Revealing the Unseen

"Wow!" Brelyna gazed up in awe at the golden door. "An actual Dwarven ruin. I've heard the stories, but I've never actually been to one before."

"Consider yourself lucky," I replied, following her gaze. The headache that I had in the morning was back again.

Sadly, one of the side-effects of Alto Wine was a bad head when you woke up. Brelyna, who had drunken more than me, was even worse. We'd both taken a potion for a hangover, which tasted foul but was necessary in the circumstances. We'd then slipped out quietly, so as not to disturb anyone. And to avoid Rolff and any possible ambushes he might have set.

I had already established the route to Mzulft. The snow had pretty much gone by the time we left Windhelm and the sun was starting to rise in the sky, so that was a plus and our headaches were gone by the time we reached the Steamy Crags. I don't think that's what they were actually called that but it was what I called them.

They were certainly an interesting site. A sort of wasteland where nothing green grew and large cracks opened in the earth, revealing steaming geysers that erupted now and again. The large, woolly forms of mammoths roamed slowly around the area, which meant that giants weren't too far away.

We past their camp further up the road. A carriage lay in pieces just by the side, a dead horse and Khajiit driver among the wreckage. As if we needed further warning to stay away from giants. Luckily, they didn't give us any kind of trouble, apart from a few death glares and waving of their clubs. We made sure to move along as quickly as possible.

After ascending a set of ancient stone steps, we had arrived at the entrance to the ancient Dwemer city. Built into the rock, it was assembled with large metal pipes, steam pouring out of them. Ornate structures of unknown purpose, lost to the centuries, also encircled the area around the entrance.

The large door itself looked to be made of gold, as did the pipes. It was actually a metal that the dwarves used in their construction. It was sturdy, could withstand great heat and could only be found in the ruins of the cities. It was worth quite a lot of money to the right buyers, from what I heard. If you were willing to go looking for it.

"Okay," I said to my companion, "when we go in, stay close to me. Don't wander off and be careful where you put your feet. These ruins are still dangerous."

"Right you are," she affirmed. I moved to open the door. "Whatever happened to 'ladies first?'"

"Well, if you want to stand on a pressure plate, be my guest." I wasn't serious, just making a point. I emphasized with a small smile

"Point taken. You first." She returned it as I heaved open the door and stepped inside Mzulft.

Ever since she'd said all those things about me last evening, my feelings for Brelyna seemed to have grown even stronger. When I'd asked her if she meant what she said, she assured me that yes, she meant every word. Though she did blush heavily and suggest quickly that we should get going to the Dwemer city.

The fact that she thought that about me increased my own liking for her as a friend. But I think my feelings for her went far beyond now than just as a friend. This was someone I trusted absolutely, that knew I how I thought and acted, that actually liked those things about me. Who thought I was handsome. Never heard that from a woman before.

I didn't really know if that was the case, but maybe. Maybe...

What I did know was that, in the current situation, I didn't have a good feeling. Possibly due to the nature of Dwemer ruins. Or due to the dying mage, lying bleeding against the wall as we came in. I immediately rushed to him but I could tell, from the extent of his wounds and two arrows in his chest, he didn't have a chance at recovery.

"Crystal... gone..." His words were forced and hoarse. He didn't have long. "Find... Paratus... in Occulary..." With his last breath, he slumped over. I laid him down gently and closed his eyes, before examining the body.

"Is he..." Brelyna asked nervously. Death was something you never really got used to.

"His injuries were too great," I told her. "The best we can do is learn what killed him and see if there's anything that can help us. It may seem disrespectful but..." She nodded in understanding

"I'll check the door," Brelyna said, deciding to remain focused it seemed. I heard her try to open it as I yanked out an arrow. "It's locked, we need a key." She knelt down beside me, looking at the arrow I pulled out.

It was jet-black, with sharp-looking feathers at the end. The head was forked with two prongs. The arrow wasn't made from wood but of a hard chitin from the exoskeleton of something not unlike a giant insect, a Chourus. And there was only one race that made their weapons from them. I looked at Brelyna and I could tell she knew too.

"Falmer," we both said in unison. "We're going to have to be careful," I went on, tossing it aside and rifling through the Synod's robes, "if they're roaming around down here, this'll be more dangerous than I thought."

"Don't worry, I'll watch your back," said Brelyna, helping to ease the atmosphere. "Found anything else?"

"There's the key, go try that on the door," I said, giving it to her. "And some notes, his research..." This would tell us what the Imperial mages were up to. I opened them and read:

Attendant Gavros,

The Council has become aware of the lack of progress in your group's efforts. They are particularly displeased to learn that your specifications for the focusing crystal were completely incorrect.

