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Posted February 18, 2014.
SUMMARY: 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...
17. THE STAFF AND THE EYE
September 11 – 12, 2005
"Harry. Wake up, man."
He could feel someone gently shaking him, but everything felt wrong. He dared open his eyes, and for a second, everything seemed to swim before his eyes.
Tommy was kneeling beside him, looking worried.
"You all right?"
"I... uh..." he reached into his satchel, and pulled out a healing potion, popped the cork, and consumed it. "Better now. Where... where's everyone else?"
"Dunno. Mazhe's missing, so is Justin... Mirabelle, she's... over there," said Tommy, casting a glance to a spot not far from them.
Harry got into a sitting position.
"Mirabelle?"
"Harry. Can you get up? I need you on your feet, we're in trouble here," she said, shaken.
"Yeah... think I know that. Where... where's the Arch-Mage?"
"It's part of the problem. Ancano's doing something with the Eye. We can't stop him. I haven't seen the Arch-Mage since the explosion. I need you pair to find him," said Mirabelle, gravely.
"Are you hurt?"
"Harry, I'll see to myself. Now GO. Find Savos!"
"C'mon." Tommy scrambled to his feet, then helped Harry up off the floor. Mirabelle was right—they could see the haughty Altmer inside of the protective barrier, casting magic at the Eye of Magnus. For the time being, there was no way to deal with him.
A quick scan of the room uncovered no other victims, so it appeared everyone else had been blown outside—the damaged doors leading out to the courtyard were more than enough evidence. They had been blown out spectacularly, a tall feat, considering how heavy they were. They were just barely still on the hinges. A crowd had gathered not far outside of them.
"Step aside!" Harry ordered, and the crowd made a hole.
"Harry. Gods. You're both all right?" Mazhe asked. He was covered in scratches, but otherwise not injured, such was Justin, who stood shakily beside him, consuming a healing potion.
"Yeah, fine. A little shook up, but... oh no."
His eyes found the reason for everyone gathering around. Savos Aren lay crumpled on the ground, barely conscious. Harry knelt beside the Arch-Mage, and began rooting through his satchel for healing potions.
"It is too late, my dear boy," Savos whispered, shakily reaching a hand to forestall Harry's efforts. "Both of you... come closer a moment."
Mazhe joined Harry kneeling by the fallen Arch-Mage.
"You know... where to find the Staff, yes?"
"Yes sir," Mazhe answered quietly.
"You'll... need it, I think... if you are to defeat... Ancano... Both of you... more than capable of it. Proud of both of you... Harry... came a long way... since joining us. You can be much more... but you know that already. Tell... Tell Mirabelle... she is... she will know... what to do."
His chest rose and fell one final time, and he fell limp.
As much as he fought to prevent it, he could not, and Harry felt a warm tear slide down his cheek in spite of himself.
"Harry, Mazhe... Gods, the Arch-Mage dead..." Tolfdir was equally upset. "There's more. Something's happened to Winterhold. It must be whatever Ancano did. You need to get out there and make sure it's safe."
"C'mon... let's... we need to fix it then," said Mazhe, giving Harry's shoulder a squeeze. There would be time to mourn later.
Harry rubbed his eyes, then climbed to his feet. He collected himself and gathered his resolve.
"This mess is our doing, our College's doing. Who comes with us to set things to rights?!"
"I do," said Enthir.
"This one joins," said J'zargo.
"And so will I," Onmund joined in.
In fact, it was quite the substantial group which crossed the bridge back into the village of Winterhold. Harry was right. Even unintentionally, it was something at the College which had brought misery to the village. It was exactly this sort of thing which brought scorn and distrust on the College.
Tolfdir was right: there were white streaks of light meandering through the street, and thus far at least a quarter of the village guards lay dead having tried to deal with them.
"Sonorus," Harry whispered, pressing his wand to his throat, "Town of Winterhold, everyone go indoors while we deal with the problem. Do not try and fight these things, they will kill you. Quietus."
