Hey people! Here we are with another chapter
I've never seen one of these before.
Brelyna Maryon? What are doing here, where's Sauron?
He asked me to fill in for him. Had some studying to do.
Fine by me, it seems appropriate. On with the story!
A small note here: the following dungeon is fictional and not actually in Skyrim. Thank you.
Dungeons and Draugr
"Ah, once again, another display of excellence for J'zargo."
"Don't let what Tolfdir said get to your head, my feline friend. He said there's still a way to go."
"Indeed, Sauron, but it would be fair to say J'zargo is further than anybody. After all, I am a 'skilled mage with much pontential.'
"Stop letting your head swell, or you're going to have to sleep in two separate dorms." That elicited a round of laughter from Onmund and Brelyna, even J'zargo gave a small chuckle at my jibe. He never seemed to let anything get to him, just accept in good humor. Or it could be that I had only made a small chip in the mountain that was his ego.
We had just spent another lesson wards, or rather, breaking through wards. Thanks to our research, Brelyna and I had discovered that Lightning spells were the best, as they drained an opponent's magicka as well as doing damage. We had all made attempts on casting the spells, before Tolfdir gave us some time off to research and practice. However, he also said that we should take some time off to enjoy ourselves too.
So, Onmund suggested that we all go to the Frozen Hearth inn in Winterhold for a drink of mead and relax a little. I had to say, I was having a good time with the three of them, my equals in a way. In the sense that we were all mages-in-training, even J'zargo. There were no hard feelings between any of us, except for a little competitiveness we were all just good friends, indifferent to race or background.
"Well, at least I cast the right spell this time," Brelyna joked. It was good to see she could make light of her mistakes.
"Hey, at least you two did the proper research," Onmund noted with disappointment. "I felt like a fool that I couldn't answer when Tolfdir asked me. Thanks for saving me." Brelyna had stepped in in the lesson with the right answer when all Onmund was doing was stuttering and mumbling.
"No problem. Just make sure you do the right amount of studying next time, rather than none at all."
"Oh don't worry, I will," the Nord assured her, taking a swig of mead.
"You should be more like J'zargo, Onmund," he said, "J'zargo is always looking for things that will make him a more powerful mage. Hopefully, small things that will fit inside pockets and will not be noticed if they are missing."
"Thanks, but I'd prefer not to get kicked out of the College for stealing," he retorted. Most Nords would have made some kind of racist slur to something like that, possibly about making a coat from his fur. Again, it was nice to see Onmund didn't fit the stereotype of a Nord.
"Your loss, my friend, your loss. More for J'zargo," he said with a grin. "Just remember: you'll only be kicked out if you are caught." He winked and took a bite of the sweetroll he 'bought.'
I gave a smile and took a swig of mead. It tasted very sweet, seeing as how one of the main ingredients is honey, but despite that it wasn't bad. I could see why the Nords enjoyed drinking it so much. It certainly tasted better than Cyrodillic Brandy anyway, that stuff was far too fruity-tasting.
Something occurred to me while we were sitting. Seeing as how I hadn't looked at it for a while, I pulled out my Quest Log from the side-pouch. Every time I found an opportunity for a new quest or task, I made a note of it in here and marked the location on my own map of Skyrim.
As I scanned down the notes I'd made, I came across one of interest: 'Explore Dinoksilfaas.' A dungeon, or tomb if one preferred, close-by to Winterhold. I reached into my bag again, took out an ink well and pen and circled the note in my log, making it my next priority if I found the time to take a look.
"Hmmm, interesting..." I looked up to see J'zargo peering down at my log. "An adventuring man, eh? Marked out your next adventure."
I nodded. "There's a dungeon, not too far from here. I intend to explore it, find out what's down there."
"J'zargo has heard that such things contain gold, precious stones, enchanted items." I could see his eyes sparkling as said it. "Would this be true?"
"I've seen a fair few of them in my travels down them..."
