the Pride of Tel Vos, which sounded somewhat familiar to her, though she couldn't place where she'd heard the name before. Among the salvaged items were several weapons, furs locked in watertight boxes, and preserved foods. In one box she found a piece of a journal with an attached note addressed to someone named Brandyl. It seemed to be about a Dunmer of House Telvanni during the time of the Accession War. Brelyna had said it was likely that if this Brandyl was still alive, he might be somewhere in the east. Ruby made a note to see if she could find any information about him before helping to set up camp for the night.
When the five departed in the morning to try and get closer to their goal, the salvagers packed up what they could and headed back to Winterhold. Ruby led the way across water and ice, learning Waterwalking as she did while also showing a few of the spells she had gotten from Seletar to the mages.
"And this is an Umbral Orb," she demonstrated. The Orb exploded into being and began to roll downhill from them as they continued walking. "It's supposed to be like the Rods of Power with how it works with other spells, but I haven't learned any of those yet."
"A lot of these spells seem to be either very luminous or quite tenebrous," J'zargo noted as he kicked at the ball moments before it dispersed.
"Huh, yeah, I think you're right." Ruby nodded as if she understood what either of those words meant. A roar echoed out and the group stilled before seeking out the source, finding a snow bear pulling a young horker away from its group on an islet. The largest horker put itself between the smaller ones and the bear, but the predator was already leaving with its prey. The other horkers were still scrambling though, flopping themselves into the water to swim away and escape, the largest one being the last to do so. The bear then finished off its prey and began feasting.
"Uh, we better go around," Ruby suggested. They did so, circling around the bear to the other side of the islet. As they reached the end where an iceberg had washed up nearby, Ruby stopped at the edge of the shore and looked down into the briny waters.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" she complained loudly while kicking at the sand. "Urgh! It's down there!" she pointed out.
"Under the freezing waters?" Brelyna asked. "Do these Mange-Ge want you to die of hypothermia?"
"I'm starting to wonder. I had to go under water for the other two, but at least one of them was in warmish water and the other we just went through a submerged tunnel." She sighed in resignation. "Do you guys have some spells or potions for this?"
"I can whip up some Waterbreathing potions real quick," Onmund suggested while moving his pack around and fishing out his alchemy supplies.
"What about the cold?" Lydia asked. "Even the hardiest Nord could catch his death out here."
"Well, some snowberries, frost merriam, and moon sugar should make a potion to ward off the cold. Don't have any moon sugar on me, though."
"Hm." Ruby reached into her back and took out a small jar. "This much enough?"
"…Why do you have so much moon sugar?" the Nord man asked her.
"I was gonna give it to Inigo and M'rissi next time we visited. Khajiit need moon sugar, right?"
"About five cups spread through the month for a full-grown Cathay," J'zargo answered. "And not all at once."
"Wait, you need moon sugar?" Onmund asked him in surprise.
"Just as much as you need vegetables and fruits. It is a necessary part of our diet to stay healthy."
After a short wait and a little talk of different dietary needs sprinkled throughout, Onmund had enough potions for the people who didn't know the spells needed to head under the chilling water. Once they were downed, Ruby led the way beneath the briny surface, pushing herself down and forwards, the psionic tether leading her towards a cave. She went in and the others followed the glow of her Candlelight. She then went up and broke the surface, coming up into a cave she could tell would have bitten her with its freezing chill had she not drunk that anti-cold potion. They all pulled themselves up into it then Brelyna proceeded to dry everyone off with warm wind funnels.
"Well, this is interesting," Onmund said as he came across part of a stone wall sticking out of the ice. He cast a Magelight forward and it caught against a wall, illuminating more of the cave they were in and more ancient architecture, this time a door arch. He walked up to the stone and looked at it closely in interest. "Very interesting. This doesn't even look like most ancient Nordic or Atmoran designs. Maybe early Velothi?"
"No, it doesn't match at all," Brelyna corrected him. "An early Velothi door arch would have been completely rounded. This begins at a rounding and has tiers that go toward what I think might be right-angled edges at the top. Hard to tell with the ice, but it's definitely not Velothi. Another thing is that the Velothi Chimer never built anything until they had passed by the mountains completely."
"Well, it certainly isn't Nordic, and the usage of iron means it definitely wasn't the Dwemer. So…" Onmund froze for a moment then went forward, recasting his Magelight near a chandelier half-buried in ice from the ceiling. It was made from iron, but was thinner and daintier looking than anything a Nord would have ever crafted. He then looked at a nearby column, noting its edges and the way the stones were placed together to form three distinct patterns. Going forward and up an incline, he then came to a wall with three thin windows, paned by the same iron as the chandeliers, thin and stylized.
"By the gods! Everyone, I think that…we might just be looking at the first example of Falmer architecture excavated in thousands of years!"
"Wait, Falmer?" Ruby asked in worry.
"Well, not Falmer as in those Falmer, but the ancient Falmer. Snow Elves!" He turned in excitement. "This could be the discovery of the era!"
"...We should make sure it's less world threatening than the last discovery of the era we found," Brelyna muttered.
"Golt lost lokrot dii!" - (This) land was [clearly] mine! - Note: there was no word for clearly, so I made one up by combining the words 'sky' lok and 'word' rot.
"Rot do dinok ahrk saan kos!" - Words of death and loss be!
"Zeymah, Zu'u ofan hi daar golt." - Brother, I give you this land.
"Ofan? Golt arhk malokaaz ni hin wah ofan!" - Give? (The) land and lake (are) not yours to give!
"Zu'u gahrot nol hi, ruz ofan nii wah hi." - I steal from you, then I give to you.
"Genaz! Orin brit ro! Kron voth saan!" - Delightful! Ironic [lit. fully beautiful balance]! To win through losing!
"Ge. Bo nu, wah strunmahi." - Yes. (I) go now, to my mountain.
"Pruzah wundunne." - Good travels.