There had been about three dozen of the anomalies, but with the number of students and teachers, it was not that difficult to deal with. Tommy was a bit like a fish out of water here, but Justin put him in charge of seeing to anyone who might be injured. Four residents of the village found themselves rescued by his hand, pulled into the Jarl's longhouse to be treated for their injuries.
"Harry. We'll stay here. Get back to the College and let them know what's going on," said Faralda.
"You sure?"
"Go. We'll look after things here and deal with any more of these things if they appear."
"Right. Come on guys."
They found Mirabelle outside in the courtyard as a few of the older students were then getting ready to move the fallen Arch-Mage and prepare him for burial.
"Winterhold is safe for now," Mazhe reported, "Faralda and some of the others are staying behind to make sure no more of those things appear."
"Wish I could say the same for us," answered Mirabelle, "Tolfdir and I can try and keep this contained. You need to get your hands on the Staff of Magnus. Now."
"Then I guess we're off to Labyrinthian," said Harry.
That earned a shocked look from Mirabelle.
"What? Are you... are you sure the staff is there? That can't be a coincidence."
"Why do you say that?" Harry asked.
"The Arch-Mage. He... He gave me something just a little while ago."
Mirabelle looked puzzled for a moment, then dug in her own satchel, pulling out what looked like a stone ring of some sort.
"He told me this was from Labyrinthian, and that I would know what to do with it when the time came. I think... I think he meant this for you, then. I'm not sure why, but there was something very personal about it for him. Take it, and get out of here. Bring back that staff before Ancano brings the whole College down around us."
"We'll be back as soon as we can," Mazhe promised. "Harry, you know what direction we need to go in... how about you fly your broom there, it'll probably be faster."
"Good thinking. Mazhe, you can ride on the back with me. Justin, you mind carrying Tommy?"
"No, not a problem. Best fetch our brooms then," Justin answered, "We should also try and get Brandon and Eric back. If this place we're going to is in any way as dangerous as Saarthal..."
Harry produced his chest and set it on the ground. "You want to make the call, go ahead. But I don't think we really have time to wait for them to get here." He touched it with a hand, restoring it to proper size.
Justin, meanwhile, pulled out his mobile. He frowned when he went to make the connection.
"Okay, that's weird. Not getting any kind of signal."
"That thing in there's probably fucking up the signal. Bet the fireplace doesn't work right now either," Tommy guessed.
"He's probably right," Harry agreed. "Guys..." he indicated the lid.
The flight took several hours, and it was nearly dark by the time they got to the outer edge of the ruin. Entering a Nordic ruin at any time of day was dangerous enough. Doing so at night was far worse. However, given the urgency of matters, they really didn't have a whole lot of choice, and so the four of them set down just outside the large archway leading into the ruin. Spotting a small circular structure, they took cover there, and Harry again produced his chest.
Inside, they all took the time to have something to eat and get refreshed, since a clear head would be a necessity from this point forward.
"Best pull out all the healing potions we have, Harry," said Mazhe, as they sat at the table, "No clue what we're gonna find inside this place."
"Can't agree more. If we weren't in a hurry I'd love to have a poke around, it looks fascinating—at least outside."
"Lots of time to come back later, Harry," said Mazhe.
"That is true. What I remember reading, Labyrinthian was at one time known as Bromjunaar," said Harry.
"Yes, some believe it was the capital of Skyrim back during the rule of the Dragon Cult."
Tommy arched an eyebrow. "Dragon Cult. Seriously?"
"Very much so," said Mazhe, "It is known that the highest ranking Dragon Priests met there to discuss matters of rule and so on."
"They worshipped dragons."
"Not too much is known of the culture, but yes."
"I think that sounds like self preservation," said Justin, "Tow the line or be killed."
"Likely. Though again, not a whole lot is known how the Dragon Cult formed, or the makeup of its membership," Mazhe answered.
