Chapter Four
Muz-Ra gently let the light of her magic fade. Valund had been badly hurt, but she had healed far worse damage than what he had suffered. She carefully checked where his wounds had been before allowing the man to stand. When he did, he shoved her roughly aside.
"Get off me, woman!" he snapped, "Don't know a damn thing about personal space!"
"What? I'm sorry, I was just trying to help…" Muz-Ra trailed off, a hurt look on her face.
"Enough, Valund!" Lucidius snapped, "She just saved your life! So you can either show her the gratitude she deserves, or you can leave!"
Valund shot Lucidius a dirty look, but kept his mouth shut. Muz-Ra backed off, retreating back to the rear of the group, trying to get away from the sour Nord. Since she was walking backward, she didn't notice Arbell standing right behind her and walked right into the young Breton.
"Watch yourself!" she announced, gently pushing the Argonian aside, "You need to pay more attention!"
"Sorry," Muz-Ra muttered, "I don't like conflict like this. I don't understand why people always need to be so hateful." It was an issue she had struggled with her entire life. She had been born in a small village in Black Marsh, but had left because her parents had wanted her to get involved in the local resistance against their regional warlord. The conflict had frightened the young Argonian, and she had fled to Skyrim to get away from it. The College at Winterhold had been the first place to accept her for who she was.
"It's just the way the world works," Arbell stated simply, shrugging, "You either accept it and survive, or you let it consume you. I'm sure you must have run into something similar at the College."
Muz-Ra thought for a moment, then nodded. "There was one new student who came by recently. He was a Khajiit named J'Zargo who's only goal was to became the greatest master of destruction alive. He pushed me aside the first time we met, saying I was just getting in his way, and that my skills were not even useful."
"That sounds like every new mage that has ever been," Arbell laughed, "But it looks like you have done well enough for yourself despite all of that."
Muz-Ra simply shrugged in response, "I just keep to myself. This expedition was my first chance to really get out into the world and accomplish something for myself. I'm happy Lucidius agreed to let me come along."
"With a healer of your obvious talent, I'm not surprised he agreed. I won't lie, I thought you wouldn't be much use to us, but with the route it looks like we're taking, we're really going to need your skills."
"What do you mean?" Muz-Ra cocked her head in confusion, "It's just a dwarven ruin. Sure, their old automatons are dangerous, but we can handle them."
Arbell laughed at that claim. "You're right that the automatons aren't the real threat, but how much do you know of the ancient history of this part of the world?"
"Not much, I must admit. Why? Is there something about these ruins?"
"All right, we're all clear here! Let's keep moving!" Lucidius called out, interrupting the conversation, "Same formation! Keep your eyes peeled for any movement at all! We don't want to be taken by surprise. The denizens of the deeper parts of the world are natural ambushers."
Muz-Ra shot Arbell a look as they resumed their journey. The necromancer nodded knowingly. "There is far more down here than old dwemer technology."
Muz-Ra felt her heart skip a beat as the implications dawned on her. She was beginning to seriously doubt her insistence on joining the expedition. It seems as though the old Legionnaire was simply leading them into unbelievable danger for some treasure that he hadn't even been able to define.
She hung at the back of the group as they moved swiftly through the ruins. Twice more they ran into swarms of the small spidery automatons. Both times the experienced soldiers dropped into a tight circle and covered each other against the onslaught while the members of the expedition more suited to ranged attacks stayed back by the doors and fired into the swarm. Arbell stayed slightly in front to keep the spiders from getting too close. After the battles, Muz-Ra would make her rounds of everyone and check for wounds, healing any she found, no matter how severe or trivial.
They progressed quickly, delving into the deepest parts of the ruined dwarven city until they finally came into a chamber that was bare excepting a short, wide block of stone placed in the exact center of the room. The walls were adorned with the same bronze structures from which the spiders had spilled in other rooms.
The top of the stone was inlayed with intricate bronze designs, all radiating out from the center, which seemed like it was designed to hold some sort of spherical object. Lucidius cautiously approached the stone, sword drawn and ready. Nachael followed him closely, his head snapping to the bronze structures on the walls, as if he was expecting something to leap out at them.