The entire Binder's Conclave has worked tirelessly, and the Council is quite sure this new crystal will suit your needs. You are herewith entrusted with delivering the crystal to the site, completing your work, and delivering a full report to the Council with all possible haste.

The Council trusts you will deliver the crystal to the Oculory personally, and that there will be no further complications.

First Adjunct Oronrel

Well, that raised more questions than it answered. What was so important about this crystal? What experiments were the Synod performing with it? Why was it so vital? Well, maybe one of them would be able to tell us. If there were any still alive, of course...

"The key worked!" I turned as Brelyna shoved the doors open, allowing us entrance into Mzulft.

It was an odd amalgamation of stone and metal. The columns that lined up either side of the rather small corridor were carved from stone, yet the pipes that powered the steam technology were of the same metal as the doors. They were still functioning, after all these years. Clanking and hissing, like a steam-powered snake.

We walked up a stone ramp, aware of every sound. From the distant banging and clanging of distant machines to the sound of our footsteps on the stone. As we entered a part that was made up of metal walls and bars, we had our first brush with death.

As we made our way through and I was looking through the bars at the pipes on the other side, I heard what sounded like a scraping of stone accompyoning Brelyna's footsteps. It sounded a lot like a... pressure plate! That's when I looked up, saw the holes in the ceiling and ran to my companion.

"Down!" I tackled her to the floor as a set of metal spikes descended from above. Luckily, the spikes didn't go all the way to the floor and rose up a few seconds later. I looked down at Brelyna, feeling rather abashed. "Sorry..."

"It's okay..." Her cheeks were flushed as I stood up and helped her to her feet. "That was a close one..."

"In more ways than one." I felt a lot more alert now. "Keep an eye out for more traps and we'll try and avoid anymore... close encounters," I said with a small wink. Wait, why the wink? Oh gods, what is wrong with me?

"Okay then," she giggled. She rather shyly smiled back, so I figured I was okay. "You lead, I'll follow." We proceeded on, taking note of the dead Synod ahead, who probably hadn't been as lucky.

It was only in the next room that we encountered resistance. As we entered what looked like some kind of boiler room, with large metal pipes, rotating gears and containers spewing steam, two machines came skittering out of the fog to meet us, leaving their workstations to assess the threat.

These 'spider' automatons weren't designed for combat, I'd read. They were workers, maintaining the other machines throughout the vast cities. They were, however, built for self-defense and reacted to intruders with hostility. And right now they were acting very hostile indeed.

The one closest leaped straight at my face, little claws swiping at me. I caught it by the legs and flung it to the ground. It landed on it's side, metal legs waving in the air. I took the chance while it was down and hurled some firebolts at it. The metal became singed and two of the legs were blown off by the force of them. I let off a stream of flames and the flailing ceased, the battle over.

I whipped around to engage the other. Brelyna too was letting fire off at it, as well as the Atronach she had summoned. With their combined efforts, the worker drone was down in seconds, a bubbling pile of ruined metal. The flame daedra remained, moving like an ethreal dancer as it's conjurer wiped her forehead of sweat. I took time to do likewise. Fighting steam-powered robots could be hot work.

We proceeded up another stone ramp, vases and bowls of Dwemer make scattered everywhere. This lead to another steam-filled room and two more spider drones charging at us. It didn't take us long to stop them and the only injuries sustained were a few scratches on my face. They stung, but they'd heal.

After heading up yet another stone ramp (How many were there?), fighting one other spider worker we left the carved hallways and walked out into a naturally formed cave, with wooden platforms that established that there was some kind of activity. There was an ore vein of moonstone, which was rather interesting. Slightly less was what lay ahead, feasting on a mage's corpse.

It closely resembled a giant beetle, with an elongated torso and black chitin. A set of pincers were at the abdomen and the front of the face, along with two wicked eyes and four legs supporting the segmented body. The chourus, sensing our presence, raised its head and chattered its pincers, as if annoyed we had disturbed its meal.

It then reared its head and spat a black poison at me. I ducked and retaliated with a firebolt, as did the Atronach. Both struck home, causing it to screech in pain. It skittered to the left, dodging the next round I sent and scurried up to me, trying to bite my leg. It ended up being kicked in the body and finished off with a round of fire.

Making sure it was dead, we had a look around the small camp. There was a scroll, a stamina potion and another dead Synod mage. Were there any left alive down here? As if to make things worse, the Atronach chose this time to fizzle out of existence. So much for extra firepower, pun intended.

