Land in Darkness

2nd of Rain's Hand, 4E 206.

Rhavaniel was standing outside Mzulft. She took a deep breath. The sky was blue with little whisps of white clouds dancing on a slight breeze, and she felt happy, content even. Kato was standing further down the hill petting Kahzii. He laughed as Tuiwon bumped his shoulder.

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes and smiled. Kato was the first man she had met in a while that she had spent a significant amount of time with. Not because she didn't have the opportunity, but because she preferred spending time with people that actually had something to say. She liked equal exchange. Her partners were either one-night stands or people that she could have meaningful discussions with. In the past couple of years, only women had fit the second category.

Tuiwon came galloping up to Rhavaniel. "Hey, boy. What do you think of Kato, huh?" she asked.

Tuiwon neighed.

"Yeah, I think you are right," Rhavaniel said. "There is no hurry though. Let's go for Blackreach first. I think you and Kahzii can run around on the fields of Whiterun while we are down there. Just remember that Kato will need Kahzii when we come back. Foals are not really on the agenda right now."

Tuiwon neighed again.

Rhavaniel smiled as she mounted up and headed down to Kato. He had forgone putting his armour on so he could skip the saddle on Kahzii as well.

They were heading for Raldbthar. Naya and Rashall had opened the quick way down to Blackreach when they had been there dealing with bandits years ago. They would send their horses onto the steps of Whiterun rather than keep them by the ruins.

Rhavaniel picked jazbay grapes as they travelled along the winding roads on their way back towards Windhelm. They would take into the inn there for the night if everything went well.

3rd of Rain's Hand, 4E 206.

It was early the next morning. Rhavaniel was sitting on the railing of the bridge outside of Windhelm. She was looking at the sky and humming softly to herself. There would be rain later. She didn't mind. She liked the rain. She sighed. It frustrated her to no end that she couldn't figure this stupid cure out. She had been so close, so many times, but it always seemed to slip between her fingers. Maybe Kato could help. He didn't know potions, but his thought pattern was different from hers. He knew certain things she didn't. He had experiences from a whole other world to back him, and that sometimes gave him ideas that she would never have thought of.

It felt strange even considering relying on someone else. Rhavaniel had been alone for so long. She had seen how people around her fell in love and found someone to share their darkest secrets with, but she had never found that. Vivianna had married Tahlvin the Hero of Kvatch and they had been so happy together. Until the Thalmor killed him for speaking the truth. Vivianna hadn't been the same since.

She had plenty of friends. She could count those in the dozens if she really tried. She was far from alone, yet sometimes she felt like there was no one else in the world besides her. No matter how many people passed her by. She was not a part. She was different.

Rhavaniel sighed. "Get yourself together and stop mopping around," she told herself. She had something new to see and that was always exciting.

"There you are."

Kato had opened the gates to the city and stepped out. He was carrying bags of food. "There is nothing in Blackreach to eat," he said. "So I figured we would be smart about it."

A hen clucked and Rhavaniel started laughing. He was bringing live animals with them. That explained why he was carrying so much.

"Here let me help you," she said. She eased Kato's burden and they headed over to their horses. Getting everything with them would be interesting, but with some clever rope usage, they managed. The chickens didn't seem overly happy, but at least they were safe.

"Tell me something," Rhavaniel said as they crossed the river. "Tell me something about that school you went to. Something that you did there."

Kato thought about it for a moment. He had only told Rhavaniel the bare minimum back at Lakeview Manor when he had explained the whole travel across the universe thing to her. He figured he could give her some stories. "I'll set the premise by saying that I was only eleven and nothing bad should have happened to me while I was at school. Normal rules just did not apply to me."

Rhavaniel nodded. Then she smiled as she was taken on a journey filled with baby dragons and centaurs and giant man-eating spiders. It all seemed fantastical even to her as he told his stories. Then she got this feeling. She knew that Kato was glamoured right now. "Kato did you attend the Bards' College?" she asked.

"I was there for a time yes," Kato said.

"I wouldn't happen to have met you at any point…"

Kato smiled. "Would such lovely ladies like a song?" he asked with the same inflexion on the words that he had used back in Solitude.

Rhavaniel blinked and then she laughed. "Oh, that explains why you were so polite when I said no," she said.

"I know Naya-ko," Kato said. "She would not have appreciated it if I had insisted. An angry Naya can be murderous. I do not have a death wish."

