Thanks for your comments/reviews since my last update, and also, a shout-out to those who have added the story to your alert list, c2, or favourite list, it's almost as good as a review, 'ya know!
Posted February 15, 2014.
SUMMARY: Harry, Mazhe, and Tommy join an ongoing College-led study of an ancient Nordic ruin; their exploration sets events in motion that have immediate catastrophic consequences, and in the long term, could threaten the very land.
16. A DANGER UNLEASHED
September 2 - 11, 2005
2 Hearthfire, 4E200
Ron and Hermione,
Trying something new here... Gods, Justin has been busy. He's managed to get computers to work here in the College... the guy's brilliant—scary brilliant at times. So this is my first ever typed correspondence. The typing thing is taking a bit to get used to, but I think it's getting easier as I do it, something like that. He's also trying to get a connection to the inter-net? or something like that to work here, I still don't know why. He compares it to an electronic library, sounds a bit dodgy to me.
Congratulations to the both of you on making Prefect. You guys will do great, I think; Professor McGonagall couldn't have made a better choice. You guys know I trust her judgement on matters far more than I do Dumbledore.
This Umbridge woman sounds like a real... well, I won't put that on paper, but, Gods, Hogwarts seems to have the worst sort of luck when it comes to some of the teachers, particularly a core subject such as Defence Against the Dark Arts. And this was the woman the Ministry forced on the school? Really glad I've dealt myself away from the madness. Y'know, I could talk to Will and Alice, see if they're willing to set something up with Sir Malcolm Davis (the school in Trevelyan—it's where Justin went to school).
Even though I'm here at the College, I'm still keeping up with my fifth year classes. Professor McGonagall has sent me the schedule I would have had should I sill be a student there, and a few teachers are still sending me assignments.
Yes, I am most certainly studying for my O.W.L.s, Hermione. I've already informed the Arch-mage of the importance of this year, and so won't be teaching any classes at the College until after exams are over. He was somewhat disappointed, but equally understands that I have made a commitment in my own world, and he does wish me luck.
All in all, I do hope it's a quiet year for a change, on both our ends—though by how you guys make out this Umbridge woman, it likely won't be. I have my fingers crossed that I stay out of things there this year, as I do have enough on my plate as it is.
As always, I love to hear from you guys, so don't hesitate to send me an owl.
Miss you both,
Harry
"Just about finished?" Justin asked, as he climbed out of Harry's trunk.
"Yeah. Just need to print a copy. Still think writing is easier."
"Because you're not used to it," said Justin, "Give it a chance."
"Harry, d'you mind if I borrow Hedwig again?" Tommy asked. He was scribbling a name on the front of a thick envelope.
"Another letter for Pilar?"
"Yeah."
"Hedwig loves the work. Keep it up and I'll be looking for a new owl," Harry grinned.
Naturally, Harry knew about Pilar Fernandez. Her husband Manny had been a brother in all but blood to Tommy while he was in the Marine Corps. Tommy had been the only survivor of a tragic friendly-fire incident during their tour of duty in Iraq, resulting in his fleeing the country, and his AWOL status. Harry knew that most of the money he was paying Tommy went to Pilar to help her and her two children.
"Y'know, if you want, we could probably set up a bank account for them, that way you could just deposit the money rather than sending it to them," Justin suggested.
"'an the IRS take half of it," said Tommy, shaking his head, "This is under the table."
"Under the table?" Harry was confused.
"He means, she doesn't declare it on her income tax," Justin clarified. "Jesus, though, what I hear about the Internal Revenue Service, they're a scary bunch. Nazis when it comes to tax collection. 'course, the Ministry of Finance here can be pretty scary, and Gringotts tends to adhere to any sort of, uh, filings, stuff like that. I think the Ministry actually has a few goblins working for them."
9 Hearthfire, 4E200 / 9 September, 2005
"Harry? Could I have a word with you?" Tolfdir was at the door.
Harry set his fourth-grade Transfiguration textbook down.
"Something wrong?"
"Wrong? Oh, no, my boy, nothing wrong at all! In fact, something very exciting has come up," Tolfdir answered. "You know of our current excavation at Saarthal?"
"yeah, of course," Harry answered.
"We seem to be down a few hands, and could use the help."
"You want us to join an excavation?" Mazhe looked up from where he was sitting; he had his nose in a tome snagged from the Arcaneum. He was currently enjoying some time off from his near constant work for Farengar in Whiterun.
"I would be delighted if the pair of you would join us."
"It's up to you, Harry," said Remus. He had been tutoring Harry in a few subjects—that morning they were covering Charms and Transfiguration. "Do realize, this is a busy year, and there is a lot of material we have to cover."
"Well... sure then."
"We'll only be a couple of days," Tolfdir promised, "We only need a couple of extra hands."
"You're needin' someone to do some lifting," Tommy guessed. He was happily occupied with one of the computers.
"Indeed. Though I don't need to remind you all, it is an open excavation, and not everything has been shored up thus far."
"So where is it?" Tommy asked.
"South of Winterhold," Harry answered, "The College has been actively working on it since... Gods... before I arrived here, I think. Guys?"
"Sure," Tommy agreed.
"I think it'll be wicked," said Mazhe, getting up. "Harry, you probably want to bring your chest along, just in case."
"Yeah, good thinking."
It certainly wasn't the first Nordic ruin Harry had been into. The question was, why had it been buried and collapsed such as it was? So many other ruins in Skyrim were in far better condition than this was.
"Shit... looks like it was attacked," Tommy guessed, as the group descended a spiral ramp into the now mostly cleared first chamber.
"Would explain why it's in such poor shape," Harry agreed, "We've all been in ruins that didn't look as bad as this."
"Yes, yes, indeed," said Tolfdir, now standing at the bottom of the ramp, "Now, as some of you may already know, Saarthal was one of the earliest Nord settlements in Skyrim. It was also the largest. Sacked by the elves in the infamous 'Night of Tears', not much is known about what happened to Saarthal. This is an exciting opportunity for us. To be able to study such an early civilization, and the magics they used. Now, are there any questions? Good, good. Harry and your companions, why don't you three see about helping Arniel Gane? Follow that tunnel, he should be in a chamber not far ahead. The rest of you..."
Harry, Mazhe, and Tommy followed Tolfdir's directions, and travelled down a corridor lit with lanterns. It opened into a multi-level chamber with wooden scaffolding. Most of the chamber had been cleared, but there was still a lot of debris. And, even so, after thousands of years covered by debris, the evidence of intense battle were evident. Gouge marks in the walls, and burn marks, the tell-tale signs of violent magic unleashed within the chamber.
Spotting a student working through a pile of rubble, Harry asked, "Where's Arniel Gane?"
"Side corridor, that way," the student indicated a side passage leaving off the lower part of the chamber.
"Great, thanks."
"Keep your wits about you, Harry," the student warned, "Place is still shifty in some places."
They used the spiral ramp to descend to the lower level of the chamber, and followed the side passage as directed. Arniel Gane was found working at a makeshift table, looking over several artefacts likely recovered in the ruin.
"Uh, Arniel? Tolfdir sent us to help out," said Harry.
"Oh. Harry. Good of you to join us," said Arniel, without looking up. "Mazhe, and... Tom, is it?"
"Yeah," Tommy answered.