I looked down the passage ahead and decided it was time for some strategic thinking. The size of the passage made it good for an ambush spot for any other surprises. I beckoned to Brelyna.

"I'll scout on and draw out anything lying in wait. Then, when I'm clear, you hit them with all you've got."

"Okay, I'll wait here," she agreed. "Just don't forget about me."

"Quite impossible," I countered with a grin, slowly creeping up the passage.

I was lucky that I decided to move slowly, or else I would have stepped right into a tripwire that had been set up. I carefully stepped over it and continued on. As I did, my ears picked up the chittering of chourus. Two of them by the sound of it, in the next clearing. Deciding what to do, I jumped out of the shadows.

"Dinner time!" I dodged the two poison spits and legged it back down the passage, whirling around to see what would happen.

I saw the two of them crawling fast down the passage. I heard Brelyna prepare a spell, but doubted that she would need it. One of them triggered the tripwire. There was a rumbling and the two were crushed by an avalanche of rocks and boulders crashing down on them.

I strode up to see that they were still twitching and finished them with two firebolts. I looked to see my friend witnessing the spectacle She looked up at me with an expression of awe and disbelief.

"How did you know what the trap would do?"

"I didn't," I replied honestly. She looked as if I'd punched her. Then she punched me on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You can be such a fool," she berated, frowning at me. But then she smiled. "A lucky fool. But a fool nonetheless."

"Glad to see I have such great support," I replied. How did I ever manage without her? "Come on, let's go." We skipped past the rocks, walked past the skull of a mammoth and re-entered the halls of Mzulft.

Yet another ascending slope of stone took us further upwards. When we reached the top, the passage turned to the left. Nevertheless, I checked right. As I did, a pipe ejected a large metal ball and turned towards us.

It then unfolded, an approximation of a man 'standing' before us. It trundled towards us on it's sphere legs, a crossbow fixed to one hand and a metal blade on the other. Unlike spiders, spheres were designed to be protectors and guardians of the ancient stone cities. They were tougher, stronger and far more dangerous.

It charged and swung its blade at my neck, which I jumped back and avoided. It swung again and I could just feel the point as it whistled past. Because it didn't get tired, plenty of swings left. It would have got me this time, I had nowhere left to dodge. But I had one thing it didn't: backup.

Brelyna chose this moment to hit it with a firebolt spell, causing it to divert its attention to her. Now it was my turn. Three bolts later, it was barely functioning and, with one more bolt, was blasted apart completely. They were built against magic, but fire usually worked best against them. Ice was useless.

Following the corridor and, ignoring a set of stone steps descending down, we walked past some pipes with pistons pumping and steam hissing from the complex machinery and heaved open the door into the next room.

This next room was set out so that there was a large area at the centre and a small path that had more pistons set up alongside it. The area in the middle had four ejector pipes for machines, making it a no-brainier if you fell in there. From the look of those pistons, it looked as if it was meant to be like that.

Noting that the ceiling was still being held up despite the fact that one of the pillars in the centre was broken, I lead the way to the path. That was when I noticed six pressure plates in the space in between the six pistons. And a sphere roaming around on the other side of the room.

"I think subtly is called for," I said in an aside to Brelyna. "You bring it over.

I set up a fire rune on the pressure plates and Brelyna got its attention with a sharp whistle. The machine rolled towards us and unfurled to combat mode. As it did, I made note that only one of the pressure plates activated the pistons while the rest did nothing. Dwarves had a wonderful sense of humor

All that was left to do was to watch as it trundled straight over the rune. In a blinding flash, it was blown apart by an eruption of fire. Pieces of scrap metal went flying around the area, leaving only the sphere behind. Brelyna raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hm, subtle," she quipped.

"Well, it worked didn't it?" I noted, giving her a smile that she returned.

"True, true." She let me take the lead past the pistons.

I stood on the one that turned on the pistons, waited for them to retract and then proceeded on. I was glad neither of us were pushed off. The fall would have broken our legs on the stone floor, leaving us helpless to run from any machines that might have showed up later.

As we approached the door that would take us onward, another body awaited us at the front. But this one wasn't a Synod mage, but it was hardly comforting to see what it was. Pointed ears, pale skin, little clothing and shrunken, useless eyes only pointed to one such race in Skyrim that fitted the description.

I bent low and exchanged a look with Brelyna. "Falmer. He hasn't been dead long. That means there may be someone still alive down here."

"What if a machine killed him?" That was a good point. But I noted the burns on his body and pointed them out.