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes. "Who does," she said. "You can tell a good story," she said. "How about you continue?"

"I will entertain you, my lady, if it so is the last thing I do," Kato said while overplaying his bard persona.

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes but she listened as he started telling the story.

…

"It is possible that new bandits have moved in, but the shortcut should be fine. Rashall said he sealed it, but I have a key," Kato said.

The pine trees stood lush and green around the fortress of Raldbthar. "Let's send the horses off here," Kato said.

Rhavaniel agreed and dismounted. She helped Kato with their things. Once they had all their things Rhavaniel spoke to the horses. Tuiwon seemed impatient and started running almost before Rhavaniel had stopped talking. Kahzii snorted and Rhavaniel laughed. "You'll manage," she said.

Kahzii ran after Tuiwon. Her dark mane lifted in the wind that passed her by as she ran. Tuiwon had stopped to wait for her a little further down the path.

"Sometimes I wish life was that simple," Kato said.

"Life can be that simple if you want it to," Rhavaniel said.

"Not my life."

Rhavaniel didn't argue with him. She had the feeling that he was probably right. As soon as gods got involved things were never simple. They headed to the lift and Kato unlocked the chain. He placed the many bags that he carried down on the lift. "This will be shaky," he told Rhavaniel. "They didn't build these things with safety in mind."

Rhavaniel nodded. She watched as Kato locked the gate again before grabbing the lever in the centre of the platform they were standing on. He pulled it and the floor started moving. They passed by giant cogs and even further down into the depths of the earth. Once the lift stopped, Harry opened up the path to Blackreach. Another lift awaited them and the further down they got the more it felt like only they existed.

Rhavaniel looked up at the cave ceiling as they exited the last lift. It was beautiful. Little lights twinkling in white and blue. It was dark, but not so dark that she could not see. Big mushrooms grew almost like trees. Also, they gave off a blue glow. She smiled. She hadn't seen anything like this in a long while.

"I believe the best place for us to set up camp is to the north," Kato said as he pointed. "There is a small research lab there with a potion table among other things. It will serve our purposes I think. It is also easy to defend."

"I guess we should keep as well with the locals as we can," Rhavaniel said.

"They will attack us if they find us," Kato said. "I suggest I carry our things so you can protect us while we get to the lab." He held a hand out so he could take the bags that Rhavaniel had carried down the lifts.

"I think that might be wise," Rhavaniel said. "I don't want to be stabbed in the back by some over-excited Falmer." She summoned a sword and looked around. There was so much she wanted to take a look at, but Kato was right. They needed a good base to work from first.

Rain's Hand, 206. Day unknown.

Weeks passed by as Kato and Rhavaniel studied the many wonders of nature that lived and grew down in Blackreach. With Rhavaniel's help, Kato slowly learnt how to read the ancient elvish once used by the Dwemer.

Slowly, Kato was attuning the gems he had gathered as Soul Gem replacements. Something about the stone the Dwemer had mined down in this massive cave once seemed to help him. He was sitting over a vein of the strange blue stone with a sapphire on his hands. He was slowly charging the sapphire. He was so close. Just a little longer…

The explosion rocked the nearby mushrooms.

Kato was shaking his head as the dust settled around him. He raised a glowing hand to the side of his head and healed his eardrum.

Rhavaniel came running up the hill. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Kato coughed a few times before answering, "I'm fine," he said. "I threw up a shield. He looked around him at the jagged ground. "I think the gem was flawed," he said. "But I was so close. Just a little bit of a correction and I think I have it."

Rhavaniel sighed. "You are impossible," she said before turning around. He wasn't dying and he was obviously going to try again so she didn't need to stick around. She had some more ingredients to gather before she attempted to make her cure again. Five tries and she was certain she was slowly getting closer to a solution.

"Like you are one to talk," Kato mumbled as Rhavaniel disappeared out of sight. He looked back down at the destruction he had caused. At least he was quick with his own magic.

He grabbed another gem from a pouch he carried on his belt and started over.

Meanwhile, Rhavaniel was heading back to the small house they lived in. She had everything she needed for the potion. Maybe this time she would finally make it.

As Kato returned to the house that evening black sludge was slowly pouring out from the alchemy table. He was glad they had moved it outside just in case. "I take it the ingredients didn't like each other," he said.