"I've only looked through a portion of this section. You three, uh, you can look around in the chambers just north of here."
He turned around. "Try and be careful, all right? We don't want to damage anything."
"What are we looking for?" Mazhe asked.
"Anything that may be magical or unusual in nature."
Harry smirked and drew his wand. "Magia revelio," he whispered.
The joke was on him, when the place lit up like a Christmas tree. He simply shrugged. "Worth a try."
The three of them followed the chamber a little further, until it branched off into a pair of small chambers, one smaller than the other. The smaller chamber contained a set of shelves, and Harry took to examining the contents: a lantern, a few broken pots, and... an urn.
Normally, they wouldn't open an urn, as it was considered disrupting the dead. In this case, however, they had been asked to look for things of interest. So, he carefully opened the top, and reached inside.
"Jackpot," he muttered, pulling out an ancient necklace. He could easily feel the magic humming from it.
"Oh. Nice find," Mazhe commented, "Look at this... not as good as that, but..." He opened his hand, to reveal an enchanted ring. "If Arniel will let us keep this, it'll help you with your smithing."
"Balimund won't let me use stuff like that while I'm learning," Harry answered.
"Damm," Tommy muttered, getting to his feet. "This what he meant?"
He held a small dagger in his hand, which somewhat resembled the dagger strapped to Harry's hip. It pulsed with purple energy.
"Wicked find!" Mazhe exclaimed, "Gods, it's ebony. Let me hold it a moment."
Tommy handed the blade over, and Mazhe held it a moment.
"Soul trap enchantment. You kill something with this and you have a soul gem on you..."
"Yeah, seen you guys do it enough. This ebony... it's rare then."
"Very," said Mazhe. "Arniel might let you keep it."
They spent another hour scouring the small chamber, before Mazhe pushed Harry and Tommy on to search further ahead. Given how small the space was, it actually made sense, and so the pair pushed forward into the larger cavity.
There, Harry's eyes were instantly drawn to an ancient amulet resting rather innocently in an alcove on the opposite side of the chamber. His suspicions were instantly raised, having encountered many traps already.
"Waaaaay too suspicious for my liking," said Harry, shaking his head. He drew his wand, and both he and Tommy stood in the alcove beside it, mindful of the throne-like seat—another place Harry knew better than to try and occupy. "Accio amulet," he whispered.
As soon as the amulet left its resting place, both exits became blocked with metal bars, sealing the pair in the small chamber.
"Balls," Harry muttered, as the amulet smacked into his hand.
"Harry? Tommy? What happened?" Mazhe questioned, appearing on the other side of the bars.
"We picked this up off the wall," Harry answered. "Gods. This has to be a first."
"Well, now that you're confined in a tight space together," Mazhe smirked.
"Fuck off," said Tommy, scowling.
"Not helping," said Harry, rolling his eyes.
"What in the world was that racket? Is everything all right?" Tolfdir had appeared beside Mazhe, looking concerned.
"Not exactly," Harry muttered, "I, uh, collected this off the wall over there. It locked us in here."
"I wonder... what effect might your spells have? Try casting magic at the wall," Tolfdir suggested.
Harry obliged, nailing the wall with an ice spike, with less-than-stellar results.
"Harry, what about putting the amulet on?" Mazhe suggested.
"Yeah, and it fry us both to death," said Tommy, sarcastically. Of course, he wasn't far off the mark when it came to cursed artefacts.
"That would be highly unlikely," Tolfdir disagreed.
Harry gave a shrug. If Tolfdir didn't think it would be a problem... he slipped the amulet on.
"Uh, Harry..." Tommy pointed at the alcove, which was then giving off a pale glow.
"Well I'll be... Some kind of resonance... you and the wall. It must be connected to the amulet!" said Tolfdir, now excited. "I wonder... what effect might your spells have now?"
Harry once again cast an ice spike at the wall, and this time, he got results. The back wall of the alcove crumbled into dust, and the metal spikes that had sealed off the chamber slid back into the floor, allowing both Mazhe and Tolfdir access. The elderly Nord crossed the chamber to peer into the newly created opening.
"Well would you look at that!" he remarked.
"Sir?" Mazhe asked.
"I'm not sure. I certainly wasn't expecting this," said Tolfdir, "This appears to lead somewhere. Let's see where it goes."
He was off through the opening before the others could protest. Mazhe quickly followed, and, not wanting to be left behind, the others followed suit.
"Well, this is highly unusual. And very interesting," they could hear Tolfdir speaking, his voice echoing in the tunnel, "Why in the world would this be sealed off? What is this place?"
The tunnel was rather brief, opening up into a small chamber, what looked to be a dead end. There was a small counter at the centre of it, two sarcophagi—one in front, and one to the left, with a bookcase on the right side.
"Well, that didn't—what in the Gods..." Mazhe muttered, as everything seemed to slow. A shadowy figure began to form on the other side of the counter—he wore hooded tan robes with crimson trim.
"Hold, mage, and listen well," he began, gravely, his form becoming solid at last. "Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgement has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgement will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you. This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. Take great care, and know that the Order is watching."
He vanished, and with him, the strange warp-like sensation.
"Harry? All right?" Tommy asked, looking confused. So did Tolfdir.
"Who did he mean?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Did you guys see that?" Mazhe asked. That got blank looks from both Tommy and Tolfdir.
"But... he wasn't talking about me... was he?" Harry again found the need to bang his head against the wall.
"What happened?" Tolfdir prompted.
"It was a... I don't know, sir," said Harry, still really confused about what he had just witnessed.
"Get out your chest," Tommy suggested, "Let us see it."
"Good thinking."
Harry pulled his miniaturized chest out of his pocket, set it on the floor and restored it to original size. The four of them climbed inside, and it only took a minute for Harry to retrieve his pensive. He drew out the short memory of what had happened shortly before, and the four of them entered the pensieve.
"By the eight," Tolfdir muttered, "The Psijic Order... it has been a long time since they were seen in Tamriel."
Harry let out a groan, and tossed the amulet they'd recovered only minutes earlier on the table beside the pensieve. "Still doesn't really help me. Is he talking about me specifically or both of us?"
"I would have to guess he meant the pair of you," answered Tolfdir, "If it was the pair of you who were allowed to see and hear him, he was addressing the pair of you explicitly."
"Great. Just great. As if I don't have one destiny looming over my head," Harry complained.
"We just work it through, like we always have," said Mazhe, "Come on, let's get back outside."
As soon as Harry had climbed out of the chest, there came a bang from the left side of the room, as the lid of the sarcophagus fell away and crashed to the floor. He groaned mentally, as a Draugr half-stumbled out of it, as though still half-asleep. It looked eyes with Harry, and let out a grunt, brandishing its weapon—a common ancient axe.
KAWHACK! Harry did not miss, catching the bone-walker between the eyes with an ice spike, and it crumpled to the floor, its soul banished to eternal sleep.
"Harry?!" Mazhe scrambled out of the chest just as the lid to the other sarcophagus burst open, revealing a second Draugr.
"Tommy! Stay down!" Harry shouted, as the undead readied a spell of its own. Both Harry and Mazhe were forced to duck, as the Draugr unleashed an ice spike, which impacted with the wall behind Mazhe.