"Then it is settled." He gave a grin and drank some more mead. "You are not going down there without J'zargo, my friend. I insist." I, at first, considered trying to talk him out of it, say that it would be dangerous and he could be hurt or worse. But before I could say anything...
"Hey, don't think you're leaving me out of this," Onmund piped up, an edge of determination in his voice. "Never miss the opportunity to have a Nord by your side."
I looked to Brelyna. She placed down her tankard and looked back at me. There was no mistaking the look in her eye, the same as the others. She didn't need to say anything, a private understanding passing between us. After facing off with a dragon, I knew she would follow me, even if it was to Hunting Grounds of Hircine. We both nodded and I looked to the others.
"Alright, it's clear that I'm not going to be able to talk any of you out of this, so you're all going to come along with me. All I can tell you is to be careful while we're down there, because there's always some nasty stuff in these dungeons. Follow my lead, don't head off anywhere alone and watch where you tread."
"Huh?" Onmund looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"Let's just say you don't want to spend an hour picking darts out of your-"
"Never mind."
"Very well then, let's get going." I headed over to Daugr, the innkeeper for the Frozen Hearth. I handed him a bag of coins to pay for our drinks and food and a little bonus for the inn. He only really made money from people coming to visit or stay at the College. From the poor economy Winterhold was having, they needed all the help they could get. I then turned and headed out, my fellow mages in tow.
The snowy gales were mercifully lessened as we neared the base of the mountain, as the dungeon was located lower down. Granted, it was still cold but at least I didn't have snow blowing in my face as much. J'zargo was lucky, he at least had a layer of fur to keep him warm, as well as his robes.
I stopped at another split in the road and pulled out my smaller map of the local area. Perfect, all we had to do was turn left here, follow the road straight on and we'd arrive at our destination. I turned to the other three, keeping their heads bowed in the wind. Brelyna had summoned fire in her hands to keep them warm. Now, why hadn't I thought of that?
"Not far now, we're almost there!" I called out to them.
"Good," J'zargo replied, "just as I was feeling icicles forming on my whiskers."
I gave a small laugh at that and continued onward. Fortunately, we didn't encounter much hostile wildlife on our way over there, not even a pack of wolves. It was a nice change, but I had a feeling that it was fate making us save our energy for whatever was down in Dinoksilfaas.
I cast my mind back to previous tombs that I had explored. They were never completely unguarded, that much was true. There were pressure-activated traps hidden in a few, ranging from a hail of poisonous darts to spears emerging from the walls. What next, a large boulder rolling after me as I ran?
There were some 'living' things guarding the dungeons as well. Well, undead anyway. Skeletons weren't too much of a bother, due to the fact that they are brittle and there isn't much holding them together. Draugr, long dead Nords who for some reason were still walking around, were a little more dangerous. They would be armed with ancient, but deadly weapons, some could use magic. There was even one who used the power of the Thu'um against me, shouting Unrelenting Force. I prayed to the Nine we wouldn't be seeing one of them
At least we weren't exploring a Dwemer ruin, they were even worse. The traps were even more dangerous, if that was possible, and those automatons gave me the creeps. Especially the little spider-like ones, that leaped at your face and clawed at it like an angry cat.
I looked up through the snow to see the outline of a large, stone structure of an archway leading to a metal door and knew we had arrived. As we stepped under the arch, I felt a shiver go down my spine. It happened every time I went down into a dungeon, no matter how many times I did it.
"Well, we made it," I heard Onmund say, "maybe it'll be warmer inside."
"Alright, remember what I said," I warned them. "Let's go and be careful."
I headed towards the door first and heaved it open, stepping into the first chamber, my footsteps echoing off the cavernous walls. I heard the others come in behind me and the resounding slam as the door shut and gave us into an embrace of darkness. I could only just make out the stone.
"Actually, I think it's colder in here," Onmund remarked. I was about to answer when something hit me and I fell to the floor, someone on top of me.
