Chapter Five
The portal opened into the largest cavern that Jo'Rakha had ever laid eyes on. The far wall was far beyond the range of even his sharp vision, and the ones he could see sloped up to a ceiling that was so high as to be invisible in the shadows. The landscape before him, or at least what little of it he could make out in the gloom, was made up of masses of gray rock that were broken up by glowing fungi that provided just enough light for the members of the group that couldn't see in the dark to see by. What could only be old dwarven structures dotted the landscape as well.
As they started forward, Jo'Rakha noticed that there was much more light being provided than could be accounted for by the fungi alone. He cast about in confusion, clutching his bow tightly enough that he could feel splinters digging into the rough skin of his palm, and quickly found his answer. A massive glowing sphere hung in the air some distance away, shining almost as brightly as the sun through a thick cloudbank, providing a surprising amount of light.
"Where are we? This doesn't look like a dwarven ruin," Muz-Ra stammered, her voice shaking with fear.
Jo'Rakha was surprised that she was still with them, and that she was still functioning at all. She was a pampered College mage who had very little experience with the outside world, and yet she had thrown herself at this expedition. He wasn't going to lie; her skills as a healer were invaluable, but she didn't have the temperament to survive here. But she had a determination that he hadn't seen in a long time, and the young mage deserved his respect for that.
"It is called Blackreach, and it is the last bastion of the Falmer people," Ladia announced sadly, "Now all that is left of the once-beautiful Snow Elves are twisted hulks that know nothing but hatred."
"Snow Elves? I've never heard of them," the Argonian woman muttered.
Jo'Rakha laughed out loud. He couldn't help himself. "And how long have you been living in Skyrim?" he asked, turning to look at the young Argonian, "How could you live here and not learn something of its ancient inhabitants? Even I have heard of the Falmer. Granted, they were just cub's tales meant to frighten, but even so, I have heard of them."
Muz-Ra gave him a hurt look. "I kept to myself and my studies. Chasing old stories and tales had nothing to do with what I was learning."
"Be quiet back there!" Lucidius snapped, "The Falmer are blind, not deaf! They'll be able to hear us from clear across Blackreach if you keep up your racket!" As if to punctuate his point, Jo'Rakha heard an inhuman shriek and several crude arrows started flying through the air.
Everyone dove to cover. Jo'Rakha instinctively nocked and arrow, stood up, and fired in the direction of the enemy projectiles. He was rewarded with a pained shriek, but as he dodged back behind his rock, something struck him in the chest with enough force to drive the air from his lungs.
He sat motionless for a moment, already feeling an unnatural warmth springing from his chest, trying to regain his breath, then looked down. An arrow with crude fletching had pierced through his leather jerkin to imbed itself in his flesh.
He tried to take in a breath, but found himself almost unable to do so. He put a hand up to the wound and breathed again. To his horror, he felt air escaping around the shaft of the arrow as he breathed. It had pierced his lung. In that moment, he knew he was dead. No amount of healing magic was going to change that, but he would be able to survive for a while if he could just cover up the wound. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Jo'Rakha snapped the shaft of the arrow. Warm blood immediately began to flow out from under his jerkin. He reached into his pack and pulled out an old shirt. He ripped off a sleeve and stuffed it under the jerkin to pad the wound. It would serve as a primitive bandage for now.
He nocked another arrow and leaned out of cover again, pushing the pain from his mind as he had done so many times during the war. He was met with the sight of several deathly pale figures in chitinous armor scurrying over the landscape towards them. He quickly sighted on one of the advancing Falmer and loosed the arrow. It flew true and struck the creature square in the throat. Aiming for the head would have been useless, as it was covered almost entirely by a shell-like helmet that looked like the carapace of some giant insect. Thick, dark blood spurted from the arrow wound, and the creature fell to the ground, dead.
Jo'Rakha saw several other projectiles flying through the air from his group as he nocked and loosed another arrow, killing another Falmer. Most of the projectiles were ice spikes fired from Arbell's staff, but there were quite a few fireballs coming from Ladia's direction as well. He ignored the distractions and focused on releasing one arrow after the other at the advancing creatures. Luckily, most weren't carrying shields and fell swiftly. The few that managed to approach their position were met by Lucidius and Nachael, who managed to quickly dispatch them with a few precise blows. For all their ferocity, the creatures had very little combat ability.
Another shriek pierced the darkness and Jo'Rakha heard a skittering sound come towards them. He nocked an arrow and leaned out of cover, taking careful aim. What met his gaze was something straight out of his nightmares. The bugs were large, coming up almost to his shoulder and were about four feet long. They walked on six spindly legs, and their heads were topped with what appeared to be razor-sharp pincers. He released the arrow, but, to his dismay, it simply bounced off of its natural armor.
"Chaurus!" Ladia announced, then launched a fireball directly into the face of one of the bugs. It burst into flames, squirming on the ground as its head was consumed. She dashed forward, dodged around the pincers of one as it lunged at her, leapt atop its back, and plunged her shortsword into a gap between the armor. It writhed violently, trying to toss the vampire, as a thick ichor oozed out of the deep wound. Ladia worked her blade, widening the wound, then thrust a burst of flame through the hole. The creature shuddered one last time, then lay still.
Jo'Rakha launched another arrow at a third chaurus, managing to stick one between plates of its chitinous armor. It shrieked in pain and starting skittering towards him. He started backing up, nocking another arrow, and loosed it, but again, it simply bounced off its armor. In desperation, he dropped his bow and pulled out his own sword, just as the chaurus leapt at him and drove him to the ground. He thrust upwards as it lowered its head towards his face and was surprised when his blade pierced the armor and slid up into the bug's head. It shuddered and collapsed on top of him. Its full weight drove what little air was still in his lungs out, and he started gasping for breath as he struggled to wrestle it off of himself.
The pain from his wound returned in full force, and the old Khajiit had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out. It took all of his concentration to free himself from the Chaurus, and by the time he had managed to free himself, the skirmish had died down as the Falmer retreated into the darkness. He lay motionless on the ground, simply trying to catch his breath. His wound burned as though it was on fire, and the pain consumed his thoughts. It took a great deal of effort to push the pain back from his conscious thoughts, but he managed it and slowly pulled himself to his feet. He grunted in pain, and Muz-Ra was instantly by his side.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her healing spell ready in her free hand as she clutched his shoulder and tried to look him in the eye.
Jo'Rakha pushed her aside. It wouldn't do to get her hopes up. "I'm fine," he growled, "See to the others."
"But, you're bleeding!" She pointed to the hole in his armor that was sluggishly seeping blood from the bandage beneath and moved to investigate it.
He stubbornly pushed her away. "It's just a flesh wound. I've had worse. See to the others, they may actually need your help. I'll be fine."
A hurt look overcame her features, but she nodded and turned to the others. True to Jo'Rakha's prediction, several of the others did need her help. Nachael had taken a nasty gash to his chest, and Lucidius had nearly had his shield arm taken off. Both were the kinds of wounds that healing magic excelled in treating. Repairing damaged organs, however, was beyond the young woman.
Jo'Rakha made his way over to Lucidius once Muz-Ra was done with him. "So where to from here?" he asked his old friend pointedly. He didn't care that he was going to die. He had been dying slowly for the last ten years since the Legion had released him. He simply hoped that his last act would help his oldest friend. To his annoyance, Ladia came up behind him and addressed the old Imperial as well.
"This was only a test of our strength. They will be back soon, and in greater numbers. We need to move, quickly," the vampire announced, wiping dark blood off of her blade.
Lucidius nodded at her and turned to Jo'Rakha. "You see the glowing orb?" He pointed to the biggest source of light in the cavern that Jo'Rakha had noticed when they first entered.
"Yeah, I see it. We need to head that way?"
Lucidius nodded gravely, "I expect that this is also where these things are making their home. It's the largest existing settlement down here, and it is definitely where I would go to live. We're looking for a structure like a tower that will take us up to the surface. My guess is that it is somewhere in that complex."
Jo'Rakha turned his gaze towards the city beneath the globe. He studied it carefully for a few moments, looking for something similar to what Lucidius had just described. After a few minutes of searching, he spotted it and pointed. "There. I see a pillar that extends from the ground all the way to the roof of the cavern. That must be it."
Lucidius followed Jo'Rakha's gaze, then nodded. "Looks that way. Nachael, lead the way. I'll be right behind you."
The mercenary nodded and started to walk, picking a path through the jagged rocks towards the sunken city. The rest of the group fell into step behind him. Jo'Rakha noticed Ladia shoot a sad look towards Lucidius.
Jo'Rakha frowned and made his way over to her. "What do you see in him, hmm?" he hissed, unable to contain his dislike for her. He had never been able to place the source of his hatred. It was for more than just the fact of what she was, and it was also for more than his belief that she was simply toying with his friend, but he had never been able to identify it.
Ladia shifted her gaze to Jo'Rakha, and her expression was obvious. She was tired of arguing with him. "He reminds me of myself, before… everything. Eager to please everyone he was close to, and unwilling to let anything stop him from his goals," she explained, "Is that not enough?"
Jo'Rakha snorted, "Not for me. You would show up once every five years and spend a month or two with him, then disappear again! Because of you he never had a chance for a normal family life!"
"And yet I notice that you never raised a family either, Jo'Rakha," Ladia shot back, fire in her eyes.
"That's because there is no one out there for someone like me. I was born and raised in Leyawiin, an Imperial town known for its Khajiit and Argonian population, and yet we were still unwelcome. Every member of my people there was twisted by the hatred of the nobles of the city, which is why I left in the first place! To the tribals of Elsweyr, I am an outsider, having never been raised amongst a clan or in one of our ancient cities. And I have never crossed paths with a traveling clan, but I would still be considered an outsider to them. I never formed a family because I have never been given the opportunity to!
Lucidius still had a chance, but you took that from him! How does that show that you care about him! You toy with his emotions, as if you have some sort of privilege over him! Then you lie and say you care about him, and leave for another five years!"
Ladia made a sound not unlike a hiss and rounded on the Khajiit, "And did you not lie to Muz-Ra when you claimed that your wound was minor?" she snapped, "Don't lie to me, Jo'Rakha, I can see your life ebbing away. It won't be long before your body will no longer be able to sustain itself. Just pray that it happens before you hurt your friend any more than you already have." The vampire turned and walked away, leaving Jo'Rakha to ponder her remark.
He put very little thought into it, marking it down as her simply trying to drive him away from his friend. It was odd that she could tell that he was dying, but he had never done anything to distance himself from Lucidius. He had always been honest about his dislike of Ladia, and Lucidius accepted that. Sure, they argued, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Jo'Rakha would have been more worried had the old Imperial started agreeing with him.
They slowed their pace as they approached the sunken city. Jo'Rakha could now make out its outer walls, and they were now traversing a discernible road that looked like it led towards a large archway that should allow them entry into the city. Nachael brought the group to a stop a few hundred yards short. Jo'Rakha made his way to the front of the group. "Why are we stopping?" he asked.
"That," the mercenary answered, pointing. Jo'Rakha looked to where the Redguard was pointing. There was a small bronze arch erected by the roadside which contained the massive form of some dwemer creation. It was humanoid, in the sense that it had two arms, two legs, and a head, but its arms ended in weapons, and it looked as though it was built for war.
"What is it?" Muz-Ra asked, "I've never seen anything like it."
"My guess would be a Centurion. They were among the greatest creations of the dwemer, at least, insofar as technology of war goes," Arbell explained, "We don't want to wake that thing up. Trust me."
Jo'Rakha turned to look at the woman. He appreciated her prowess in combat, but her behavior annoyed him. She was headstrong and cocky, two traits that were likely to lead to both her death, and the deaths of everyone following her. The only reason he had pushed for her to join them was because he had seen her skill on the field of battle. When she wasn't given a Command, she performed well, but she was incapable of leading soldiers. "Then we will avoid waking it. Let's keep moving. If we're careful and quiet, we should be safe."
The mercenary nodded and started forward again. Everyone was dead silent as they passed by the Centurion, and everyone was watching it carefully. It stood motionless, head staring off into the distance as they passed. Had they been watching the road instead, the tragedy could have been avoided.
They just passed its resting place when Nachael stepped on a hidden pressure plate. He noticed it too late and was struck by a Falmer claw trap. Jo'Rakha watched in horror as one of the sharpened pincers emerged from the mercenary's back, forcing a shout of pain from the Redguard. The shout echoed loudly in the cavern, which prompted a volley from the Falmer archers on the wall of the sunken city. Three arrows struck Nachael squarely in the chest, forcing him to finally collapse, his body being held up by the claws on the trap.
Jo'Rakha was just beginning to return fire when he heard the sound of grinding metal coming from behind them. He turned to see the centurion emerge from its housing and begin lumbering towards them. The Khajiit took aim and loosed an arrow at the centurion's head. His arrow lodged in its neck joint, but there was no indication that the arrow was anything more than an annoyance. "Muz-Ra, behind you!" he shouted as he loosed another arrow, pushing his way back towards the Argonian.
Instead of moving to the side, she turned to look, and was surprised when the Centurion lunged forward, impaling the young mage on the blade that made up its right hand.
"No!" Jo'Rakha shouted as he fired again, imbedding an arrow in the Centurion's chest. It staggered back, arm dipping enough for Muz-Ra to slide limply from the blade, blood staining the blade and pooling on the ground around her body.
Jo'Rakha hissed angrily and dropped his bow, drawing his blade as he dashed forward. "You will not take her!" he hissed as he dodged around a sweep of its sword and brought his blade down, severing an important looking tube that connected the blade to the rest of the arm. He got a face full of burning steam for his efforts, but the Centurion appeared unable to lift the arm. Unfortunately, it had another, and swung it at Jo'Rakha. This arm was topped with a heavy hammer, and the Khajiit barely managed to jump out of the way before being smashed to a paste.
He dashed inside the Centurion's reach again and slashed at its head. His sword became caught in the neck joint, so he levered all of his weight onto it, praying for a miracle. As its arm swung back for another attempt, he felt something give, and the head popped free, causing the entire construct to fall limply to the ground, taking Jo'Rakha with it.
He lay motionless atop the destroyed machine, panting for breath, the pain in his chest now fully re-awakened. Try as he might, he simply couldn't find the strength to climb to his feet. Instead, he crawled off of the burnished metal of the Centurion and along the ground until he was leaning next to Muz-Ra's limp form. He carefully checked her pulse, surprised to find that she still had one, thought it was very weak. He forced himself to his knees beside her and lifted her until her was cradling her head in his lap. No one should need to die alone.
The motion slowly brought her to consciousness. Her robe was soaked with blood, and more was flowing out with every sluggish beat of her heart until it had soaked Jo'Rakha's trousers as well. "Jo'Rakha," she whispered, "I hurt."
Jo'Rakha softly stroked one side of her face with his free hand. "I know. It will be over soon," he answered softly, "I'm so sorry. This shouldn't have happened. None of this should have happened." He shook his head, feeling tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes as he felt his companions come up beside him.
"Am I dying?" the Argonian asked, a look of fear coming to life in her eyes, "I don't want to die! I… I can't feel my legs!"
"Shh…" Jo'Rakha whispered, "You're not dying. You're just tired is all. Close your eyes and let sleep take you. You'll feel better then, I promise. The pain will be gone then." He wasn't able to hold the tears back as he felt one roll down his cheek until gravity took it and it landed on the young woman's chest.
Her tears followed as she nodded, and a look of lethargy came over her features. "Okay. I can sleep. I am tired. Are you sure the pain will go away?" she asked, her hand coming up to take Jo'Rakha's.
The old Khajiit let her take his hand and nodded. "I'm sure. Just close your eyes and the pain will be gone. You'll be back somewhere warm, enjoying the night with your friends, I promise."
Muz-Ra nodded once more and slowly closed her eyes. Jo'Rakha remained completely motionless until he felt her breath stop. He then carefully lowered her head to the ground and forced himself to his feet, finding new strength at the injustice of the young woman's death, before turning to look at the others. Lucidius had a look of worry on his face.
"Are you okay, my old friend?" he asked, reaching out to grasp Jo'Rakha's shoulder.
"No, I'm not, and I never will be again. I never thought I'd have to repeat that experience. The first time was bad enough. Now, don't we have a tower to reach?" Jo'Rakha hissed angrily and pushed passed Lucidius onto the path where his bow was lying. He picked it up and started towards the archway into the city, ignoring the occasional Falmer arrow fired in his direction. He wasn't angry because he had had to watch someone young enough to be his daughter die. He was angry because he finally realized why he hated Ladia: she could lie to someone without feeling any sense of guilt or remorse.