FWOOOSH! Mazhe answered with a blast of fire, which engulfed the monster. Now alight, it didn't seem to be fazed by that fact, and unleashed another ice spike, forcing Mazhe to dodge.
KAWHACK! Harry's ice spike just missed. "Bastard." He thrust his hand out. "Petrificus Totalus!" The Draugr found itself frozen like a statue.
"Your fire's better than mine. Roast it for me, will you?"
With the Draugr rendered harmless, Mazhe took his time reducing it to a pile of ashes.
"Gods... forget sometimes how dangerous they can be," said Harry, shaking his head.
"Likewise. Though... look at that." Mazhe indicated the new passageway through the back of the sarcophagus in front of them.
Tommy stuck his head out of the chest.
"Well? It safe for me to come out now?" he asked, sarcastically.
"Uh, yeah... come on out," said Harry. Tommy emerged from the chest, with Tolfdir immediately following.
"What happened?" the elderly mage asked.
"Draugr. A little stronger than expected. That one-" Harry pointed to the pile of ash, "-was a lot stronger. Gods... couldn't take it down until I immobilized it."
"I'm not made of glass," said Tommy, angrily, "Don't keep shoving me off in a corner."
"Against one of these? It almost nailed Harry with an ice spike," Mazhe argued, "Sometimes it's better to keep you guys out of the fight... 'specially if it's something like this. It was using magic, and it was a bit stronger than usual."
Tommy gave both Mazhe and Harry an angry look. They'd been over this sort of discussion on a number of occasions already. Harry collected the chest, shrunk it down and stuffed it into the pocket of his pants.
"Let's keep moving, see what's up ahead," said Mazhe, wanting to stave off an argument.
The opening led into a short, downward-sloping hall with numerous alcoves in it, some of which containing remains. All of them were extra-vigilant, considering sometimes, those remains were known to come back to life. They passed through without incident, however, arriving at a heavy portcullis.
"Get the lever, Harry," said Mazhe, pointing to a lever to the right of it. Harry did so, and although it was sticky, it eventually budged, triggering the mechanism which raised the gate.
The chamber they entered was truly astounding. Round, and enormous, with an arch bridge crossing its centre—the hole covered with a heavy metal grate—the chamber was filled with coffins. Harry let his eyes lift skyward, and the rows seemed to go on out of sight.
"Well!" Tolfdir was astounded. "I've never seen anything like this in Nordic ruins before. Why, just look at all these coffins!"
"Gods... so many dead," said Mazhe, shaking his head, "I find myself as astounded as you, sir."
"This... this bears closer inspection. I'd like to stay a while and examine this. The three of you, meanwhile, should press on. See if you can find whatever this vision of yours mentioned. But if it is truly dangerous, be careful. Go on ahead—"
Tolfdir didn't have a chance to finish, as four sarcophagi burst open, their occupants stirring. Both Harry and Mazhe readied their chosen method of attack—Mazhe with fire, Harry, as always, that of frost.
They were somewhat stunned, however, as Tommy charged the stirring undead on the far right, tackling it back into its sarcophagus, and driving his elbow into its face. The monster crumpled to the ground and did not get up.
"Um..."
"Harry... just..."
FWOOSH. Mazhe set the next bone-walker on fire, while Harry nailed it with an ice spike. There was no time to stand agape—the remaining Draugr were now quite aware of the intrusion.
KAWHACK! The Draugr on the far left unleashed an ice spike which crashed into the shield Tolfdir had erected. Harry answered back with one of his own. It narrowly missed. However, the distraction gave Tommy a chance to move in on the third enemy, and like the first, he used brute strength to crush its neck.
KAWHACK! This time, Harry did not miss, dispatching the final enemy, and the chamber was momentarily silent.
"Shor's beard..." said Tolfdir.
"Uh, ditto," said Harry, regarding his newest friend. He'd just taken out two dangerous undead things with his bare hands.
"What, you thought all the shit I've been teaching you is all bullshit? I think I can look after myself."
"I'm sorry," said Harry, still stunned by what he'd just witnessed. "I... I guess I keep forgetting, y'know... Gods... can't believe you did that, though."
"Who says you can't? Don't take a lot to break bones," said Tommy, kneeling down beside the body at his feet. "They're bones. Bust 'em up."
"Best keep moving," said Mazhe, "Tolfdir... you'll be all right here then?"
"Yes, indeed, you three go on ahead, I'll catch up shortly. The two pull chains likely open the bars blocking the way." He indicated the two pull chains, one on either side of the archway which was blocked by metal bars.
"Harry, you get the one on the right, I'll take left," Mazhe decided. The three of them crossed the chamber, with Harry going right, and Mazhe going left. They pulled their chosen pull chain, and as expected, the metal bars blocking the way slid into holes in the floor.
The door led into a small burial chamber, with a few of the alcoves being occupied with remains. Down a short corridor and up a short flight of stairs, they entered a moderate-sized chamber with two levels. The three of them were extra-vigilant, having faced Draugr already. Shuffling feet told them all they needed to know: more lay ahead.
"What's that thing?" Tommy pointed to a glowing red symbol on the floor not far ahead of them.
"Back up... everyone back up," Mazhe warned.
They moved back to the top of the stairs, where he reached into his satchel, and pulled out a stone about the size of his fist, and lobbed it at the symbol. On contact, the symbol exploded into a blazing inferno which blocked their way.
"A practical lesson. Best to either avoid them, or set them off from a distance. The consequences can be... painful."
Several grunts from above warned them they were not alone, and within seconds, they were fighting a half-dozen Draugr. However, now that Harry knew Tommy could stand on his own against the foul beings, he was less concerned, and the three of them quickly dispatched the threats.
They pushed on, climbing a set of stairs made from logs, up to the upper level of the chamber, then through a doorway leading into another burial hall. More Draugr here, but once again, they were easily dispatched, letting them move into a narrow corridor. That opened up slightly, with three alcoves on either side, each of which containing a movable three-sided pillar with a symbol on each face: a hawk, a whale, and a snake. Behind each pillar was a picture.
"Right. This is pretty simple," Mazhe explained, "The picture on the wall behind the pillar shows what side of the pillar should be facing out. Like this."
He approached the first pillar on the right hand side. The picture behind it showed a hawk, and so he turned the pillar until the side showing the hawk faced the centre of the corridor.
"Simple enough," said Tommy, taking the next pillar.
There were six in all which needed to be turned to face correctly, but with the three of them working on it, it only took about a minute for the pillars to be configured properly. Mazhe this time took the honours of throwing the lever, and the metal gate slid up and out of the way.
"Bad shit happens if you get it wrong," said Tommy. It wasn't a question.
"This case, it looks like darts," said Harry, pointing to the holes in the wall around the doorway. "They hurt like hell. I've seen fire traps, spike traps, shock traps... one place there was a gas trap... wasted half my supply of healing potions after that one."
The next chamber they entered featured a particularly tough Draugr, which required the efforts of all three of them to finally dispatch. While Mazhe searched the remains, Harry hauled himself up onto the edge of the sarcophagus to catch his breath. He had been in enough Nordic ruins, but this one... everything about it felt strange.
"Need a break?" Mazhe asked, as he got to his feet.
"Just a few minutes."
"What's on your mind?"
"We've been in enough of these ruins, you and I. It feel weird to you?"
Mazhe gave a slow nod.