"These were caused by a lightning spell," I told her. "Maybe the Synod do know some magic as well as politics. If not, then we'll have two angry forces to face off with."

"We'll soon see," she said. "No time like the present." With that astute philosophy, we moved on. And I think it was getting hotter as we opened the door to the next area.

Crouching low at a sort of fork in the passage, my eyes were fixed on the shambling form of a race that I had both disdain and pity for. It was standing there, rotating his head, I think, around the area.

The Falmer were once a proud race of Snow Elves, until the Night of Tears began. Fearing the wrath of Ysgramor and his Companions, they sought refuge from the Dwemer. Mistrustful of them, their would-be-saviours enslaved the Elves, forcing them to eat a toxic fungus. The fungus made them lose their sight and became part of their diet, ensuring that future descendants would also be blind. The Falmer, however, revolted against the Dwemer, who at the same time mysteriously vanished.

Now, the Falmer had a hatred of all surface-dwellers, attacking any intruder. Their skin was as pale as death, their postures hunched and hobbling. They were completely bald and wore very little clothing. Some wore armor made from the chitin of the chourus, their weapons also made from the same material. Years of living underground made them blind, but their other senses were even sharper. It was said even the most stealthy Khajiit would have trouble sneaking up on a Falmer. Their hearing was just that good.

I was about to pull out my knife when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Brelyna had pulled out her bow and strung an arrow in it. I guessed what she would ask before she did.

"I'll take this one," she whispered. Without waiting for an answer, she crept as close as she could to the degenerate elf.

She then raised her ancient bow, pulling the arrow back. If she hit him, it would take him out quietly and avoid alerting any others. If she missed... it could at least be a distraction for us to slip by. No, she would hit him, I had faith in her. I watched as she aimed down the arrow, breathing slow and steady. It was barely shaking. She tensed, relaxed and fired.

The arrow soared through the air and struck the Falmer right at the base of his skull. He didn't even know what hit him, his body slumping to the floor. Okay, now that was a good shot. She appeared just as shocked that she'd hit him. Shooting apples was on thing, shooting the living, that's something else.

"Great shot Brelyna!" I praised as we walked to the body. "I knew you could do it."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling in that way she did. "I knew I was good with this bow."

"Don't get cocky missy, you were probably just lucky," I countered. I bent low and carefully yanked the arrow out, wiping blood and brain-matter off. Best part of the job.

"Keep telling yourself that," she said, accepting the arrow. She looked forlornly at the Falmer. "Poor thing, blind his whole life and he never even knew what hit him."

"It is sad, I know," I replied in understanding. "I'd prefer not to kill them or anyone. But most, in the same situation, wouldn't be so merciful. Certainly not the Falmer. It shouldn't be necessary, but sometimes it is." I shook my head. "Sorry, I'm doing pretty bad at this whole consolling thing."

"It's okay, I understand," she said. I saw that radiant smile and felt a lot better. "Thanks Sauron. Once again, you seem to know just what to say."

"I try," I said with a replying smile. "Now, let's go and inform his friends of his passing." We left the body and continued on.

In the next room, two more Falmer were patrolling around. I signalled Brelyna to take one of them out again. She nodded, aiming her bow again. She didn't let her last success go to her head. This next arrow got the Falmer right between the eyes.

Unfortunately, his friend heard the noise and came shambling over to investigate. I motioned for Brelyna to get back as I pulled out my dagger. I covered the distance as fast as I could, just as he heard my footsteps and raised his weapon. I took advantage of his vulnerability, shoving the blade into his chest.

The Falmer gargled in his throat, blood pouring from his wound. He slowly fell backwards, his weapon clattering to the floor. I made sure he didn't get up before wiping the blood off of my blade, placing it back in my belt. We pressed on, following the passage down into another cave.

It was here that Brelyna learned the hard way that the Falmer knew how to use magic. Three more of them, along with a pair of chourus came at us. I took on two of the Falmer and one of the chourus while Brelyna engaged the other two. The chourus I fought was blown apart by a quick rune.

I didn't have time to appreciate my victory when a Falmer swung his blade at me. I tried to dodge but he got me in the arm, a sharp pain erupting from the wound. I panicked a little, as the Falmer coated their blades in chourus poison. I could already feel the burning up my arm. I sent a firebolt in the face of the offensive Falmer, sending him flying back into his friend who dropped his bow.

He shoved his deceased fellow off and pulled out a knife, charging at me. Aware I had now lost feeling in my arm, I pulled out my own dagger and grabbed his arm with my bad one. I then shoved the blade into his throat, driving the metal into a vital blood vessel. The blood spewed from his neck as he fell to the floor. I then heard a scream of surprise and whirled around.