Rhavaniel huffed angrily and crossed her arms over her chest. "I need to do something else," she said.

Rain's Hand, 4E 206. Day unknown.

Kato had left early that morning. He felt like he was so close to a breakthrough and he just needed a little bit of a push in the right direction.

Rhavaniel watched him leave before she headed out herself. It was time to hunt some chaurus. On swift feet, she ran across the dark dirt. She found a nest of chaurus in all stages of development. Oh, she just had to know how they worked. What made them tick, and why did they listen to the Falmer?

Kato rounded the corner of the house as he returned from another failure. He was starting to think that he would have to do part of the conversion down here and another part later. He froze as he saw Rhavaniel. She was elbow-deep in a chaurus and she was pulling out glands and innards onto the ground. "You couldn't have done that further from the house?" Kato asked as he covered his mouth and cleared the air around him so he could breathe. The stench was overwhelming.

Rhavaniel didn't seem to hear him she continued pulling things out of the giant bug while she mumbled to herself. Then she walked over to a dead Falmer and cut his chest open. She stomped on his ribcage so she could get at the heart. "Now, this is interesting… did this happen because you live down here or…"

Kato decided to leave her to it. He walked inside and cooked food before eating and going to bed.

Rhavaniel realised at some point after Kato had passed her by that he had been there. She opened the door to the little house and found a plate of food ready for her. Kato lay in bed fast asleep. He was kind of cute when he was sleeping. She took the food and ate while she studied the different parts of the Falmer and chaurus.

Rhavaniel yawned. She wondered for how long she had been awake by now. There was no concept of time down in Blackreach. She realised that she might have been up for a bit too long when Kato got back out of bed.

"I'm going to the surface," he told her. "Is there anything you would like?"

"Butterflies," Rhavaniel answered quickly. "I think that maybe I should go to bed." She yawned again. "I'll just get cleaned up first."

Kato rolled his eyes and headed off towards the nearest lift.

There was snow on the slopes outside Alftand. They were high enough up that there was always some snow there. The crisp afternoon air and the faint light of the sun behind the clouds was a nice change from the darkness of the land below. Kato smiled as he leaned back against a wall and looked around. He summoned Kali just to have some company. Kato was seldom alone. He didn't like being alone, but Kali was often company enough.

Soon.

He would be heading back to Earth.

Soon.

He would see Hermione again.

Soon.

He would lose everyone that he had come to know here in Skyrim.

His family.

His friends.

A deep sigh left his lips. He was young. He would find happiness again, but, darn it, he did not want to have to go.

He would do it.

He had unfinished business on Earth that he could not simply leave behind. Amber eyes closed and he pulled himself together before tears could fall.

"Better go get those butterflies for Rhavaniel," he told Kali and they walked off together.

24th of Rain's Hand, 4E 206.

With light strokes of his pen, Kato drew line after line. He was no artist, but this did not have to be a masterpiece. He was drawing a map of Blackreach or Fal'Zhardum Din as the Dwemer had called it. Rhavaniel had figured that out a few days ago as she found some Dwemeris script on a stone slab.

Kali was lying next to him and keeping an ear and eye out for trouble. She followed her master around Blackreach as he did his best to draw a map.

Rain's Hand, 4E 206. Day unknown.

Rhavaniel was busy with some new idea for a poison that Kato wanted nothing to do with. He had left when the smell had started making him lightheaded.

He ventured into the strange city dominating the centre of Blackreach. He had been through it with Rhavaniel a couple of days earlier. They had cleared out most of the insane humans and Falmer so he felt rather safe walking around. He was still careful. If there were any Falmer around, he wasn't about to be caught by them.

He entered one of the buildings. It was a big hall with a high ceiling. He muffled his movements so he wouldn't alert any Falmer that might still hide in the shadows. He would have to be more worried about any humans in there now. Humans would detect him even if the elves wouldn't.

He wanted to make another addition to his mindscape. It would be underground in his own personal little world. Every part of his mind protected something. The underground Dwemer City served a very specific purpose.

The sound of footsteps caught his ears and he turned around towards the exit. He didn't want to kill anyone unless he had to. It didn't matter that he was down in Blackreach. If Rhavaniel wanted to go around killing everyone she could do that, but he would not kill unless he had no other choice. They lived down here and he was an intruder. He opened the door silently and moved outside. He felt that maybe it was best if he headed out of the city.