"Compared to others, yeah, I agree. These things are tougher here. We've fought more than a fistful at once easily in other places... but this one alone... Talos preserve us..." he shook his head. "We get swarmed with ones this strong, Harry, you might want to make an emergency port key."
"I always have one on me."
They pushed into another short corridor, where Mazhe was again forced to trigger two floor symbols, these ones a purple shade—shock runes, capable of delivering a severe electric shock to the individual who stepped on it.
"Woah. Different," said Tommy, looking around at the wide corridor they entered.
"The Nords call this the Hall of Stories," said Mazhe, "The pictures on the walls, of course, tell some kind of story, though exactly what, no one knows nowadays. Most of the time there's a puzzle door at the other end—err... it requires a special key to open it as well as a combination, much like—"
"These," said Harry, pointing to another set of movable pillars.
"Yes, exactly. So the principle is the same as the last. Change the pillar to match the picture behind it."
Mazhe demonstrated by approaching the pillar furthest from the door on the right side of the hall, and turning it to face correctly—a whale, in this case. However, when Tommy moved the pillar directly opposite, all four of the pillars turned.
"Well. That's a new one."
"Harry, try changing that one." Mazhe pointed to the pillar closest to the door on the left side. Harry changed it, resulting in the two pillars on the right side of the corridor also changing.
"And if I'm guessing correctly, that one—" he pointed to the pillar closest to the door on the right side, "Likely changes both on that side. Tommy, shift your pillar so it's right."
Tommy did so.
"Harry..."
Harry changed the second pillar, while Tommy moved to the third. Now that they had figured out what was happening, it took only a few seconds to get the pillars facing the right way. Mazhe threw the lever this time, and the gate opened.
"Hold up there, boys!"
Tolfdir had caught up to them, and his timing couldn't have been more timely. If they had believed they'd seen the most spectacular part of Saarthal, the enormous chamber they stepped into proved them wrong. The entrance had led them onto a balcony overlooking a vast chamber, and the object suspended in mid-air at the centre of said chamber instantly had their attention.
"Well now. Would you look at that," said Tolfdir, astounded. "I never imagined we'd find something like this!"
"It's... wild," said Tommy. The object was spherical, perhaps ten feet in diameter, surrounded by writhing blue-green magic. There seemed to be some sort of blue magical curtain shimmering around it.
Tolfdir looked puzzled.
"Why is this buried so far within Saarthal?"
"Well... certainly doesn't look all that dangerous. Truly magnificent, if I say so," said Mazhe. He was clearly impressed.
"Perhaps we should get a closer look," Tolfdir decided.
As the four of them began to descend the stairs, they realized they weren't alone. A single Draugr had been seated in a throne-like chair, and he was getting up. He wore a helm with long, thin horns on it which stood almost vertical.
"Shit," Harry cursed, and sent an ice spike at it. He was stunned, as the projectile simply shattered on impact, not leaving a mark.
"Great. Any ideas?"
Mazhe attempted to attack it with his fire, but it had the same result. An enemy invulnerable to magical attacks. Worse, when Tommy attempted to attack it, he was not prepared for what happened next.
"Fus... RO DAAAAAAAH!"
The chamber actually vibrated from the monster's words that came out as a god-awful shout that reverberated around the chamber, and Tommy was quite literally thrown across the chamber to impact with a sarcophagus. He fell to the ground and did not move.
"NO!" Harry erupted, and unleashed a barrage of frosty bolts. Unfortunately, even driven by anger, the onslaught had no effect, and they were forced to duck, as the powerful Draugr unleashed deadly magic of his own.
"Together Harry!" Mazhe shouted, readying his fire spell. Harry did the same, and together they launched a second volley of powerful destructive magic. That, however, was just as fruitless, as it seemed the monster was completely immune to any sort of magical attack. This went on for several minutes, with the elderly mage throwing in his own magical attacks for good measure.
"Stop," Tolfdir finally said, "The orb. He must be drawing power from the orb. Keep him occupied for a few moments while I try something."
Harry cast a worried glance toward his fallen friend, but again focused his ice spikes on the enemy, while Tolfdir began casting spells at the orb.
"Fus... RO DAAAH!" the Draugr shouted again, but this time they were ready for it, and got clear of the blast before they were sent flying.
"There! Now attack it!" Tolfdir exclaimed.
Harry and Mazhe needed no prompting, but nailed the powerful enemy with ice and fire, respectively. Unfortunately, it seemed only Mazhe's attack had any effect. Even somehow weakened, it was immune to the ice.
"Hit it again. My attacks have no effect."
FWOOSH! Mazhe didn't hesitate, and once again set the powerful Draugr on fire. It stumbled a moment, then turned an orange shade, and stood up. When Mazhe next attacked it, there was no effect.
"What the hell are you?!" Mazhe demanded.
"No use. It's immune to your attacks as well."
"Try casting yours again, Harry."
"NO. Enough of this. REDUCTO!" Harry shouted, a hand thrust toward the enemy's head. The red bolt of angry magic impacted with the Draugr's face, and it exploded in a gory mess. The body seemed to stand there without its head for a moment, before slumping to the ground.
"Tommy!" Harry exclaimed, practically flying across the room to kneel beside his fallen friend. There was blood coming out of his nose, and Harry feared the worst. 'Don't be dead...' He pushed the sleeve of Tommy's jacket up and felt for a pulse. It was weak.
"Look after your friend," said Tolfdir, "Mazhe, if you could return to the College. The Arch-mage needs to know about this at once."
"We... I... Petrificus Totalus," Harry muttered, gesturing at Tommy. He became rigid as a statue. "I... I need help getting him inside the chest... No, on second thought... Dobby!"
It took several seconds, but the excitable elf appeared in front of Harry.
"Harry Potter sir call for Dobby?"
"I need you to side-Apparate the lot of us back to the College. Can you do that?"
Dobby nodded enthusiastically. Mazhe had been searching the body of the Draugr, but quickly joined them. He had collected a staff, an amulet fragment, and a page of parchment.
"Is Harry Potter sir and his friend ready?"
"Whenever you are."
They vanished with a noisy POP, to reappear in Harry's rooms in the Hall of Attainment.
"Thanks, Dobby."
"What can I do?" Mazhe asked.
"Just... I... I got this. Go find Savos Aren, let him know what's going on."
"Harry? What... shit, what happened?!" Justin was alarmed, seeing Tommy being bound as he was.
"I'll show you a pensieve memory soon as I can. We need a healer here soon as possible... healing potions... lots of healing potions..."
Harry spoke the last bit mostly to himself, and only then realized he was literally shaking.
"Harry. He'll be fine. Your healers are better at stuff like that than anyone I know of here," said Mazhe, trying to reassure his best friend.
Justin, meanwhile, was already at the fireplace, making a fire call. There was, of course, a real chance of one of them being injured, Skyrim being what it was. It was only natural that procedure had been put in place that would deal with such a scenario.
Only a few seconds after Justin withdrew from the fire, the fireplace roared to life, and Healer Ferris stepped out of it, followed by a tall wizard.
"Mr. Potter. What happened?" Healer Ferris asked.
"H-he was blasted across a room, impacted with a stone sarcophagus," Harry explained, not looking up.
"Likely concussive injuries," said the male healer, drawing his wand. "Patient immobilized?"
"Yes sir."