While she had defeated the chourus, the remaining Falmer surprised her by sending a hail of frostbite from his hand. The shock of the cold caused her to fall to the ground. Her attacker raised his sword to finish her, but she kicked him in the chest. He stumbled backwards, preparing another frostbite spell. But I didn't let him. I grabbed a nearby sword and bought it down on his outstretched arm.

He screamed, clutching the bloody stump where his hand had been. This was cut short by a firebolt that finished him off. By this time, I could feel the burning in my chest as the poison took hold on me. I clutched my chest by reflex and slumped to the floor, opening my bag as best I could. My companion noticed my distress and was by my side in a second.

"Are you alright?" The worry in her voice was evident. She then noticed the wound in my arm and gasped, moving to tend to it.

"It's fine, just a scratch," I told her, pulling out a bottle of antidote. "Falmer blades are poisoned and that scratch was all it needed to give me a little painful payback." I swigged the potion in one, grimacing from the bitter taste. I felt Brelyna pull back my sleeve to look at my wound.

"It doesn't look bad," she said, calming down. "It'll heal. Here..." The warmth of a healing spell spread through my body, combined with the effects of the antidote. Within minutes, my wound was mostly healed and the effects of the venom were gone. I stood up slowly, getting feeling back into my arm.

"There, good as new," I noted. I could see Brelyna was still shivering from the effects of the ice spell. She was now warming herself with a fire spell. "Not too cold, are you?"

"No, just freezing. But I'll be fine." Feeling compelled to do so, I hugged her to share my body heat.

Once again, there was that sense of right that I felt from the embrace. Like this was meant to be. I could feel Brelyna's breathing as she relaxed into my arms, sighing with content. Okay, wasn't expecting that. We were like that for a good few minutes. Then, with some effort, I released her.

"Feel better?"

"Much warmer now, thank you. I needed that." She gazed up at me in that same way she did at the Candlehearth.

"You're welcome." I felt like I should say something else, but I didn't know what. Then, the moment was gone. "We should... get going."

"Yes, yes. Of course..." The disappointment in her voice was evident was we pressed on. As was her embarrasment. And mine.

We continued back into carved halls of Mzulft in relative silence. It was necessary considering the nature of our enemies, but it was also a silence of contemplation, whilst also being slightly awkward. It was like we could have said something to each other there, something that would change us both. But we just couldn't. I kicked myself inside for not saying anything further.

When I was growing up, back in Morrowind, I'd never really talked to many girls. I knew a few, but it was more like casual acquaintance than friends. I had a few crushes, but they were few and far between and I never followed them up at all. My father and my mother told me that I shouldn't rush those kind of feelings. I would find the right girl for me, I would just have to be patient.

Brelyna was one of the first real women I'd ever talked to and got to know personally, with the exceptions of Aela and Lydia. But they were both Nords and, while they were beautiful and good friends, that's all I really felt for them. The feelings I had for Brelyna were stronger, deeper. They were like nothing I'd ever felt before. But did she feel the same? I wanted to be sure before I said anything. And once I plucked up what little courage that I had in me. Gods, I was pathetic.

There many more Falmer and chourus between us and our destination. There was nothing like the brawl we had in the cave and no other injuries were sustained from our fights. We used stealth tactics to take out the Falmer quietly, using a combination of bows and daggers. Even I got to have a go with my bow, rhyme intended. I scored one headshot and one in the chest and throat.

The awkward silence between us abated once we reached a sort of Falmer camp in a grand hall. As I peeked my head around the door, I could see four Falmer; two on patrol on the groundfloor and two by the stairs. One I could see had a helmet made from a chourus head, possibly the leader. He stood the highest and closest to the golden door, which appeared to be locked.

"I think that's where we're going," I whispered, pointing to the door. Brelyna nodded and stood a little closer than was normal for her. Yet, I didn't really mind. "I think we can take out these two, but we're going to have fight the others head on."

"Okay," she replied. Apparently, it seemed we would talk about the incident in the cave later. Or not at all. "Same plan?"

"Yep, if you think you can hit them from here," I quipped with a grin. She raised an eyebrow and smiled in a sure way.

Whipping out her bow, she strung an arrow, took aim and fired. It went through the neck of the farthest one and he fell. Luckily, his friend didn't notice and went on sweeping his head around. She looked back at me and gestured expansively to her skills with the bow.