He moved swiftly across old cobblestones. Kato only stopped to mark new things on his map. He was going to give it to Rhavaniel so she could edit it. It was always good to be more than one when making something like the map. His own perspective of things might be a bit skewed. Before heading back to home base, He washed off in one of the lakes. He changed into a set of mage robes after he had cleaned up. They had found ways to make sure that the water was safe for washing. It had been rather simple in the end.

Rhavaniel raised her gaze towards the door as it opened. Kato walked inside slowly. He smiled at her as he sent a blast of fire into the hearth. She turned back to her notes. She was just about finished. The scent of food started filling the little house eventually. She moved away from her lab as she was told the food was done. She ate quickly before returning to the experiment she was currently working on. She left the door open so she could talk to Kato. In the background, she could hear him moving around.

Eventually, she gave the new potion up. It wasn't going to amount to anything. She dumped it out before cleaning the lab equipment. She yawned. Maybe a clean-up would be good. She grabbed her things and headed over to their favourite spot. She wondered briefly how long they had been down there. Maybe they should return to the College soon. They had left other people in charge of very important things. She usually didn't do that, but she also didn't like being told what to do which was probably one reason why she had wanted to do something else for a while.

When she got back to the house Kato was still reading. She walked up to the bed and sat down on it. She grabbed the book and moved it out of his face. "Could you teach me some more Dragon-tongue?" she asked.

"Sure," Kato said. "Now that we can write I can teach you how to read it too." He got out of bed and fetched a notebook. Then he drew signs on one of the pages before he told Rhavanile what they represented and how to write with them. Rhavaniel pointed at a few signs and then she placed her hand on top of Kato's hand. Their fingers locked.

Rain's Hand, 206. Day unknown.

Rhavaniel woke up first. She was laying with her head on Kato's chest. She wasn't sure what she wanted when it came to Kato. He would leave Nirn eventually. Did she want to get invested in something that wouldn't last? She had never been one for commitment. She sat up slowly and Kato's hand landed on her lower back. "I know you are awake," she said calmly.

"I wasn't trying to hide it," Kato said. "What has your brain so active already? New idea for your potions?"

"No," Rhavaniel said. She sat there silent for a while. She had always believed in communication. "I like you," she said. "I don't do monogamous commitment."

Kato looked at her. This was not really what he had expected to be faced with just after waking up. "I like you too," he said. "I don't mind being polyamorous. I don't know if that is how I want to live my life, but all things considered, I don't really care about that now. That is something I can figure out when I get back to Earth."

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. That sounded good to her. She wanted something more than a fuckbuddy. She wanted a relationship even if it wouldn't last. Most people she had sex with might disappear on her at any time. She knew Kato would disappear forever at one point. That was different.

"We should maybe get back to the surface," Rhavaniel said. "It has been a long time since I saw the sky."

Kato nodded. "We can get going right away if you want to. I thought you wanted to finish the map before we left," he said.

"I just want a breather. We can come back here after that," Rhavaniel said. She grabbed her bag. "Let's go."

Kato nodded. "Sure," he grabbed his own bags.

They headed for the great lift at Alftand. They had just reached the top when Kato doubled over. He set all his magic to forcing the foreign magic out of his mind.

"Kato!" Rhavaniel exclaimed. She reached out and grabbed him. Her magic surged out towards him in an attempt to aid him.

"Get the fuck out of my head," Kato hissed.

The air around them shifted and turned blue.

Rhavaniel summoned her dagger.

"I thought I had made it clear to you people that I don't appreciate being contacted like that. My mind is mine. Stay. The fuck. Out," Kato said angrily. He studied the Monk and a small smirk spread over his lips. The man seemed a bit haggard. At least he was getting better at throwing people out.

"I apologise. I have come here to deliver a message," the Monk said. "While you have done a good job so far, there are trying times ahead. It is imperative that you return to your College at once. You will be called on to take swift action. Rise to the challenge and discover what you are capable of. You are on the right path, and you will prevail." He disappeared before they got a chance to say anything else.

"That sounded like there might be trouble back at the College," Kato said.

Rhavaniel nodded. "We can come back at a later time to finish the map," she said.

"We're going to have to fetch the chickens if we are leaving," Kato said. "Most of the other things I think we can leave as long as we get back here soon enough."

"Vacation over," Rhavaniel said with a sigh.

"At least we had some time away," Kato said.