"What? Who's that?" I couldn't make them out in the dark.
"Why do we stand in the dark?" There was a hiss and a bright light filled the cavern. "That's better, not that J'zargo had any problem with the dark."
J'zargo must have cast a Candlelight spell, which was now hovering close to him as a ball of light and illuminating the cavern. Enough for me to see that Brelyna was the one who had walked into me. I looked up at her face, in time to see it flush as red as her eyes.
"Oh! Um... I'll just..." She pulled herself up off me, brushing down her robes. I got up off the floor, feeling a burning in my cheeks. "Sorry..."
"It's fine, just... be a little more careful next time." She gave a small laugh and we said no-more about it. I took the time to have a look at our surroundings.
We were standing in the middle of a vast entrance hall, withered with age and decay. Cracks lined the stone walls, a way leading off to the left was blocked by a severe rock fall and, to complete the image, a metal slab lay at the centre a pale, skeletal corpse laid atop of it.
A few torches were scattered around the room, which Onmund and J'zargo were in the process of lighting. Brelyna had moved to the metal slab, to examine an inscription that had been placed before it. Ahead of it were large, double doors made of wood, no doubt leading to the rest of the tomb.
"Hmm, this is interesting. Look at this." Brelyna beckoned me over to the inscription. I was expecting some elaborate Writ of Sealing for the man that lay upon it. Instead, it read:
Beware this tomb and where you strive
You may not come out alive.
Take the staff from he who is dead
It may help you on the path ahead.
Why did these things always have to be in rhyming form? I looked to the corpse and saw that he was indeed clutching a staff in his hands, a staff of flames to be exact. Brelyna was already reaching for it. She gripped the handle and wrenched it free of the body's hands, a loud crack sounding from the brittle fingers breaking. She looked at the staff, then to me. I nodded and started moving towards the door.
"Come on everyone, let's see what this place has in store for us. J'zargo! Stop feeling around in that urn and come on!" I added to the Khajiit, who bought his hand out of the large jar and placed a few gold pieces into his pocket.
"You take what you can get, my friend," he smiled. Rolling my eyes, I heaved open the door, revealing stairs, descending down into the dark.
"Alright everyone, Candlelight spells," I ordered. It was like Ysgramor's tomb all over again. Except with mages and it was a lot darker. "Stay together and don't wander off. That means you J'zargo."
There were multiple hisses as everyone cast the spell and we made our way down inside. We headed through another doorway, which lead into a narrow passage. A crypt, with resting areas cut into the rock, so that bodies could buried there. A few were empty, but others were filled with skeletons, bodies that had been wrapped in linen, some buried dressed in battle armour and weapons in their sheathes.
Burial urns had been placed in with them too and at least one had been buried standing up, his arms folded before him. Beside him were two doors, that no doubt led to the next room. But they weren't what I was looking at. I was watching the bodies with caution. Had a wind blown in or had they moved slightly?
"I've heard stories," Onmund said, a hint of fear in his voice, "that there are bodies, that still walk around these ancient tombs. That guard them from attackers. Are they true?"
As he spoke, I looked to the standing corpse. He wore ancient Nord armour, a greatsword attached to his back. His helmet had ram's horns fashioned into it. Then, his eyes started to flared with some light, which lingered afterwards. He raised his head and let out a low snarl.
"You're about to find out." My hands flared with fire as I looked and saw two more Draugr rise up and get out of their resting places. Slowly, they stood on the cold, stone floor and, as one, they drew their weapons and advanced towards us.
I looked back to the Draugr with the horn helmet. He had drawn his greatsword and took a swing at me. I ducked benath the blow, feeling the blade whistle over my head. I looked up to see him raise it again, to swing down and cleave me down the middle. Leaping to the side, I heard the metal clang as the sword hit the floor. Taking my chance, I prepared a pair of Firebolts and sent them at him. He gave a yelp as the flames licked his body, but raised himself up, ignoring them and swinging to face me.