"These undead—the Draugr... if they can speak the dragon language, maybe they were members of this dragon cult."
"Possible. But I think we're all in agreement here, nowadays, they're vicious and hostile. They can't be reasoned with, they have to be destroyed, end of story."
Tommy shook his head.
"Don't think Mazhe was suggesting we have a heart to heart with one."
Harry couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Gods. Can see it now, asking the one we encountered in Sarthaal. Oi, you there. Care for a spot of tea?"
"Now that's a crazy visual," said Mazhe, shaking his head.
"Hmph. No, I see enough crazy visuals on a daily basis," Tommy muttered between bites, "Uh, good example... keep seein' Harry coming out of the bathroom twice."
"Maybe he really needed to go," said Mazhe, with a smirk.
"He goes in once, but comes out twice. Ain't right..."
"Maybe he's become addicted to dreamless sleep potions," said Mazhe.
"And you're full of shit."
With the meal finished, the four of them quickly exited the trunk, although they did exercise caution and make as little noise as possible. With it past nightfall, there was no telling what exactly might call the area outside the ruins home. More than likely, nothing here would be friendly.
"Quiet or not, we still need a light," Mazhe whispered, and flung a hand at the ceiling. A glowing sphere latched there, bathing the space in an even, soft light.
"Hey look at this," said Harry, kneeling beside some skeletal remains. There was a tattered note, as well as what looked like a mask of some sort.
"Never seen anything like that before," Mazhe agreed, "Careful, Harry."
"I know."
Harry opened the parchment, and skimmed it, still holding the mask in his other hand.
"Well, this is strange. It sounds like there are more of these. And it acts something like my invisibility cloak, but even better. The wearer disappears completely." Before anyone could react, he put the mask on. He vanished.
"Harry?!"
"Jesus Christ," Tommy muttered, equally shocked.
"Gods... Harry? C'mon, this isn't funny," said Mazhe. All of them were gravely concerned at this point.
Then, as quickly as he'd vanished, he reappeared, with a goofy grin on his face. "Guys! You gotta see this!"
"Are you crazy?!" Mazhe fumed, "You could've been killed!"
"Just grab onto me, I'll show you," Harry promised. Mazhe huffed, but gripped his friend's shoulder. Tommy and Justin were equally unimpressed, but reluctantly followed Mazhe's example. Harry again put the mask on, and the four of them vanished.
They reappeared in a very close representation of the room they had just left, save for one important factor: everything looked pristine, brand new.
"Gods..." Mazhe muttered, "It's as if... we've travelled back in time."
Tommy was doubtful. "Time travel? You're shittin' me."
"Oh believe me, it's very possible. I know the Orb is capable of it, and there is something in our own world that's capable," Harry answered.
"So what is this place?" Justin wondered, "What would these things be for?"
"Yeah, agreed. But this would be a brilliant hiding place. Looks like there's no way in or out, other than... the mask. C'mon, grab on again, we'll get back to... well, where we belong."
They reappeared back in the ruined room, and Harry stuffed the mask in his rucksack.
"Really gotta think sometimes," said Justin, shaking his head, "It could've took you who knows where... 'specially considering what happened in the spring..."
"Sometimes I just go with my gut. You know that. I trusted what I read, and... just how to exploit it now. This place could be very useful."
"Getting way off track here," said Mazhe, casting Harry another dirty look. Of course, he had certainly done his fair share of stupid things, but it didn't mean he felt any less afraid for the safety of his closest friend.
Tommy was equally unimpressed with Harry's actions, but Mazhe was right. They had a job to do. He took a step, and almost did a face plant into one of the ruined busts in the room, having tripped over something.
"Shit."
"Hey, what's this?"
Mazhe crouched down to examine the offending item.
"Damn. Not seen one of those here."
"What is it?"
"A crossbow. Just as lethal as a bow, but much easier to fire. Looks like there's a box of bolts here too," said Mazhe, collecting the item.