"Alright, my turn," I said, taking out my bow. Sad to say that I wasn't really concentrating, my mind wasn't as serious as it should have been. I pulled the string back, aimed for the closer one, fired...

... and the arrow missed completely, sailing by not even close and landing with a clatter on the floor. Feeling my face turn red and hearing Brelyna's concealed giggling, I watched as the other Falmer heard the noise and shambled over to investigate. He picked it up and turned it in his hands. Then dropped it as my next arrow hit him in the back, tumbling to the ground.

The other two were already slouching over at the noise, drawing their weapons and preparing magic. With a loud humming, Brelyna summoned another Atronach, which hurled firebolts at them. The leader jumped out the way but his follower was roasted and burnt. The Atronach was then struck down by an ice spike that the leader sent at it.

He turned his attention to us, yelling in the Falmer's screechy dialect. No doubt a string of curses. He raised his weapon and began a charge, but I thought it was time again to demonstrate my power as the Dragonborn. It only took me a few seconds to decide which shout to use.

"ZUN-HAAL-VIIK!" I couldn't help but laugh as his weapon soared out of his hand. He yelled another string of curses before being struck down by two arrows and a firebolt, by Brelyna and myself respectively.

"Well, that was uncalled for," I shouted in false indignation. "I'll have you know my mother was a saint, she'd never go for someone like you." My ears were graced with the musical laughter of Brelyna.

"So, 'are you sure you can hit him from here?'" she quoted. My face turned red again, which increased her giggling.

"I'm hurt Brelyna," I said in mock sad tones. "I thought I could count on you for support and encouragement. Go, just go!" I looked to the ground for added effect. It seemed to work.

"Sauron," she said gently, "I was only joking, I didn't mean it."

"I know, so was I," I replied, looking up and grinning. She looked at me bewildered.

"You cheeky little..." Then we were both laughing, laughing so hard we couldn't breath. Just laughing at the complete ridiculousness of it all. As I wiped tears from my eyes, I looked up at the sound of the door opening and another Falmer came running through, a key dangling in his hand and covered in burns.

He stopped dead in the middle of the room, realising something was wrong. Why was there no-one here, he seemed to wonder. Then his head turned in our direction, learned that there were two intruders and raised his weapon to attack. He was promptly bought down by a hail of fire, adding to his already burnt body.

"Well... that was odd," I remarked. "I'll check the bodies, you try the door."

"Right," she said, still giggling a little.

I knelt and picked up the key that the Falmer had been bringing. It probably fitted the door at the top of the stairs. He must have been sent to find it and looked like he'd been through Oblivion, with all the burns that he was covered in. It looked like magic had done it but I didn't really want to find out.

The leader had something more interesting on his person. It was a stone orb encased in a metal ring, with three crystals facing outwards on the surface near the top. Why was I finding orbs everywhere I went these days? Wait, crystals? Maybe this was that focusing crystal the Synod needed. Now, if any were still alive and uncooperative, I had a bargaining chip. Or ball.

Taking these both up the stairs, Brelyna informed me that the door was indeed locked. That was soon sorted out, as I showed her what I had found. She took the crystal and examined it carefully.

"Good thing we got this," she said, handing it back. "Maybe the Synod will be more willing to help."

"Yeah and there's the fact that we fought our way through a legion of Falmer to get here."

"There's that too." She paused. "This is the second time you've found a sphere in an ancient underground city, I've just realised."

"I know, that's what was thinking," I said, surprised that she noticed.

"Great minds think alike then." Her eyes flicked to me. "Well, a great mind."

"Yes... wait, hey!" I walked to the door ahead, a dead Falmer lying in front of it, and inserted the key into the lock. As I did, there was a voice on the other side.

"G-Gavros? Is that you?" He sounded scared and relieved. I didn't blame him. "I'd almost given up hope! Let me get the door..." It swung outwards, revealing a man dressed in blue mage robes. His face was partially obscured by his hood. He stepped back a little when he realised it wasn't Gavros.

"What the?" His hands flared with fire, his eyes flicking to me and Brelyna. "What are you doing here? What have you done with Gavros?"

"It's okay, it's okay," I assured him gently. "We're here to help you. I'm sorry, but your friend Gavros is dead. We found him when we came in but his injuries were too great."

"It was the Falmer, wasn't it? Curse them! They've ruined everything!" He let off a firebolt in frustration at the wall, before sagging in defeat. "If Gavros is gone, there is no hope. He was supposed to return with the crystal. Without that, all our efforts are wasted." He looked up bitterly. "And you, if you're here for treasure or wisdom or anything, I'm afraid you've wasted your time."