He came charging at me, his sword raised, his rotting teeth bared. Just as he bought the blade down, I let off one powerful spell. It struck his chest, he gave one last yell and he was blown backwards into the wall, his body crumpling as he slid down. The glow in his eyes died and he moved no more.
No-one really knew why the Draugr wondered the halls of the dead and ancient dungeons, apparently not fully grasping the concept of being dead. Some say they served the dragons long ago and were now punished to forever walk on in death, never finding peace in Sovngarde. Rather sad really. Still, life went on... or death.
Satisfied, I looked to the others. Brelyna was standing triumphant, a Flame Atronach dancing close to her. Onmund and J'zargo had teamed up on the last Draugr, which lay at their feet, smoking and twitching from the multiple electric shocks of a combined Sparks spell.
"Nice work everyone!" Onmund smiled proudly, still having that Nord trait of love of combat. J'zargo gave a look that seemed to say 'as if there were any doubt.' Brelyna seemed to glow as smiled radiantly at me. I thought that, having taking on a dragon, a Draugr would have seemed like small time to her. Maybe it was just recieving a compliment that got her.
"Alright, let's see what's behind these doors," Onmund suggested, heading for the one on the left with J'zargo. Brelyna and I moved to the right one. Carefully, I pushed open the door, allowing Brelyna through first. Blushing, she thanked me and waited as I followed her into the next room.
We emerged out into another vast chamber, a stark contrast to the narrow corridor we had been in before-hand. Stone columns held the ceiling up, decorated with carvings of snarling demons, their carved features faded with age. At the centre was a lever, with three circular stone holes before it. It took an experienced eye to notice them, but I could spot small holes in the stone beside the lever.
There were three doors, two facing each other on opposite sides beside the mechanism and a cage-like grate, through which I could make out a set of ascending stairs to a room of black stone coffins beyond. Cautiously, I stepped towards the centre and began to examine the area around the lever, which would no doubt open the larger door.
The holes were fashioned to a particular size, like something was supposed to fit into them. Before these 'slots' too were pedestals each with three different items on them. A block of wood, a bowl of water and an ancient drum. How strange. I'd never seen a puzzle like this one before...
"Is this kind of thing normally in dungeons?" Brelyna was looking at the drum and gave it a small hit. Even that let out a boom like a thunderstorm.
"There are the occasional puzzles, yes," I answered, running my hand down the stone at the side. "They're usually to do with rotating stones or claws that fit into doors. Linked to a trap of you get it wrong."
"I wonder..." I turned to her to see her gazing at the staff she had bought down. It shifted to one of the slots. She then moved to it, raised the staff and carefully slid it in. It fitted perfectly. Satisfied, she lifted it back out and looked to me, smiling and I couldn't help smiling back.
"Well, done checking the other door." Onmund and J'zargo had returned. "It was locked and we couldn't get through. It was like something was blocking it on the other side."
"That didn't stop J'zargo from trying," said the Khajiit, his hands glowing from a Lightning Bolt spell. "Now, what do we have here?"
"A puzzle to the next room," Brelyna began to explain. I decided to let her have the spotlight for a change. "This staff I picked up seems to be one of three that fit into these slots here."
"So, if we find them," Onmund picked up, "then we'll be able to fit them in and use the lever to open the door. They're probably through these two doors. We'll be looking for a staff of lightning and frostbite."
"Hmm, J'zargo thinks it would take too long if we were to search both passages one-by-one." It was nice to see them figure it out, I was content to listen. "If we split up and search them, it will take far less time and we will be able to claim our reward."
"All excellent ideas," I said, stepping in at last. They all look rather pleased with themselves that they contributed something. "We'll split up into pairs. Onmund and I will take the left door, Brelyna and J'zargo will take the right. Brelyna, if you're attacked and need help, just scream loudly. If J'zargo is attacked, mild applause will do."