"Here." He pulled a bolt out of the box, and notched it in the slot on the top of the weapon. He pulled back on a lever, then released it, and that was it. The weapon was ready to go.
"How does it fire?"
"Uh, let's see..." Mazhe pointed the crossbow at the skull on the ground, and pressed a trigger on the bottom.
CLINK. The projectile easily penetrated the brittle skull, fracturing it into a dozen pieces.
"Wicked," Harry grinned. "Tommy, you okay with that?"
"Yeah. Think I can manage."
"We'll have to get it configured so it'll use conjured ammunition," said Justin, "Brandon knows that sort of thing."
"Not exactly time. Here, let me see one of those bolts."
Tommy passed over one of the bolts from the box, and Harry looked at it carefully, then handed it back. He knelt by the skeletal remains, and began transfiguring the bones into bundles of bolts, which he then shoved into his rucksack.
"Right. Let's get going."
Outside of the ruined chamber, they crept across the grounds, and up a number of flights of stairs. Being taught as he was, Harry made quick work of several skeletons guarding the area. His Daedric daggers dealt a lot of damage, and the skeletons tended to be low on the totem pole when it came to the strength of an enemy. He almost giggled aloud, watching the remains tumble down the stairs.
They stopped short, however, arriving at the massive main doors of the ruins. Six ghostly figures—one of which Harry recognized as a very young version of the very recently-deceased Arch-Mage—now stood before it in a semi-circle.
"Come on, we're finally here! Let's not waste any more time!" Savos exclaimed, acting every bit an excited school boy. Harry felt his knees go weak, in that instant reminded that the great man had once been a student also. He had walked the same halls, took in the same lessons, made the same mistakes.
"Are we truly sure this is a good idea?" another ghost, an Argonian, questioned uncomfortably.
"We'll be back at the College before anyone even knows we're gone," answered another, sounding equally excited.
"You would care about that, since you're the Arch-Mage's favourite!" spoke another, the line said in jest.
"Don't forget, this whole idea was Atmah's to begin with," said Savos, with a look to the student named Atmah.
"Let's just get inside, see what's in there," spoke another, a Nord. The ghostly figures remained rooted to the spot for a moment, then faded from existence.
"Uh... well..." said Harry, clearing his throat several times. He again had to wipe his eyes.
"You... need a minute?" Mazhe asked, worried.
"No... no, I'm fine. Let's just keep moving."
Harry reached into his satchel, and pulled out the stone ring Mirabelle had given him.
"This thing fits this door, I bet anything."
Now recomposed, Harry looked at the great set of doors, and immediately spotted a slot that would receive the stone ring he now held in his hand. Pressing it into the slot, it seemed to instantly re-attach itself, and three loud knocks sounded out. The doors parted a little, as though reluctantly inviting them in, and with the four of them pushing on the two halves, they gained entry into the previously sealed ruins.
Inside, they were treated to a second vision of the ghostly students, still giddy with excitement about exploring the vast ruin, the anticipation of discovering vast loot and rare artefacts flooding their heads. It was still startling, but nowhere near what it had been outside.
They quickly vanished, and the four of them began making their way along a dimly lit corridor. It was one thing that always intrigued Harry: how was it that, even after centuries being unoccupied and otherwise forgotten, the ruins always seemed to be lit well enough to navigate? Magic, likely. It was the only sane explanation he could come up with.
The way ahead was blocked with a metal portcullis, but it was nothing they hadn't encountered before, and Mazhe quickly found the lever to raise it. That left Harry to lead the way into what was perhaps the largest chamber any of them had encountered thus far in a Nordic ruin. Unfortunately, it led to the first of several nasty surprises, as the portcullis gate slammed back down into place, separating Harry from the rest of the group.
"Gods..." Mazhe muttered, "See if there's a lever there somewhere."
"Looking for it—got it," Harry said, pulling the lever he'd located just to the right of the gate. It once again clattered up out of the way.