"You say you need a crystal." I took it out and showed it to him. "Would this be it by any chance?"

"You found it? How in the world..." He had a closer look and his whole posture changed. "That's it, that's it! I don't know who you are, but you may have just saved this little project! In fact, who are you anyway?"

"I'm Sauron Dredena, this is Brelyna Maryon." She inclined her head respectfully. "We're with the College of Winterhold."

"You are, are you?" He sounded skeptical. "Savos wouldn't even grant us an audience when we came to see you, but now you come here expecting something from me? I don't much like this, I tell you. But you saved my sin, so maybe I can overlook the past for now. Come on, I'll explain on the way."

He relaxed and led us inside. To make sure safety was maintained, I closed the door behind us and placed a rune at the foot of it. If any Falmer broke in, we'd know about it.

The mage introduced himself as Paratus Decimius. After complaining about something being his idea and making sure the council knew it, he began to explain the purpose of the Occulary. Apparently, the dwarves intended to discern the nature of the divine and use the machine to collect starlight and split it. Or something like that.

It had been his idea, he explained, to replace a vital component with their focusing crystal. Months of enchantments had gone into it and he hoped it would pay off. I did too, we'd spent too long down here for my liking.

The Occulary itself was huge. A massive sphere, again with the orbs, about twenty feet high and just as wide. It took up just about the whole space of the room, a ramp built around it to reach the top. Various crystals were placed in it, like the focusing one I'd found. If the dwarves wanted to split stars, I couldn't see how they'd fail.

At the top was a small staircase of metal, an archway built over the top of it. From the peak of it emerged a long beam of light, right up into the ceiling. More crystals decorated the hemispherical ceiling, three prominent ones scattered around. Another array of crystals was set above a platform in the middle. When they wanted to, the dwarves were great builders.

"Wow, that's impressive!" Brelyna remarked, gazing up at it. Yep, that just about summed it up all right.

"Yes, magnificient, isn't it?" gushed Paratus. "Took an incredible amount of work to get it running again. Now I'm hoping it'll all be worth it. Place the crystal in the central apparatus and we can start the process for focusing it."

"Right you are," I said. I walked slowly up the ramp to the centre of the mechanism, where there was a space where the crystal would go. I slotted it into place and watched it revolve in a half-circle, so that the light hit the crystal. The others then faced outwards, three beams of light branching out to the ceiling.

"Now what do we do?" Brelyna asked Paratus.

"The crystal needs to be focused," he told us. "It was created so far away, we knew some adjustments would have to be made. Heating and cooling the crystal will cause it to expand or contract, which will change how the light passes through it. You'll need to use spells to do that. Being from the College, I assume you know them already. There should be a few basic tomes lying around in case your training even more sub-standard than I've heard."

I beckoned Brelyna over. "At least they provide it," I muttered, eliciting a giggle. In a louder voice I said: "Right, I'll focus the crystal down here. You head up and figure out the controls for this thing."

"Okay, good luck." She jogged up the ramp to the control buttons.

I prepared to focus the crystal, summoning frostbite in one hand and flames in the other. I got a small shock at the sound of the mechanism being turned for the larger receiving crystals. Brelyna trying the controls. I composed myself and looked up at the beams of light.

I would need to affect the crystal so the beams were on the same paths as the crystals. That would allow them to receive them and let this Occulary do... whatever it did. Heat did nothing when I tried, so I applied some cold. That changed the directions of the beams, but not quite right. Maybe a little more heat... no, that wasn't right.

It took a while to get the right balance of hot and cold to focus the crystal. Finally, I managed to refract the beams so that they were on the same lanes as the crystals. Now, all that was needed was to rotate the receivers so that the beams were hitting them and our work was done.

I stood watching as Brelyna began to activate the controls to spin them around. Soon enough, topmost crystal was in place and it reflected the beam back into the centre of the apparatus. Then the second did the same. Followed by the third. All the beams were reflected into the middle, creating an even larger beam of light projecting onto the wall below the controls.

"We did it!" Brelyna left the controls and descended back down. "Great work with the crystal Sauron."

"Same to you on the controls," I replied. "Well, let's go and see the results." It appeared to be a shining map of Tamriel. I could make out the shape of Skyrim, with two shining lights within it.

"Years of work are finally going to pay off..." Paratus approached the map and frowned. "Wait, what's this? These results... they're not at all what they should be. This projection should be lit up like the night sky. Something is creating an incredible amount of interfernece. Something in Winterhold, it seems..."