"Alright," she agreed, with a small giggle at my jest, "good luck you two. Come on, J'zargo."
"J'zargo does not need to be told to follow a beautiful woman."
"Oh, be quiet..."
"J'zargo was only joking. You're not that good-looking anyway."
"Good... wait, hey!" The Dunmer and the Khajiit set off through the door. Hoping, for J'zargo's sake, that he wouldn't be on the receiving end of a Flame Atronach, Onmund and I headed off through the other. The passage it led to was just as dark as the rest of the dungeon we had been in, but I could make out that it was another narrow passage.
Onmund seemed to watching the shadows warily as we followed the path into the darkness, his Candlelight spell orbiting around his head. I wondered if, like most Nords, he was relishing in the combat when we encountered it, if he saw honor and glory in battle. Then again, from the way he had talked about his family, it seemed that he didn't hold much of the same beliefs they did. He practiced magic for one thing, which most Nords frowned upon.
I also remembered something else. These Draugr were ancient Nords, from a time long since past and now as dead as the occupants of this dungeon. Well, most of them anyway. Did he see this as a violation of sacred ground or as a chance to put the tortured souls of his ancestors to rest at last?
Perhaps it was best not to dwell on these things. He had, so far, proven to be a talented mage and a good friend. He wasn't prejudiced to other species, at least from what I'd seen. He seemed to like me, J'zargo and Brelyna at any rate. Maybe I should check on him, I thought, see how he's doing.
"Afraid of the dark?" I joked. He looked a little offended at first, but gave a laugh when he realised I wasn't serious.
"It's gonna take a lot more than some moving shadows to scare me."
"Well, good to know we have some good Nordic spirit on our side." He chuckled appreciatively and turned to me again.
"So, what is there between you and her anyway?"
"Me and who?" Where did this come from?
"You know who I mean."
"You mean Brelyna?"I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. "Nothing. Nothing at all. We're just friends. That's all. Friends. Just good friends. That's all. Why would even ask that?" Oh, I was babbling like a fool. The mighty Dragonborn couldn't handle talking about a woman.
"Hey, I was only asking." He held his hands up quickly. "It's just that you know that she's barely taken her eyes off you once since we got here. And I've seen the way you look at her. If either of you catch the other doing it, you both go as red as your eyes. It's kind of obvious really."
I nodded dumbly, only half listening. Did I have those kind of feelings for Brelyna, I asked myself as we descended a set of wooden spiral stairs. She was certainly beautiful, she had a talent in magic and she was caring and nice to me. Not mention she was the only one at the College who knew who I really was and didn't treat me any differently and we had a unique shared experience. Did she feel the same for me? Was it too soon to say?
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that we had emerged out of the tunnel and into another big cavern area. I also hadn't noticed the large webs that decorated the walls on our way here and that this cavern was full of it. Animals wrapped up in cocoons of silk and large egg sacks got my attention, as I tripped over one. With a shiver down my spine, I knew that could only mean one thing.
"Look! There's the staff!" Onmund was pointing at a long wooden rod, that was embedded in a wall of webbing directly in front of us. But it also had guards. Two, enormous spiders scuttled down from the wall either side of it. Their many eyes were all fixed directly on the arrival of their latest meal, their pincers clicking greedily.
"Spiders... why did it have to be spiders?" I hated these things. Absolutely loathed them. The small ones I didn't have a problem with, but these gods-damned Frostbite Spiders. They were too big to be natural, with their black, soulless eyes and their many, hairy legs. I felt the shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
"Relax, there's only two of them." The words barely left Onmund's mouth when another descended down, then another, followed by a pair of them and, as if it couldn't have gotten any worse, one larger than any of the others crept down a web-line into the middle. I looked at Onmund slowly.
"You had to say it, didn't you?" One of the eight-legged horrors, one closest to me, tensed it's legs... and pounced!