Both healers began casting spells to determine the extent of Tommy's injuries. Mazhe watched for a minute or so, but then left, headed for the Hall of the Elements to track down the Arch-mage.
The exam took several minutes to complete.
"Mr. Riordan is very lucky," said Healer Ferris, "He looks in worse shape than he's in. We'll need to administer Skele-Gro to heal his pelvic bone, and repair a broken arm, but everything else just needs a few healing potions. He'll need to remain off his feet for the next two days."
Harry looked instantly relieved.
"No head injuries or anything like that?" Justin asked.
"No, he was very lucky. He may be disoriented for the next few hours, but nothing that won't go away with a bit of rest," said the wizard.
Healer Ferris was already using her wand to levitate Tommy over to his compartment. A gesture from her wand, and he was tucked in under the covers. She then retrieved a bottle from her satchel, and gently pried his mouth open. She poured a small amount into his mouth, and stroked his throat to get him to swallow it.
She waited a few minutes, while Harry and Justin looked on, before pulling out another bottle from her satchel. This one was used in its entirety.
"This I'll leave here. Every six hours, he'll need a cup full. These, once every four hours, the entire bottle," said Healer Ferris, indicating the various bottles she was setting out on the small stand.
"Thank you, miss Ferris."
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact us through the floo. Or... heavens. You all have mobile phones now. Let me give you my number so you can just call us, much faster that way." Healer Ferris dug into her satchel and pulled out a small card, and passed it over.
"Oh. Brilliant."
"I'll be by again tomorrow to have a look and make sure everything's healing up. You have pain-relieving potions and sleeping draughts on hand?"
"Yeah. Those we keep lots of," said Justin.
"Very well. Floo or call if his condition worsens," said Healer Ferris. The wizard was already activating the floo. They were gone within seconds.
Harry blew out a breath, then dragged a chair over from the table, and parked it by Tommy's compartment. He was still out of sorts with what had just happened—an enemy that was completely invulnerable to any sort of magical attack. That was unheard of, at least until now. And what sort of spell used the power of the caster's voice? What did it say again? 'Fus... something... ?' Fus. Force. It was speaking in the dragon tongue. Perhaps... no. He was certain! That monster had used a dragon shout on one of his closest friends.
11 Hearthfire, 4E200
Ron and Hermione,
Sounds like things are really deteriorating there. Umbridge named High Inquisitor? Inspecting the teachers? Look after Hagrid when he returns, right? We know what kind of things he likes to use in his lessons. Equally, keep your heads down. Gods, I'm truly thankful I'm not there. I know for a fact she would be gunning straight for me, knowing how things generally work out as far as my affairs are concerned.
We've had a little bit of excitement here at the College, putting it mildly. I've included a picture, and how we uncovered it is quite a tale, I'll show you a pensieve memory next time we get together—hopefully at Christmas. Long story short, we encountered probably the toughest Draugr to date (I've mentioned those things a few times, right?). It was immune to just about any kind of magic we could throw at it—at least as far as what I've learned in Skyrim. I resorted to something I learned away from the College. The 'reducto' curse is quite effective in exploding a Draugr's head... no matter how tough it might be.
Unfortunately, I thought of that a little too late, as the monster managed to use some sort of ancient magic—a dragon shout—on Tommy. When it happened, I thought it killed him, as he was literally blown across the room and slammed into the lid of a coffin. I've never encountered that sort of magic before, but it's bloody scary—to harm someone with only the power of your voice?
Tommy's been laid out for two and a half days now. I'm actually sitting beside his compartment here in our suite as I write this. He complains a lot, but Healer Ferris wants to be sure everything heals up nicely before he's up and about too much. Me, I'm still worried that one of these days, I'll lose him... because of something exactly like this sort of thing. There's so much here that we don't know about. I truly fear for him. He's not magical, but he won't even conceive of being locked away while I put myself in harm's way. Justin says he's been working on something, but really... unless it can let him use magic somehow, I don't know what good it'll do.
Shit, I'm rambling, and Mazhe just got back—looking a little worse for the wear. I'll sign off for now, but keep in touch.
Love, always,
Harry
"Shall I send for healers?" Harry asked, taking in Mazhe's roughed up appearance.
"No. No, it's fine. The wild book chase was a little more challenging than expected though."
Mazhe pulled out three volumes from his satchel, and stacked them on the table.
"We might need to prank Ancano's bed again, he's been asking some irritating questions again."
"Really? No, pranking his bed got old after the first time. I'll talk to Sirius," said Harry. He again regarded his friend. "What happened?"
"I truly wish I could Apparate such as you can, Harry. Gods... you remember Fellglow Keep?"
"That fort east of Whiterun," Harry remembered.
"Full of warlocks, conjurers and their minions, and this woman they were calling 'the caller'. Orthan lasted about three seconds when we went toe to toe with her. She almost did me in three or four times before I got her with this."
Mazhe held out his hand, and a ball of sparking energy formed in it.
"You got it to work."
"The bitch lit up like a Christmas tree when I nailed her with it."
"She got a real charge out of it then.," Harry grinned, to which Mazhe smirked.
"Anyway. Best get over to the Arcaneum, Urag will want to see these." He gestured to the stack of books he'd placed on the table.
"Fix yourself up first. You look you had it out with a sabre cat."
"What do you call this?" Mazhe smirked and pointed to the nasty scars on his face. He collected the books and was gone before Harry could tag him with a tickling jinx.
About two hours later, Mazhe returned to Harry's set of rooms, to find Tommy was up on his feet—or at least, sitting at the table with Harry.
"Feeling better, are we?"
"Good enough."
"Tolfdir wants to see us in the Hall of the Elements. They're studying the orb we found in Saarthal."
"Sure."
It took a few minutes as warm sweaters were now needed outside, and they crossed the circular courtyard, into the Hall of the Elements, wherein the strange orb now took up the centre of the cavernous room. A crowd of students of various skill levels were all gathered around it, as was Tolfdir.
"Feeling better, Mr. Riordan?" he asked.
"Well enough, thank you."
"So this is what you guys found in Saarthal," said Justin, his gaze not leaving the object. "It radiates power like the Orb of Magnus."
"Shit, he's right," said Harry, "Exactly like that."
Harry had most certainly seen the most sacred object in the Commonwealth. This looked and behaved exactly like it.
"Indeed it is immensely powerful," Tolfdir agreed, "I just can't seem to tear myself away. Whatever this is, its beauty is like nothing I've ever seen before. If you'd all allow me to indulge myself for a moment, I thought I might make a few observations..."
Tolfdir got closer to the orb.
"I'm sure most of you have already noticed the markings. They're quite unlike anything we've seen before. Ayleid, Dwemer, Daedric... Not even Falmer. None of them are a match. Quite curious indeed."
He reached up a hand, almost daring to touch the energy radiating from it.
"Now, I'm not sure that you're quite as attuned as I am—with the exception of Harry and his friends—given my extensive years of experience, but can you feel that? This marvellous object. It practically radiates magicka, and yet it's unlike anything I've felt before."
He stepped back from it. Harry mentally groaned, seeing Ancano pushing his way through the gathered students. They were about to be interrupted.
"Arch-Mage Aren is already hard at work, and hopefully we'll have more information soon. Now, I..."