"Now that all the occupants know that we're here," Mazhe muttered, as he joined Harry on the other side of the gate. It once again slammed down into place.
"Fuck this shit," Justin snarled, drawing his wand, "REDUCTO!"
The red blast of magic impacted with the metal gate, blasting it inward, half-way across the enormous room.
Tommy let out a snort. "Here comes the welcome wagon."
He raised his new weapon, and dispatched the first skeleton, who was already lining up a shot at Harry. The monster disintegrated into a dozen pieces, clattering to the ground. No time to admire his work, he'd already reloaded, and picked off a rather ferocious Draugr who was getting too close.
"Nice shooting—REDUCTO!" Harry shouted, blasting another skeleton into oblivion. He was then forced to duck, as an arrow missed his head by inches. "REDUCTO!" It was also rendered a pile of debris by his spell work.
Mazhe, meanwhile, was equally busy, dealing with a trio of particularly tough skeletons that were backing him up toward the wall. He held out a hand while dodging their attacks, a deep purple orb of magic appearing in his hand, and let it fly.
Rather than attack the enemies, however, it did something a little more useful. A figure built of solid flame appeared, and at once began to hurl powerful fireballs at the attacking skeletons. Conjuring a Flame Attronach was an advanced spell, and it certainly drained the mage, but as he recovered, the conjuration made quick work of the skeletons, allowing him to rejoin the main fight.
Unfortunately, the main fight had only just started, as the ground at the centre of the room heaved and exploded outward. From the newly created hole, a skeletal form emerged: a dragon.
"Oh shit," Tommy muttered.
"Ditto. C'mon, everything we got at it, guys!" Mazhe shouted.
The Flame Atronach was already sending fireballs at it, but it appeared to be doing very little damage at this point. The undead beast was unable to fly, perhaps a little consolation, but it meant little, really.
"Fo... KRAH DIIN!"
A wave of ice spewed from the dragon's mouth, narrowly missing Mazhe, and instantly freezing a path to the far wall.
"Thought dragons breathed fire!" Tommy shouted, shocked, raising his crossbow to take another shot.
"Uh, ditto!" Mazhe exclaimed.
The dragon shot out another blast of cold, this one dispatching Mazhe's conjured Flame Atronach.
"What do we do then? Open to ideas here!" Harry shouted, launching another ice spike at the monster.
Mazhe conjured a different Atronach, this one looking like a bunch of boulders held together by magic. It immediately launched a surge of electricity at the dragon, causing it to let out a roar of displeasure.
"REDUCTO!" Harry commanded, nailing the dragon's tail. It blasted a chunk of bone.
"Hit it again—" Justin was forced to hastily produce a strong shield ward, as the dragon unleashed another blast of frost, which froze everything around him.
"REDUCTO!" Harry shouted again, this time aiming for the dragon's face.
"Yol—" It let out a terrible roar as the spell impacted its face. That coincided with bolt from Tommy's crossbow impacting roughly the same place. Mazhe's Storm Atronach completed the assault with a blast of electricity. The dragon let out one more roar before collapsing to the ground. It did not move.
"I... Gods... this didn't just happen," Harry muttered, daring to poke at the skeletal remains.
"A dragon. Here. In Skyrim." Mazhe, too, was dumbfounded. "They... they're extinct. This... it just..."
"It was undead, Mazhe. Bet it's probably been here for thousands of years," Justin guessed.
"Doesn't bring a lot of comfort," Mazhe answered, "It goes against so many things. They aren't supposed to exist anymore."
"Harry, d'you mind producing your chest? Let's rest a few," Justin decided.
"Yeah... sure." Harry was still somewhat in a daze after what they'd just encountered, but produced his chest and set it down.
"With Justin. Let's take a break, get calmed down," Tommy suggested, "Ain't gonna do any good worked up they way we are now."
"Agreed. Come on then."