"You fought a nest of spiders for the staff?" Brelyna asked, as we told her and J'zargo how we got it. "I hope neither of you were bitten."
"Don't worry, we're fine," Onmund assured her, "although I think Sauron went a little over the top. He burned their bodies completely after we were done."
"I. Hate. Spiders," I said simply, answering the rather astonished look on my fellow Dunmer's face. "Especially the big ones."
"Fair enough, I guess..." Brelyna still sounded a little wary. "I didn't know you were afraid of frostbite spiders."
"I don't want to talk about it," I replied, making at clear that the matter was closed. Brelyna seemed to understand and nodded.
"Well, J'zargo is pleased to report that we have retrieved our staff." J'zargo held up a staff of lightning that he had to confirm it. I also noticed a few amethysts in his hand that he placed in his pouch, but I didn't say anything.
"We had to fight a draugr using magic and his horde of skeletons to get at it though," Brelyna told us, "the skeletons weren't much of a problem, but they made it hard to fight the draugr. They kept getting in the way."
"J'zargo finds the fleshless undead most irritating," the Khajiit added, "although, it does give him an idea for his experiments... some kind of magic specialized to fight them."
"We'll discuss that after we get out of here," I said. We'd spent enough time down here and people would soon start wondering where we were. I wasn't too sure if they condoned this sort of thing, but Arch-Mage Savos Aren had told me that any experiments that caused deliberate harm to my fellow apprentices was forbidden. Would this count?
Pushing the thoughts aside for now, I turned my attention to the staff puzzle. We had all the staffs, but we couldn't just place them randomly into the slots. There was some significance to the items that were before them. But what was it? The other three were beginning to wonder as well.
"Do we have to move the items?" J'zargo asked, sniffing the water.
"They're fixed to the pedastals," dismissed Onmund, "whoever built this wanted to connect them to the staffs."
"Perhaps we use the staffs on them?" suggested Brelyna.
"J'zargo may not be much of a bard, but he is rather sure you cannot use a staff on a drum." As he spoke, he beat the drum with his fist and there, again, was a rumble like thunder.
"No, I guess that sounds a little silly. What else is there?"
I felt a little stumped at first too. These items and the staffs had to have some kind of connection, or else why would they have been placed here in the first place. I looked at the first one, the small log of wood, staring at it for a while. I noticed it had scorch marks on it, the kind you'd get from...
"... fire! That's it!" I finished my thoughts out loud and others looked at me as if I'd gone mad. I beckoned Brelyna over and she did, if a little warily. "Place your staff there," I told her. She appeared a little confused at first, but realisation dawned.
"Of course," she murmured, sliding the staff into place, "fire burns wood." Onmund and J'zargo picked up too.
"Water is frozen into ice." Onmund placed the ice staff before the water.
"That drum makes a noise like thunder, which is accompanied by lightning." Proudly, J'zargo placed his staff where it belonged. Or where we hoped it did.
"Now, the gate..." Slowly and deliberately, I gripped the hilt of the lever. "Everyone, stand back. Just in case we got it wrong."
"Are you sure about this?" asked Brelyna, with a glance to the dart holes, the worry evident on her face.
"No." I yanked the lever back. There were no pricks of pain. With a great scraping against the stone, the gate opened. I could hear the yells of triumph from the others and I looked back at them, feeling a smile on my face. "Well done! Come on, let's see what our reward is!"
Though I did my best to sound relieved and happy, I still had an element of caution left. We had made it through all of the dungeon's defences; beaten all the traps; solved the puzzle-door and fought all of our enemies. But if there was one thing I knew about these places, it was that they always saved the worst for last.
My fellow mages-in-training, despite our success here, seemed to have the same feelings as me. As I led them into the final resting place, I could hear the crackle lightning and fire spells being prepared for any other surprises that it might have in store for us.
The last room was certainly the grandest: a long feasting table was placed in the middle, the food and drink placed upon having gone stale long ago. Large torches, lit thankfully, had ornate carvings of beasts encircling them and were placed in prominent places around the chamber. Lastly, two wooden chests and a throne were at the very end, situated at the centre of them was an ancient stone coffin.
For a few minutes we stood, wary of every shadow, alert to every noise. No doubt a garrison of Draugr or a swarm of spiders were what they were expecting. I was no different. Instead, there was nothing. No spiders, no zombies, not even a skeleton or two.
"Well, that was anti-climactic," a pleasantly surprised Onmund said.
"J'zargo has reserves on his share of treasure first," he said, striding towards the chest. I was about to relax too... then, I remembered.
"Get away from there!" Too late. As J'zargo neared the chests, the lid of the coffin shot into the air, landing with a thud nearby. A pale, bony hand emerged from within and, slowly, menacingly, the occupant rose up and climbed out.
Where as other draugr walked hunched and bent, he stood back straight, tall and proud. He had the arrogance of a king and the tenacity of a hagraven. He was clad in ancient Nord armour, the horns on his helmet like those of a dragon and an enchanted, double-handed greatsword was being drawn from his sheath.
I knew him. Knew his kind. They were always at the end, the last line of defence for the tomb's treasures. Even the bravest of adventurers and treasure hunters had fallen to them. They were the strongest, best equipped and hardest to kill of all draugr. A Deathlord.
He walked down the stairs from his coffin, standing before J'zargo, who was ready to opened his rotting mouth, his voice like a death rattle. "Fus-"
"J'zargo! Look out!"
"-RO DAH!"
Not knowing of the power of the Thu'um, the Khajiit was knocked off his feet and soared across the room. He hit the floor, moving feebly. I saw him starting to stand again, if a little weakly. Tough cat. Onmund and I were about to engage it when-
"I've had enough of this!" Brelyna beat us to the chase. The Deathlord, apparantly knowing magic, put down his weapon and prepared a ward. A firebolt ready, the Telvanni mage loosed it at him. It didn't even hit his ward, sailing over his head. It hit something above his head.
The draugur appeared to be a little surprised. He gave a croaking laugh and prepared a spell of his own, cold winds emerging from his bony hands. I was about to cry out a warning to Brelyna, but... she was smiling. I took a second look and realised he was standing in a pool of spilled oil.
The Deathlord didn't even have time to use his spell when a clay lantern that had been suspended above him fell and ignited the oil. Flames of great intensity rose up around him, his screeching echoing around the chamber. When they died down, his body was burned and blackened. On his knees, his fingers groped for his sword.
"I do not think so." Limping a little, J'zargo strode past us and stood before the Deathlord. The decrepit corpse raised his head, as J'zargo sent a stream of sparks at him. That finished him, his body twitching and convulsing, he collapsed to the floor. Dead, at last.
"Nobody makes J'zargo look like a fool," the Khajiit spat, with an angry hiss at his fallen foe. "Now, he has earned his share of the treasure." He strode towards the closest chest and opened it. The rest of us began to move forward as well, keeping clear of the smoking body.
"Good call on the lantern," I said to Brelyna. "I didn't notice it at first."
"Thanks," she replied, a slight blush to her cheeks. "I just wanted to get out of here quickly. We've spent too long in this place."
"I was beginning to think that too," noted Onmund, "I hope we're not going to be in trouble for this."
"We worry about that when we return to the College," J'zargo said, standing up from the chest, gold jingling in his robes, "for now, we share the spoils, my friends."
Making sure that he hadn't taken too much treasure, we divided the gold in the chests equally among ourselves. There were a few enchanted rings and necklaces that we took as well but the remainder of the items, some swords and a few pieces of armour, weren't of any use to us and were left to gather dust.
Knowing that the end always contained a passage that gave a quicker route back to the entrance, I found a small passage in the rock. After following it back up, there was a metal chain that, once pulled, brought us back to the entrance hall of the dungeon, well concealed at the start as just another bit of the wall ("You wouldn't find it unless you knew it was there," I explained to them).
It wasn't snowing as much as it had been as we made our way back to the College. As we walked back, they were eager to here about other experiences that I had had in dungeons. Onmund seemed a little in awe that I had ventured to the tomb of Ysgramor himself with the legendary Companions. Perhaps going into a dungeon wasn't the best way to get to know your colleagues a little better, but it had certainly been quite an adventure. Plus, we were all a little richer for it, so that was something.
We arrived back at Winterhold a few minutes later. As we neared the bridge, I could make out a figure in mage robes standing at the top of the stairs. As we neared him, I knew who it was. There was no mistaking the elaborate fur robes, his aged and wise face and twisted beard.
I felt a knot form in my stomach as we walked closer to him. I glanced at the others. They looked nervous too. I hoped they wouldn't get in trouble for something I had led them on.
"Ah, you're back," Savos Aren said as we approached him. His voice was level and betrayed no emotion. Was he angry with us? I couldn't tell. "Now, what's this I've heard about you all taking a trip to a Nordic ruin?"
No-one said anything. I stepped forward.
"Sir, what you've heard is true. Please, don't punish them, the whole thing was my idea. I will accept the consequences of my actions. The blame is mine. Punish me as you see fit." His expression was one of surprise. Then, he smiled.
"Punish you? Now, Mr Dredena, why would I do that?" I was astonished. It must have shown on my face, because he chuckled a little.
"Sir? I don't understand..."
"There's nothing wrong with a little adventure," he said, "especially one that tests your magic skills in a practical situation. I used to be something of an adventurer myself when I was an apprentice. You've all made it back safely, so there's no harm done.
"However," he continued, a more stern tone entering his voice, "it was rather foolish you told no-one about where you were going. I only learned it through Daugr at the inn, as he overheard you talking about it. I was going to send someone after you all myself, but decided to wait for a while. Next time, you will tell one of the senior wizards where you are going. Am I clear?"
"Crystal clear, sir," I replied. The others all agreed too. "Thank you, sir."
"Think nothing of it," the Arch-Mage said. "Now, I have something else to tell you all: Tolfdir feels that you are all ready to study applications of magic throughout history. There is an excavation being carried out by the College at the ruins of Saarthal, which he feels will be a learning opportunity for you."
"Saarthal?" Onmund said in an astounded voice, "The first settlement of the ancient Nords?"
"Precisely," Aren confirmed, "good that you know your history. You will meet him at the entrance of the excavation in the morning. Now, I'm sure you all must be tired. I advise that you go and get some rest for tomorrow. Good night." With that, he headed back across the bridge, the rest of us in tow.
"Well, that was a close one," I said to them.
"It certainly was. You were ready to take the blame for us." Onmund said this as a statement. It was admiring, respectful. "Friends like you are hard to find these days."
"It was nothing," I muttered, feeling hot in the face. "You'd have done the same..."
"We all would have." Brelyna glanced at J'zargo, who nodded. "Okay, that's a definite, but don't be modest. You didn't have to do that. You're a good friend, Sauron. Thank you." She gave me a glowing smile. Impossibly, I felt my face grow even hotter.
"It's not easy to say, but it was mostly J'zargo's fault that you took us with you," the Khajiit pointed out. "He is very grateful for what you were prepared to do, my friend. He would not want to be kicked out of the College."
I felt pride swell up inside me. I had no idea that they all liked and respected me that much. Even J'zargo. Not only were they my equals as mages, as apprentices, but I had good friends in them as well. As I lay down on my bed that night, I fell into a deep and easy sleep. I was pretty sure that I was still smiling as I fell into blissful silience.
Phew! Longest chapter so far. Right, just so people know, I will be skipping the quest where you have to retrieve Ugrub's books.
Aw, I hope they won't be too disappointed.
I think they'll live. Remember to review! Thank you!