I exchanged a nervous look with Brelyna. If the Synod were really hording powerful magical artifacts, the last thing we wanted was for them to discover the Eye of Magnus. Unfortunately, Paratus didn't miss our glance.

"What is this? What have you done? Did you know what we were attempting? Is this why you came, to see if your plan worked and our efforts were for nothing?"

"Do you always speak in questions?" I countered. I decided to be ignorant. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

"You show up here, just as our work nears completion and now I can't get any results from this because of something at your College." He pointed in anger at me. "Do you think me a fool? Do you think I'm too stupid to make the connection? You've ruined my work! How did you do it?"

"Okay," Brelyna started, stepping forward and slapping his finger down, "firstly, we just helped you complete your work. Secondly, it wouldn't have been completed with our help. Thirdly, your accusations are completely unfounded. We truly don't know what you're talking about."

I was surprised and touched that she came to my defense. She presented a good argument, but Paratus refused to listen to reason.

"Irrelavant!" He snapped back. "Either you're lying or... you have something at your College, don't you? Something immensely powerful, that I didn't anticipate. What is it?"

"We're not going to answer that," I told him. "We're just here to find the Staff of Magnus, that's all you need to know."

"Forget it! You'll never find it without my help."

"Actually..." Brelyna pulled out a map of Skyrim from her bag and checked it against the locations. "Looks like it's somewhere near Whiterun. Somewhere called... Labyrinthian." She put it away, triumphant. "Well, our work is done. Thank you for your help Paratus. Come on Sauron, let's go."

"Right behind you Brelyna," I said, leading the way out ironically.

"This isn't over!" Paratus yelled at our retreating backs. "I'll deliver my full report to the council! There's something at your College and the Council will be very interested in it! Do you hear me? This isn't over!"

"What a charming man," I remarked as we reached the bottom and strode back down the corridor. There was a door I spotted that may be a way out.

"Indeed." She chuckled, then became serious. "This could be dangerous. If the Synod are hording magical artifacts and they get their hands on the Eye-"

She froze in mid-sentence and in time as a familiar purple glow descended upon the world. I looked ahead and saw a member of the Psijiic Order materialize before me. I couldn't tell if it was Quaranir or not, it didn't look like him.

"I was wondering when I'd see you guys again," I noted. "I've found out where the Staff is, by the way."

"Yes, you have done well thus far," he praised. "But trying times are ahead. It is imperative that you return to your College at once."

"We were just about to," I told him quickly.

"Good, because you will be called upon to take swift action," he informed me. "Rise to the challenge and discover what you are capable of. You are on the right path and you will prevail." With that, he vanished restoring the world to normal. Gods, they were an eccentric bunch.

"- it could be bad for all... of us..." Brelyna stopped and blinked. "Did something just happen?" I first considered lying, keeping the truth to myself. But, I trusted her absolutely.

"Oh nothing much," I said casually. "Just a member of the Psijiic Order stopped time around me so he could deliver a private message to me. They do that sometimes, little bit annoying really."

She blinked again. "Seriously? Wow, everything interesting happens to you, doesn't it?"

"Yes it does. I never really thought about that. Something must be happening at the College, they wanted us to get back sharpish."

"Right, well we'd better get going then." We started off again. "Wait, 'us'? I thought they contacted you personally."

"I didn't want you to feel left out," I explained with a smile.

"How considerate of you. Come on, 'we' should hurry then." With a small laugh, we set off quick pace.

The door ahead did lead to the side of a mountain. The climb down was a little risky, but we made it without any bones broken. We ran down to the Steamy Crags, past the giant's camp and back to Windhelm. A good stroke of luck was that Sven and his cart were still parked at the stables.

There was reason for our haste, that Brelyna understood too. If I was to be called upon to take action when we got back, then that could only mean something was about to happen or was going to. I just hoped that they were wrong and that we'd get back before it was too late.

"Ah, the brain-teasin' dark elves," he said cheerily as we climbed up. "Where to now?"

"Winterhold thanks," I told him, handing him the money. "There's extra for you, if you get us back as fast as you can."

"Right-o sir!" With a snap of his reigns we were off. I took this moment to catch my breath, as did Brelyna.

"Do you think... we'll make it back in time?" she asked me, panting.

"I don't...I don't know..." I needed to run more. "Let's just hope that we can. Now then..." I gave her a knowing smile. "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?"

Just like the trip there, we exchanged riddles on the journey. It was a welcome distraction for what may be to come. But the feeling was still there, hanging over us like a storm cloud, waiting to unleash all that it held. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad, I thought to myself.

Little did we know that our troubles with the Eye of Magnus were only just beginning.