Immediately once inside, Tommy had the rest of them sit on the floor and join him in the calming exercise they usually did at the end of their morning training run. It only took a few minutes, but given what they had just experienced, it was more than appropriate.
After collecting his chest and stowing it, Harry took the lead, as they pushed through the doorway at the opposite end of the massive chamber. It led down a long stairway, to an intersection which really only had one direction. There, they were treated to another vision, in which it became clear they too, had faced the terrible monster Harry and his circle had just slain. It also became clear, the toll had been more costly for Savos and his fellow students, as the number of ghosts had decreased by one member.
A short way into the next chamber, they were all jarred by a shock wave which rattled through their very being.
"Wo meyz wah dii vul junaar?(1)" a raspy voice called out, echoing throughout the chamber.
"Harry? Mazhe? Justin?" Tommy looked concerned, as the three mages looked suddenly drained.
"Just... Gods... it... whatever that was, it just... sapped my magical pool. Harry? All right?"
"Same thing."
"For good?" Tommy looked alarmed.
"No, no, it's... we just need a moment," Mazhe answered, "Harry, any clue what it said?"
"I... I'm not sure," Harry answered, "Come... death... servant, All I can make of it."
"Here." Mazhe pulled a trio of bottles out of his satchel filled with a pale-blue fluid.
"Good thinking."
Harry accepted the bottle, and consumed its contents, while the others did the same. They all instantly felt better, as the potion worked its magic.
Unfortunately there was little respite, as several sarcophagi burst open, revealing angry Draugr. The four of them were tested again, but managed to dispatch the six undead. One particular bone-walker met its end by Tommy's bare hands; he simply slammed it into the coffin it had emerged from, shattering every bone in it.
With the crisis over for the time being, a new issue presented itself: a dead end. At least, in the form of a door with no way to open it. It was Mazhe who came up with the solution.
"Guys. The bottom of the door's got a blue glow about it. Let me try something."
He flung a flame spell at the blockage, and it was 'Open Sesame', as the door cracked down the middle and split open.
"Brilliant as always, Mazhe," Harry grinned, and the four of them pressed on.
It was a short corridor which led them into another, larger chamber, and a precarious descent along a narrow pathway. Worse, they were blasted with another shock wave identical to the one only minutes earlier. Harry, Justin, and Mazhe felt the same effects, and the disembodied voice spoke again:
"Nivahriin muz fent siiv nid aaz het."
"Here." Mazhe passed over another potion, and Harry accepted it.
"Something about cowardly men and no mercy," said Harry, after consuming another potion.
"Hope he switches to common language soon, I don't have many of these," said Mazhe.
"Or stops talking," Tommy scowled.
"Yeah, that too. C'mon, let's keep moving."
They began the slow descent, now employing stealth to keep encounters with the undead to a minimum. It was more than effective, with them only encountering a Draugr and two skeletons. The chamber itself though, was more of a hazard. Harry almost fell in two different places, with Justin and Tommy both catching him at the last second.
The strange voice was far from done, however, and another shock wave almost sent them all plummeting off the narrow bridge they were on.
"You do not answer... Must I use this guttural language of yours?"
Mazhe considered shouting back at it, but did not, realizing it would likely only stir up any enemies that lay ahead. He simply handed out another magicka potion, and they pressed on yet again.
"Well, at least it's speaking English—watch out!" Tommy shouted, and fired his crossobw at the glowing apparition which was charging at them. A spectral dog? Now that was a new one, but it really didn't matter. The bolt impacted with its shoulders, causing it to crumple to the ground.
"Now that's a new one," said Mazhe, shaking his head.
There was no time to think about it, as a half-dozen more of the ghostly entities were storming up the stairs from below. The group worked quickly and efficiently to eliminate the threats—Mazhe's Storm Atronach made an appearance and made quick work of two of them before being dispatched. They pushed on, leaving piles of ash behind—the entities seemed to disintegrate once destroyed.
Through more earthen-looking tunnels, they at last arrived at a long chamber with a door at the end. Another shock wave rattled the group, and the voice was back:
"Have you returned, Aren? My old friend?"
Harry and Mazhe weren't the only ones beginning to resent the voice at this point, as it slowed them down every time it spoke. This time they needed a few minutes to recover.
The next area they entered was partially flooded with water up to their ankles. It made it much more difficult to be silent, and they ended up battling more enemies than in the past chamber. Thus far, Labyrinthian had become perhaps the toughest Nordic ruin the four of them had faced.
The voice spoke to them yet again as they crossed into another, somewhat drier chamber with an earthen slope leading down.
"Do you seek to finish that which you could not?"
"So help me, when I find you..." Harry muttered, as he prepared to consume another potion. "How many more of those do you have?"
"Eight... no, nine," Mazhe answered. "It keeps this up though... Gods..."
"Agreed... never encountered anything that could drain our magical core. I think that'll even have Dumbledore stumped."
The sloping chamber led them into a larger, but initially empty chamber. Crossing that, they found barred archways which afforded them a view of the next chamber—an enormous earthen chamber with plenty of shadowy spaces in which danger could lurk. And, no surprise, as they entered the small corridor leading to said larger chamber, the voice spoke again:
"You only face failure once more..."
The large chamber produced two trolls, a half-dozen skeletons, and a very tricky thing called a Wisp-mother. They were notoriously difficult to deal with, since they tended to Apparate short distances, particularly when significantly wounded. Between the four of them, they dispatched all of them, and they all required healing potions when they cleared the room.
"Harry? All right there?" Mazhe was concerned for his friend.
"Gods... this place... I think we're all in agreement, probably the toughest ruin we've been in."
"Very true. Perhaps if we take an hour or two, get a bit of rest. It has been a long day. Surely a few hours won't make that much of a difference."
"No. There isn't time. Hours can mean the difference, Mazhe. Here." Harry reached into his rucksack, and drew out four Pepper-up potions. "We'll get loads of rest when this is over and done with."
Harry took a few steps forward. "Gods... another one of these."
"It's red this time, Harry." Mazhe pointed to the bottom of the sealed door, which was giving off a red glow.
"If fire opened the last one..."
KAWHACK! The icy projectile slammed into the door, and it cracked down the middle, to slide open. The voice spoke again:
"You... You are not Aren, are you? Has he sent you in his place?"
That wasted another few minutes, while Mazhe and Harry recovered their magic pool. They once again pressed ahead, into a chamber with a blocked spiral staircase. They once again found ghostly shades of Savos and his party, down to only four. They were being picked off, one by one.
Harry again gripped the amulet he wore.
"Talos protect us with a ready sword."
"Plant the seeds of doubt and defeat in the hearts our enemies," Mazhe joined in, "Bring strength and courage to our allies... and may there be a place held for us in Kynareth's realm should we part this day."
"Did he warn you that your own power would be your undoing? That it would only serve to strengthen me?" the voice spoke, sending another shock wave at them.
"I don't know what you are," Mazhe finally shouted, "But we will find you, and we shall see if your actions back up your words!"
"Then come. Face your end," the voice mocked, this time without the shock wave.
The four of them pushed forward now with renewed ferocity, dispatching enemies as quick as they came. Progress remained slow, however, given the enormity of the ruin. It had been an enormous Nordic dwelling at one point, and by Harry's estimates, they had already been inside for several hours. Fatigue was beginning to become a factor, even with the pepper-up potions consumed earlier.
At last, they came to an area common to many Nordic ruins: the Hall of Stories. There, they encountered the ghostly Savos and his remaining two colleagues.
"We shouldn't have left her there to die!" spoke the ghost of Atmah, somewhere between scared and angry.
"What else could we do? Stay there and die with her? She refused to go on, we didn't have a choice!" Savos answered. He was equally upset, and frightened.
"This is it, you know. Through this door. Can you feel it?" Hafnar spoke. He sounded dead inside, his voice devoid of emotion at this point.