"I'm afraid I must intrude," Ancano interrupted, coming to stand between Harry and Tolfdir, "It is urgent that I speak with your associates here immediately."
Tolfdir opened his mouth to protest, but Harry beat him to the punch.
"His 'associates'," Harry mocked, putting air brackets around 'associates'. "I strongly doubt anything you have to say is more important than the lecture my fellow students and I are attending. You need to speak to me, see me after we're done."
In any other circumstance, that would normally humble the haughty elf, and send him scurrying off to find a softer target. But this situation was not one of those.
"Yes, yes, I've no doubt of its gravity. This, however, is a matter that cannot wait, Potter. You and your company will follow me. Now."
"What business could possibly be more important than this lesson, Ancano?" Mazhe questioned, equally hostile toward the elf.
"With Mazhe here," Harry agreed, "What's going on that's got you willing to risk bodily harm to insert your nose into my business?"
You could hear a pin drop, save for the hum coming from the orb at the centre of the room, the tension so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Harry and his group's frigid relationship with the haughty elf was quite well known by this point. Justin's hand was itching toward his wand holster.
"Well, allow me to clarify the situation," Ancano sneered, "I'd like to know why there's someone claiming to be from the Psijic Order here in the College. More importantly, I'd like to know why he's asking for you pair specifically. So we're going to go have a little chat with him, and find out exactly what it is he wants."
"You mean, the pair of us will be having a conversation with him," said Harry, motioning toward Mazhe, "If the Psijic Order has asked to see us, then very well. It's not the first time we've spoken with one of their members. Where may we find him?"
"You will follow me."
"The point of Harry asking is so that we can seek him out... alone," said Mazhe. "Your attendance is neither needed nor wanted."
"How dare you—"
"Try me," Harry hissed, a white glow instantly forming in his hand. "You know my curses are most painful."
"As are mine, human!" Ancano snapped, matching Harry's show of force.
He was, however, not prepared for the reaction, as nearly three quarters of the students present also armed themselves, dangerous magic appearing at their fingertips. It was a known fact that none of the students at the College appreciated the Thalmor agent's presence.
"Perhaps it might be best if you just let Harry know where he might find our important visitor, Ancano," said Tolfdir, calmly. Inside, he was more than impressed at how his youngest student was dealing with the thorn in the College's side.
"This is not over," Ancano growled, "Find him with the Arch-mage in his quarters."
"Thank you. Petrificus Totalus!"
Ancano fell over like a tree, his arms and legs snapping together tightly.
"I'd rather him not try and follow us. Anyone care to see to him until we get back?"
J'zargo and Enthir were quite happy to take on the responsibility, while Harry, Mazhe, Justin, and Tommy made their exit.
They took little time to climb the stairs up to the Arch-Mage's quarters, where indeed, Savos Aren was waiting, as was a wizard dressed in golden robes with crimson-trim. Both he and Harry were not surprised, when everything seemed to warp strangely, and the others vanished.
"Gods... not this again," Harry muttered. "Where is everyone?"
"I'd simply like to talk to you," answered the stranger.
"But... what... what did you do?" Mazhe asked, confused.
"I've given us a chance to speak privately, but I'm afraid I can't do this for long. We must be brief. The situation here at your College is of dire importance, and attempts to contact either of you as we have previously have failed. I believe it is due to the very source of our concern. This object... The Eye of Magnus as your people have taken to calling it. The energy coming from it has prevented us from reaching you with the visions you have already seen. The longer it remains here, the more dangerous the situation becomes. And so I have come here personally to tell the pair of you it must be dealt with."
"I still don't understand. What does it have to do with us?" Harry asked.
"You set this chain of events in motion at Saarthal," answered the stranger, "You must understand, the Psijic Order does not typically... intervene directly in events. My presence here will be seen as an affront to some within the Order, and as soon as we have finished, I will be leaving your College. I'm all too aware that my arrival has aroused suspicion, especially in Ancano, your Thalmor associate—"
"He's not our associate," Harry scowled, "As soon as I can figure out a way, I'll have him out of here. Just about everyone here hates his guts."
"Yes... well... him being attached to your College in any capacity, he has grown suspicious. Nevertheless, my Order will not act directly. You must take it upon yourself to do so."
"Why should we trust your Order?" Mazhe asked.
"I presume you refer to Ancano's distaste for the Psijic Order?" the stranger answered, "The Thalmor see our Order as a threat because we have power, and we will not allow them to control us. I assure you that we mean you no harm."
"So what exactly is the problem?"
"As you may have learned, this object... The Eye... is immensely powerful. This world is not ready for it. If it remains here, it will be misused. Indeed, many in the Order believe it has already... Rather, something will happen soon, something that cannot be avoided."
"Wh—what do you expect from us, then?" Harry asked.
"We believe the your efforts should be directed towards dealing with the aftermath, but we cannot predict what that will be."
"Can he get any more cryptic?" Mazhe muttered, growing impatient. "Look. Can you at least point us in some sort of direction? If you're telling us this, then there must be something we can do to... stave off whatever disaster is lurking in our future."
"I fear I have already overstepped the bounds of my Order, but I will offer this: seek out the Augur of Dunlain here in your College. His perception may be more coherent than ours."
"The Augur of Dunlain," Harry repeated. "Where can we find this 'Augur'?"
"I... I am unsure. He is somewhere within the College. Surely one of your colleagues must know his location. I am sorry I cannot provide you with further help, but this conversation requires a great deal of effort on my part," answered the stranger.
"Who is he?"
"He was once a student here at the College. Now he is... something different," the stranger hedged.
Harry could hear Mazhe grinding his teeth again. The man was really irritating him.
"Now, I am afraid I must leave you. We will continue to watch over you, and guide you as best we can," said the stranger, "It is within you to succeed. Never forget that."
Before either of them could get a word in edgewise, the stranger simply vanished, and they found themselves in the company of Tommy, Justin, and the Arch-Mage.
"What... I... I'm... I'm not sure what happened," said the Arch-Mage, looking confused, "A monk from the Psijic Order, here, after all these years, and then he just leaves? I hope we didn't offend him somehow."
"No, sir," Harry answered, "Gods... just... let me pull out my chest and fetch my pensieve. Maybe you might be able to make better sense of what just happened better than the pair of us. But no, we didn't offend him if that's what you're concerned about."
"It was like back in Saarthal," Tommy guessed, while Harry produced his chest and restored it to its proper size.
"Exactly like Saarthal. And I really hate people who talk in circles," Harry muttered, as he opened the lid. He climbed in, and was gone, but his voice still carried from inside. "Why don't you come down here, we can sit down rather than stand around."
Ten minutes later, the Arch-Mage leaned back in the seat, thinking over what he had just seen. The Eye of Magnus, as it was being called, actually dangerous? That thought had certainly occurred to him. And it seemed the future was in the hands of his two youngest but brightest students. The last bit though. The Augur of Dunlain? Wasn't that simply a fabrication? A story?
"Ask Tolfdir about the Augur. I believed up until now he was simply telling stories. It seems that perhaps I owe my colleague a sincere apology."
"We're all allowed to make mistakes now and then, sir," said Harry.
It was the following morning before the group was able to search out the Augur. Tolfdir had been more than helpful, directing them to the Midden, a sort of under croft below the College itself. He had made it a point to carefully explain the dangers that could be lurking in the space, but none of them were fazed by such things. It meant exercising caution, just like entering any other sort of ruin.
The form the Augur took was completely unexpected, but the group fought through the distraction to ask some very pointed questions, of which garnered useful answers. Indeed, the entity knew a bit more about what was going on than the Psijic monk, and more importantly, Harry and his friends weren't the first to visit. Ancano had already been there, with some very different questions. With profuse thank-yous, they departed to seek out the Arch-Mage at once.
They found him in the Hall of Elements, gazing at the very object of contention. Tolfdir was there as well, along with a number of students, and they were engaged in research, collecting as much information as they could from the strange object. Additionally, Guardian Elaine was there, along with a few other Guardians of the Magnus, likely comparing the object with the Commonwealth's orb.
"Sir?" Harry asked.
"What did you find out from the Augur?" asked the Arch-Mage.
"It probably sounds ridiculous, but we need to find the Staff of Magnus."
The Arch-Mage frowned. "Is that so? He specifically mentioned that particular staff?"
"Yes sir," answered Mazhe.
"Well. Something as specific and ancient as the Staff of Magnus... I'm not sure we'd ever find something like that..."
He seemed to think for a moment.
"I seem to recall Mirabelle mentioning the staff somewhat recently. Why don't you see if she can tell you anything?"
"Know where we might find her right now?"
"Right now? Out in the courtyard, I believe."
"Thank you sir."
Harry, meanwhile, met up with Guardian Elaine.
"This is truly remarkable, Harry," she said, her eyes still fixed on the orb, "It's identical in every way except size and colour. Right down to the markings."
"So whatever this is, it's a twin to the Orb of Magnus," Harry said.
"If that were a wager, you would likely win handily."
"Curious, though, the Psijic Order either isn't aware or doesn't care about the orb the Commonwealth has."
"Perhaps it is because Valicadia has only used the orb for positive purposes," Tolfdir mused, "The orb you possess has been used to do great things, but none of it of malicious nature."
"Nor has this one, sir... at least not yet."
"Mazhe, remember what the Psijic monk said though... not something that has happened, but something that will," Harry reminded him.
Mirabelle was not out in the courtyard, and in fact, they found her in her quarters.
"Harry. What can I help you with?" she asked.
"The Arch-Mage sent me actually. He said you might have a bit of information about the Staff of Magnus."
"I see. Well yes, I suppose I did mention it, though I'm not sure what he expects me to tell you. I only brought it to his attention a few months back when the Synod showed up here looking for it. You likely don't recall their visit."
She got shaking heads and blank stares from the group.
"Well. They were apparently under the impression we were keeping it in a closet somewhere."
"Who are the Synod?" Mazhe questioned.
"Mages based out of Cyrodiil," Mirabelle explained, "They fancy themselves the Imperial Authority on magic these last few hundred years. My understanding is that all they really do is make noise in an attempt to curry favour from the Emperor. Lots of politics, little magic. I was quite surprised to find them on our doorstep. They seemed amiable enough, but their line of questioning made me... uneasy. It became clear they're trying to hoard powerful artifacts, looking to consolidate power."
"So no one here knows where the staff is," Harry summarized.
"No one here does. The Synod seemed convinced it was somewhere in Skyrim. They enquired about the ruins of Mzulft, but that's all I remember. It sounded like they were heading there, though they were rather secretive about why. I suppose if you're intent on looking for the staff, there's a chance they might be in Mzulft yet. Just don't expect them to be cooperative."
"Great. I guess it's off to Mzulft, then. Know where it is, exactly?" Mazhe pulled his tattered map out of his satchel.
"If I have it correctly, it should be somewhere here," Mirabelle answered, pointing a finger at a spot south and a little east of Windhelm.
"Thanks, you've been brilliant as always."
"Go away Harry, your charms won't work on me."
Harry stuck his tongue out at her and the group was gone.
There had been a bit of discussion on how to get there, but in the end it was decided they would all take a port key to the stables outside of Windhelm. Then they would fly the rest of the way, it being much easier to spot things from the air. It was just before lunchtime when they arrived at the ruins, its distinctive towers making it easy to spot from a distance.
As soon as they landed, Harry immediately stowed his broom away, then pulled out his chest and restored it to its proper size. They climbed in after Harry erected a few protective wards to prevent anyone or anything intruding on the chest while they were hidden inside. They ate lunch, then it was back outside of the chest, and into the ruins of Mzulft.
Inside, slumped against the interior door, lay a man in mages' robes. He let out a wheeze.
"Crystal... gone..."
The man was in his final moments, trying to get his breath. He wheezed a few more times.
"Find... Paratus... in Oculory..."
He was no more.
"Kynareth grant you safe passage through her realm," Mazhe whispered, kneeling at the man's side.
"Door's locked," said Tommy.
"Locked? Alohomora," said Harry, a hand waved at the door. There was a subtle click.
"Guess we didn't need this then," said Mazhe, holding up a key he'd recovered from the dead mage.
"Come on then, let's find this 'Paratus' fellow," said Harry, and the group set off.
The ruin was extensive, much like Aftand had been, with numerous corridors, and more than its fair share of traps, Dwemer machinery, and constructs—spiders and spheres. The spiders tended to be the lesser of the two evils, but both could pack a dangerous punch, not to be taken lightly. However, the group was more than adept at handling the threats the automatons presented. Mazhe stopped using his shock spell when the first spider he nailed with it exploded rather spectacularly.
The scenery changed to a more earthen set of corridors, and this time, rather than Dwemer constructs, they encountered the Falmer—a twisted and corrupted version of the ancient Snow Elves. Blind, the rest of their senses had more than adapted for it, making them a tough enemy to fight, even one-on-one. A swarm of them meant real trouble.
They at last reached a large chamber with what seemed like a swarm of Falmer, including one particularly tough magic-caster who was more than adept with its frost. It was impossible to get any sort of focus on it, when the group was constantly dodging attacks from the others.
"Immobilus!" Harry finally commanded, and the room at once fell silent. "Getting really tired of this load of horse shit."
With everything now frozen save for Harry's friends, the group took their time dispatching the remainder of the enemies in the chamber, including the particularly difficult leader. Mazhe searched its body, and found an orb of some sort, something akin to the attunement sphere Septimus had given him sometime before.
"We'll likely need it," Tommy guessed, "wasn't the guy we found at the entrance muttering something about a crystal?"
"Agreed," said Mazhe, "Let's carry on. We have to be getting close."
They pushed on again, after Harry forced the door at the top of the large chamber. From there it was up a ramp, to another locked door. The moment Mazhe pushed on it, there came a voice from the other side.
"G...Gavros? Is that you? I'd almost given up hope. Let me get the door..."
There was a rattling of a key in the lock, and the doors swung open. The wizard behind it was clearly surprised and perhaps a little miffed at the group he now saw.
"What the? Who are you? Where's Gavros?" he demanded.
"We're sorry... but your friend Gavros is dead," Harry answered, honestly.
"It was the Falmer, wasn't it? Curse them! They've ruined everything!" the wizard cursed, "If Gavros is gone, there's no hope. He was supposed to return with the crystal... Without that, all our efforts are wasted. And you. If you're here for treasure, or wisdom, or anything, I'm afraid you've wasted your time."
"Focusing crystal. You mean, this?" Mazhe held up the orb he had recovered off of the particularly difficult Falmer.
"You found... how in the world..." the wizard looked impressed. "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 Mazhe. This is Harry, Justin, and Tommy. We're with the College of Winterhold."
"You are, are you?" the wizard sneered, "Savos wouldn't even grant us an audience when we came to you, but now you four come here expecting something from me?"
He let out a sigh, and relented somewhat.
"I don't much like this, I'll tell you. But you've saved my skin, so maybe I can overlook the past for now. Come on, I'll explain on the way."
They listened to the Synod researcher prattle on about the project they were working on, as the five of them travelled down the corridor. It was clear the Synod researchers had set up a small encampment there—several mats were laid out on the floor on top of animal skins, and there were numerous items scattered about, supplies they were relying on while they were there.
They crossed a threshold into a high room, in which there was a massive spherical contraption. Harry guessed the room was between four and six storeys in height, with the sphere occupying half of it. The Synod researcher was then leading them up a long ramp up to the upper level of the chamber now, and it was clear he was getting excited.
"Here it is. Magnificent, isn't it?" he said, "Took an incredible amount of work to get it running again. Now I'm hoping it'll all be worth it. You there."
He pointed a finger at Mazhe.
"Place the crystal in the central apparatus, and we can start the process for focusing it."
"Right."
Mazhe climbed up onto the top of the enormous contraption, with Tommy right behind. It was a good call, as he needed Tommy to give him a boost to reach the apparatus hanging from the ceiling.
"Is this where it's supposed to go?" Mazhe called, indicating the circular hole in the lowest ring.
"Yes, it should fit there, indeed," said Paratus.
Mazhe pushed the orb into the hole, and the entire mechanism gave a great shudder, nearly toppling the pair.
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered, as the entire place seemed to hum with energy.
"Okay. Now what?" Mazhe questioned, as he and Tommy got down off the top of the machine.
"Now the crystal needs to be focused. It was created so far away, we knew that 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 around here somewhere in case your training is even more sub-standard than—"
"I take exception to that!" Harry snarled, "LOOK. We didn't come here looking for a fight, but really..."
"Harry..." Mazhe placated him, "Not helping."
However, he turned back to Paratus and gave him a creepy smile. "You're really not helping us either. We could just smash that focusing crystal up there and be gone, and your little project or whatever you've put all this time into... would be ruined for good."
Paratus gave the group a hateful glare, then relented. He realized, that really, it was four against one here. Four very well-built individuals completely unknown in skill. He might take one or two of them out, but in the end, it would be a battle lost. They would very likely paint the floor with his blood. He let out a sigh.
"Just cast your magic at it. You'll also need to align the mirrors using the controls up above. Once everything is lined up, the light will reflect back through the crystal. Then you'll see some real magic."
"Harry... your frost is better than mine. You mind?" Mazhe asked.
"What do we do, just aim for the receptacle?" Harry asked.
"Yes, exactly," Paratus answered curtly.
It took several minutes of Mazhe and Harry alternating between their frost and fire spells before Paratus was happy with the alignment of the central apparatus. He then directed them to begin shifting the mirrors on the ceiling to line up with the beams now being cast at it, three of them in total.
This was actually a little simpler, as it involved just pressing and holding the buttons to bring the three rings around to the right positions. It was noisy, but they bore the irritation until everything lined up correctly.
"Excellent, well done," said Paratus, sounding a little excited now, "Years of work about to pay off... ...but what's this?"
Paratus frowned, glaring at the projection that now appeared on a nearby wall.
"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 interference. Something in Winterhold, it looks like. What are you playing at? Is this some attempt to stall my work?!"
Paratus was enraged.
"So what is it? What have you done?"
"How about you calm the fuck down," said Tommy, dangerously.
"Or we put you in a full body bind, simple as that," said Harry, joining his friends. "We didn't come here to sabotage whatever it is you're trying to achieve. If you tell us what's wrong, maybe we can help fix the problem."
"What's wrong? What's WRONG?!" Paratus fumed, "Everything is wrong! Everything! Whatever you have at that College has completely interfered with our work here."
"What if that... the eye is doing it?" Tommy suggested, "That thing, whatever it is, it's pretty powerful, right?"
"What sort of eye?"
"The Eye of Magnus," said Mazhe.
"The Eye of Magnus?"
Paratus seemed to think on that for a moment.
"Well, I suppose if that means what I think it does... Well, that's interesting..." he muttered, mostly to himself.
"If that's taken into account, these results make more sense. If you have the Eye, then you are looking for the staff, yes?"
"And we finally get to the point of the operation," said Mazhe, rolling his eyes.
"Well, even if you are trying to ruin my work, there's still something to be learned here."
"Guys, just... look at this, uh, projection," said Tommy, pointing to the image magically imprinted on the wall, "It's not just the College that's lit up. What... what's that place there?"
He pointed to the second location that was broadcasting light like a beacon across the map.
"Labyrinthian, I think," said Mazhe, pulling his map out and opening it, "Said to be the largest Nordic ruin in the province. I've not actually been there, but..."
"If the Eye's at the College, then—" Harry began.
"The Staff's in Labyrinthian," Mazhe finished.
"So, mage from Winterhold, despite your intentions I've beaten your little game," said Paratus, trying and failing to sound menacing, "Even if all you've said here is lies, I know you have something in Winterhold the Synod Council will be very interested in. So fine, trudge off to Labyrinthian in search of your Staff. I shall return to Cyrodiil and deliver my full report to the Council. This is not over, I assure you."
"Whatever you want to believe, man," said Tommy, with a shrug.
"What he said," Harry agreed, "C'mon, we'll Portkey back, Savos will want to know what we've found."
Before Paratus could comment further, the four of them vanished right before his eyes, using what looked like a length of rope. He didn't even have a chance to question exactly what sort of magic could be so powerful. He was simply left there, bewildered, staring at the spot they'd vanished from.
The moment the four of them touched down in the courtyard of the College, the world again seemed to grind to a halt, and Mazhe and Harry once again found them in the presence of the Psijic mage.
"You have done well thus far, but trying times are ahead," he spoke, "And now that you've returned to your College, you will be called on to take swift action. Rise to the challenge, and discover what you are capable of. You are on the right path, and you will both prevail."
He vanished, and the world caught up to them.
"Another vision," Justin guessed.
"We're about to be tested guys," Mazhe warned them, "Be ready for anything. Let's go find the Arch-Mage."
They found the Arch-Mage in the Hall of the Elements, along with Mirabelle. Alarming, some sort of barrier had pushed everyone to the edge of the room, cutting them off from the Eye of Magnus.
"Sir?" Mazhe asked, "What's going on?"
"Ancano has somehow locked himself in the hall. He's up to something, and I intend to put a stop to it. Help us get through this, will you? We're throwing everything we have at it."
"Harry?" Mazhe simply asked.
"REDUCTO!" Harry shouted, sending a blast of red magic to impact with the barrier. The last thing he remembered before darkness took him, was a tremendous roar, with everything becoming painfully bright.
UP NEXT: The College is reeling from the loss of one of their own, but there is no time to mourn, as the circle rushes off to Labyrinthian in search of the Staff of Magnus; and there, they face the most challenging ruin up to this point, with truly deadly enemies...