Ladia remained at the back with Muz-Ra and Arbell as Jo'Rakha walked up to join his old friend. Everyone was watching the room carefully, except for Lucidius, who was focused on the stone, and Valund, who was wandering obliviously around the room, not really focusing on anything.
Muz-Ra was watching the Nord when one of the spiral doors opened and a featureless sphere rolled out to land at Valund's feet. The Nord jumped back in shock, letting out an alarmed yell, but immediately started to laugh as he examined the sphere. He pulled out his axe and lightly tapped the outside of the sphere, letting out a hollow ringing sound.
All eyes were focused on the Nord as he toyed with the sphere. "I don't think you should be doing that," Nachael intoned warily, edging closer to the Nord.
Valund shot him a dirty look, then continued playing with the sphere. Suddenly, it split down the middle, and, as the two halved separated, a tall bronze figure emerged from the sphere. It was shaped roughly like a humanoid, except for the fact that the two halves of the sphere were its form of movement. One of its arms was an extravagant crossbow, and the other ended in a sharp blade. The figure needed less than a second to round on the surprised Nord and drive its blade straight through his chest.
Muz-Ra cried out in horror as she saw the point of the thing's blade emerge from between Valund's shoulder blades. His tunic was swiftly stained a deep red. Muz-Ra swore that she could hear him wheezing for a breath that wouldn't come. The thing withdrew its blade, and the Nord fell limply to the ground. Muz-Ra immediately dashed forward to the fallen Nord and called her magic to life, bathing his limp form in golden light.
Nachael called out in alarm as he saw the young woman jump forward. He placed himself between her and the dwarven device, his sword coming up just in time to block a blow aimed for the Argonian.
Muz-Ra had eyes only for Valund as she poured every bit of magic she had into his body. She could dully hear the sounds of battle as the rest of the expedition fought to subdue the violent automaton. Judging from the sound, Muz-Ra would have guessed that several more of the things had appeared and were joining the fight, but she could care less. All she had to do was pour a little more energy into Valund, and he would be okay. She could already see the vicious wound beginning to mend.
She felt her reserves of magicka run out as her spell flickered and died. She immediately reached into her robes, drew out a magicka potion and threw it back. Power flooded back into her and she immediately renewed the spell, pouring even more energy into the Nord's limp frame.
After what seemed like hours of this, Muz-Ra felt someone grab her shoulder and pull her away. She looked up, feeling an uncharacteristic surge of anger at having her work interrupted as she was thrown clear of the fight. She turned her head back to Valund's body just in time to see Arbell's zombie step into the path of a blow that had been meant for her. The dwarven sphere's blade slid easily into the zombie's flesh, spearing its heart. The Orc shuddered before disintegrating into a pile of glowing ash.
Muz-Ra stood and slowly started walking back to Valund's fallen body. She knew that, with just a little more effort, she could save him. She was violently shoved back and her gaze was met with Arbell glaring into her eyes. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" the Breton snapped angrily, "Stay out of the fight so you can help us later!"
"I need to help him," Muz-Ra said dully, "I can save him." She pushed against the Breton, trying to walk by her, but was violently pushed back. Arbell spun around and slashed at a sphere with her sword, while simultaneously firing ice spikes at it with her staff. The ice knocked the sphere back just far enough for her sword to connect with its head, shearing it clean off. She then spun around to glare at Muz-Ra again.
"He's already dead, okay! Wandering into the middle of the battle won't help anyone! Stay there where you're safe!" She then turned back to the battle, but sheathed her sword. A shadow seemed to gather around Arbell as she gathered in magicka for a spell, then cast it towards Valund's fallen form. His body jerked as the spell hit him, then slowly pulled itself to its feet, moaning.
Muz-Ra watched in horror as the person she had tried to save was reanimated before her eyes. She turned her gaze to the rest of the group and saw Lucidius fending of several of the sphere's with his shield with Jo'Rakha fighting fiercely at his back with a wicked short sword. Nachael was a spinning form of death as his blade broke the spheres into scrap metal with every swing.
Ladia was deftly moving from sphere to sphere, swinging at anything that came into range. However, despite her graceful movements, Muz-Ra could see blood flowing down her arm from a bad flesh wound. As she focused her gaze, she could see that everyone had some sort of serious injury, and all were fighting desperately, simply trying to survive the onslaught.
Muz-Ra was just coming to a decision of how to act when a sphere reared up before her, twisting slightly to bring its blade to bear. She felt her breath catch in her throat. She acted instinctively, her hands coming up in self-defense as her mind reached out for the arcane power that fueled her magic. A cone of flame leapt to life from her palms, consuming the sphere in its heat and reducing it to a heap of super-heated metal.
As suddenly as it had begun, the fight was over. The last sphere dropped to the ground, beheaded by a vicious crosscut from Nachael. Muz-Ra cast about the room in the aftermath, looking to see if anyone else had fallen. As she looked, she saw that Valund was missing. A second pile of ash lay on the ground beside Lucidius, however, showing where the zombie had fallen.
Lucidius fell heavily to the ground, clutching at his injured sword arm. Muz-Ra immediately ran to his side and called her magic into being, pouring the soft golden light into the wound. The old Legionnaire sighed in relief as his flesh knit together, the Argonian's magic healing the wound.
Muz-Ra repeated the process with everyone, using three more of her magicka potions in the process. It took nearly ten minutes, but finally, everyone was fit once more.
Lucidius stood shakily and took in all the members of his expedition. The expression on his face was doubtful, as though he was beginning to doubt bringing them all down here. He watched them silently for several moments before speaking. "I know what most of you are thinking. We are barely even into our expedition, and already one of us has fallen. I saw Muz-Ra give everything she had to save him, but even that was not enough. We still have a long way to go, and we have not yet reached the most dangerous parts of our journey. If any of you wish to turn and leave, I don't blame you. I know I would."
Everyone stared at Lucidius in stunned silence. Muz-Ra couldn't imagine why he would even think they would back out now. She was still horrified that she had been unable to save Valund, but no one could deny that the man had been an idiot, and that it had been his actions alone that had gotten him killed.
"One man's idiocy is not enough to dissuade me," Ladia announced, and stepped forward to stand by Lucidius' side. He gave the vampire a grateful look, then turned his gaze back to the rest of the group. "I know that many of you distrust me merely because of what I am, but I have not threatened any of you. Lucidius still needs your aid. Would you come this far to simply turn back!" He gaze was accusing and stared straight to Muz-Ra's soul. She felt herself needing to agree with the other woman, and stepped forward.
"I won't turn away," she announced, "I failed once already. I won't let it happen again." With that announcement, the others stepped forward in agreement.
Lucidius hung his head, though Muz-Ra couldn't tell if it was in thanks or in shame. He nodded slowly, then lifted his gaze again, "Thank you, everyone. You don't realize what your support means to me. Now let us continue on. We still have quite a ways to go." He turned back to the stone block and pulled a small sphere from his pack. He gingerly set it into the abscess and twisted it slightly before letting go.
After a moment of inaction, the stones around the base of the block began to shift and sink, forming a stairway spiraling down around it. Lucidius waited until the stones had stopped moving to retrieve the sphere, then started down the stairs. Muz-Ra waited as everyone began the descent, staring down at her hands. Despite the fire that had sprung from them not five minutes before, they were still covered in blood. Valund's' blood. She sighed and followed after the others.
At the bottom of a stairway was another large door. Unlike the others they had come across, this one had no intricate carvings or designs in its surface. It was a simple, featureless portal. Muz-Ra was discomforted by the sight of the door. "Why doesn't this one have any designs?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"Because even the dwarves feared this place enough that they spent no time carving beauty into the door," Ladia said as Lucidius pushed the door open.
{Apologies for the delay. School has been extremely busy these last few days, and I've had a ton of exams to study for.}