"We're not going to make it, are we?" spoke Atmah.
"We stay together, no matter what. Agreed?"
"I'll be right with you."
"Agreed. We all stay together," said Savos. They stood still a moment, then vanished.
"We've been lucky... thus far," said Harry, quietly. "What the hell happened to them?"
"Guess we're about to find out. Keep your wits about you, guys. Whatever's in here, it plays for keeps," said Mazhe, gravely. He pushed on the heavy doors, and the group passed through.
It was an enormous cave, nearly as large as the first chamber they had entered in the ruin. Raised stonework dominated the room, much like they had seen outside of numerous other Nordic ruins. Two bridges extended out on the left side, to form pedestals, and on each of them was a mage, held in place by powerful magic. They were casting two beams toward a buzzing sphere on the opposite side of the room, on another raised stonework.
"Gods. Savos must have done this," said Mazhe, uncomfortable.
"He had to have good reason," said Justin, "This thing... whatever it is. If it could take your power away..."
"C'mon, let's have a look at the sphere they're maintaining," Harry decided.
They climbed up the stone stairs and across the bridge which linked the two sides. Up another flight of stairs, they stood in front of the sphere. And inside of it, they found a monster. Somewhere in between a skeleton and a Draugr, it wore a tattered robe, and a mask similar to the one Harry had claimed outside the ruin. In its right hand, it held a staff: the Staff of Magnus.
"Great. We have to defeat it," Harry muttered.
"Why would we guess otherwise?" said Tommy, sarcastically. "Three of us get a bead on it. Harry... take out the things protecting it. When this barrier comes down, nail it."
"Same as the dragon. Concentrated fire seemed to work then," Mazhe agreed. "Harry, whenever you're ready."
It sounded like the best plan of action. It was being kept inside the barrier for a reason. He waited until the others were in position, and then let fly an ice spike at the nearest thrall.
KAWHACK! The enthralled wizard collapsed, as did the beam connecting him to the barrier, causing said barrier to falter. Harry wheeled and let loose a second ice spike, but the monster had already moved—only Tommy's projectile had made contact, it had moved so quickly.
"Nunon hir do hi?(2)" the monster mocked, "With less experience? Aren grows soft!"
KAWHACK! Harry's ice spike narrowly missed this time, and the monster laughed again. It brought the staff to bear, and Harry just barely got out of the way of the blast. Mazhe took the opportunity to nail it with a blast of fire, and it let out a terrible shriek, as it burst into flames.
That didn't seem to slow it, however, as it fired the staff at Mazhe this time. The older mage moved, but not quite in time, as the blast of magic caught him on the foot. He nearly collapsed from the effects.
"Mazhe?!" Harry was alarmed.
"N-no! Don't worry about me!" He shouted back.
KAWHACK! Fuelled by anger, the ice spike made contact with the burning foe, causing it to let out another terrible shriek. To occupied with Harry, it did not notice Tommy and Justin had crept around it. Justin seized the staff, while Tommy went for the monster's throat. It was only bone, right?
Justin had better success than Tommy, managing to rip the staff away from it, snapping a few bony fingers in the process. The monster let out another ungodly shriek, now trying to fight against Tommy. They were a match, this was for certain. The monster somehow twisted around, and the two faced each other, locked in a deadly struggle.
"The staff... use the staff on it!" Tommy shouted, fighting and losing ground against the being.
"Point and shoot, it's... it's just like the crossbow," said Mazhe, from his prone position.
"Yeah, I know!" Justin shouted, trying to level the powerful artefact at the monster.
Harry was in no better position, with the way the two combatants were twisting around, unable to get in a safe shot. And Tommy knew, if he gave an inch, it would likely be all over.
KAWHACK! Harry had found an opening, and the creature let out another angry shriek, giving Tommy the opportunity he needed. A hand freed, he gripped the monster's throat, and squeezed with everything he had.
"The staff! