Chapter Six
Ladia stood silently, looking at the body of the fallen healer, considering Jo'Rakha's words. "What is he talking about?" she heard Arbell ask.
"There was a battle during the Great War," Lucidius explained, "We had had another Khajiit in our unit, a woman who was about Muz-Ra's age. She and Jo'Rakha had become quite close, but she was fatally wounded in the battle. It fell to Jo'Rakha to ease her into the Ether."
"And now he had to do it again. I'm guessing she reminded him of her," the Breton said, her voice contemplative.
"Not in behavior, but her personality was very similar. Always willing to help another, no matter what the cost," the Imperial stated quietly, his eyes fixed on the Argonian's corpse.
"I probably shouldn't revive her then…" Arbell trailed off.
"That would definitely be a bad idea," Ladia cut in, "He would probably gut you if you did." She was surprised that the Breton was alive. Sure, she was skilled, but her skills were hardly exemplary. Ladia had been forced into combat with countless battlemages and spellswords over the years. None had been able to best her, and almost all had had greater skill than the pale Breton standing before her. And her practice of necromancy, while not exactly detestable, was certainly interesting. Most necromancers practiced their art out of an interest of finding the secret to immortality. It seemed that Arbell performed it out of some perverted fascination for the bodies of her victims. Ladia found herself wondering what the result would have been had Ladia ever met Mannimarco before his demise. The legendary necromancer would most likely have consumed the pale girl before she even had a chance to defend herself.
Ladia finally brought her attention back to the here and now to see Lucidius and Arbell following after Jo'Rakha. She hurried after them, shortsword in hand, and caught up at the archway leading into the city. Looking in, Ladia was surprised to see the state the city was in. Most of the buildings were in ruins, either having collapsed completely, or tilting precariously as though they were about to fall. The open spaces were filled with rubble, but Ladia could see several forms pushing their way towards them. To her surprise, most were not Falmer.
"Thralls?" she asked out loud as a Nord threw himself at her. His weapon was a rock he had picked up off the ground. She deftly side-stepped his clumsy attack and ran him through. "How do they have thralls? Why do they have thralls? This goes against everything we know of them!" She continued as she pulled her blade from the Nord and countered the attack of a High Elf armed with a primitive club.
"I could care less about the how or why!" Lucidius announced as he took the blow of a large Orc on his shield, then skewered him on his Legion blade, "All I care about is how many!"
"Shouldn't be too many!" Jo'Rakha panted as he fired an arrow into the advancing mob, killing a Nord wearing a simple loincloth, "I can't imagine too many people coming close to Falmer dwellings!"
There was no more time to speak as the force descended on them. Lucidius held the line with Ladia, while Arbell did her best to protect Jo'Rakha from the few stragglers who managed to slide past the more skilled fighters. The Khajiit remained in the back, raining down a hail of death on the mob.
Ladia lost herself in the killing. She ceased to be an Imperial-turned-vampire, and instead became a creature of death. Her sword knew where to go of its own accord. All she had to do was guide it there. Dozens fell as they assailed her, and the seconds dilated into hours as she killed. An Imperial with a crude blade appeared before her, only to have his head shorn from his shoulders a moment later. He was followed by a lithe wood elf, whose form was quickly consumed by the flames conjured in her hand.
When it was finally over, Ladia had to force that alter ego, something she simply called the 'Angel of Death' out of her mind to take back control. The courtyard was littered with corpses, both Falmer and thrall. She surveyed the carnage, a strange sense of bliss overcoming her. She would never admit it to anyone else, but she reveled in the death, the killing. If she could, she would have spent her entire life doing just that, but the reality was different. The vampires who gave into the impulse to kill and just keep killing swiftly were themselves, killed. To survive, you had to be smart. That was how Ladia was one of the few beings left alive who still remembered the Oblivion Crisis two hundred years ago.
"Where's that tower?" Arbell asked, turning on the spot to survey the ceiling far above them, "This place is a death trap!"
"This way," Jo'Rakha hissed, one hand unconsciously clutching his side, "We need to go through one of these ruins a short way before we can reach it." Watching him, Ladia knew that his time was nearly up. He had maybe another ten minutes before his body would give in, no matter how stubborn he was.
She fell into step beside Lucidius as they let the archer lead. He pushed open a door into one of the ruins and slipped inside, followed by the remainder if the group. Once inside, Lucidius motioned for a break. He pushed the door closed again, then dragged a heavy shelving unit in front of it. "That should hold them for a while. Take a drink of water while you can. We'll just catch our breath for a few moments, then continue on. Jo, are you okay?"
The Khajiit shot Lucidius a knowing look as he straightened his stance. "Yeah, I'm fine," he panted, "Just got a small flesh wound in the fighting. Don't worry about me."
Lucidius watched his friend a moment longer before nodding. He pulled out a waterskin and took a deep drink. "All right. Is everyone ready?" he asked, looking from person to person. There were only three others left.
They all nodded.
"Good. Let's go." Lucidius started down a hallway, heading in the general direction in which the tower was supposed to be. They made quick time, not wasting any time in the rooms they traveled through to see if something would come out to attack them. Only once were they forced to stop and fight.
They were in a large boiler room that had pipes running along the walls and ceiling, with pistons on the wall working to send to steam to the gods-only-knew-where. Several spheres dropped out of the walls and started advancing towards them. The took up a triangular formation, with Jo'Rakha at the center, where he would be most effective, and fended the attacking spheres off.
Ladia felt the Angel attempting to take back control, but she firmly shunted it aside. This enemy was not alive, and so the Angel would gain no joy from their destruction, and the Angel could not be removed if its lust for blood was not sated. So Ladia had to fight without its help. She was good, but she wasn't at her best. The sphere's fell like leaves before her, but not without managing to draw blood from a few lucky strikes.
The battle finally ended as Arbell shoved her blade through the soul gem powering one of the automatons, and it clattered to the ground, motionless. "Everyone all right?" Lucidius asked, casting about the room for any hidden enemies.
"Just a few scratches. Nothing to worry about," Arbell announced.
"Same with me. Let's keep moving," Ladia said, "I fear the Falmer are simply organizing a counterattack and are waiting for us to stop."
"Believe it or not, but I agree with the vampire," Jo'Rakha wheezed, "We need to move, now."
Lucidius shot his friend a worried look, "Jo, you don't sound good."
"There's nothing you can do about it, my old friend. If you want me to remain useful for a while longer, we need to move. Now!" Jo'Rakha hissed as he started to walk, but he found his path blocked by the old Legionnaire.
"No. You're hurt and need help. What's the injury, soldier?" he asked commandingly. His tone had taken on the note of authority that no soldier would be able to ignore.
"Took an arrow to the chest in the first fight down here. Pierced my lung. I don't have long, so we need to move. Muz-Ra wouldn't have been able to help me, so don't even bother with that accusation. I knew I was a dead man as soon as I saw it."
Ladia found herself wincing at the look of pain that came over Lucidius' face. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, "We could have done something to help."
"Don't you understand, Lucidius, you couldn't!" Jo'Rakha shot back, "I didn't say anything, because that way I would be able to live out my life on my feet, fighting to give you your last shot at yours. It's all I've wanted for many years. Now let's move. Let me help you for just a little longer."
Lucidius remained silent as he looked into his friend's eyes, then finally nodded. "Okay. Let's go. We're almost there."
True to his prediction, they arrived at the tower's base a moment later. A square block of stone sat in the center of the room, surrounded on all sides by a bronze grate. One side held a gate that appeared to be locked. In the center of the block was a simple bronze lever, like any of the dozens they had seen in the dwarven ruins.
Lucidius approached the gate and tried to shove it open. "Dammit, it's locked. Jo, can you get it open?" He turned to look at his friend. Jo'Rakha was panting heavily, struggling to breathe. Blood was starting to seep out of the bandage.
"Yeah, just give me a moment," the Khajiit whispered. He approached the gate and got to work. "Watch my back, yeah?"
Lucidius nodded and turned to Ladia. "Watch the door we came through. Arbell, help her. I want to be by his side for the last few minutes of his life."
Ladia could understand the feeling. She had been around the two long enough to know how deep their relationship went. The two were closer than family, and what Jo'Rakha had said had some semblance of truth to it: her treatment of Lucidius had not been entirely fair, but there wasn't anything she could do about it now. She had had to leave all those times to protect him.
Rather than answer, she simply nodded and made her way to the door. Arbell was already standing there, staff in hand. Ladia could see a light blue glow around the head of the staff. She had it charged in case something had followed them.
"You kinda have to feel bad for the old man," Arbell mused, "Tries for one last shot at glory and riches, and simply gets his closest friend killed in the attempt."
"Lucidius has been through far more in his life than most people ever have to survive. Even so, I fear this may be what finally breaks him," Ladia answered.
The Breton nodded silently, then turned her attention back to the hallway. The silence of the ruin was oppressive and seemed to swallow up almost every other sound that was made. Ladia leaned against the doorframe, her sword in hand, and waited.
Before long, the two women heard a faint click come from where the two old soldiers were. Arbell made to walk back, but Ladia reached out to stop her. "Leave them be," she said, "Lucidius won't appreciate any interruptions right now. Jo'Rakha is dying, and it isn't our place to interfere."
Arbell gave Ladia a confused look, but allowed herself to be held back. After a few minutes, Lucidius approached them. His face was haggard and his eyes were filled with tears.
"The gate's open. Let's go," was all he said before he turned and walked back.
The two women followed him back into the room. As they entered the grated area, Ladia looked around and noticed a dark, motionless form lying in the shadows by one of the walls. She thought she could make out a bow lying across the form's chest. She sighed and pulled the gate closed behind them.
Lucidius pulled the lever and the floor started to move upward. They all started in surprise at the movement, but quickly realized that it was what the tower was designed for. If it was still working after centuries of neglect, they should be carried all the way to the top of the mountain.
The expedition had become a dismal failure, Ladia found herself thinking. They had arrived with seven highly skilled individuals, but now only three were still alive. Was any treasure worth that cost, especially when one of the people lost was a lifelong friend of the man who had started the expedition?
She toyed with the thought for a long while, but couldn't come up with an answer. Jo'Rakha and her had never really gotten along, but she could still appreciate the friendship that he had had with Lucidius.
As the elevator began to slow to a halt, Ladia came to a realization. Whatever they found at the summit of this mountain, it would not be worth the cost. Lucidius was now a broken husk of what he once was. He would never again be able to live as he once had. With that realization, Ladia decided that she no longer had a purpose to be here. She would slip away at the soonest possible opportunity. If she didn't, the cost of her staying could very well be much greater than she was willing to pay.
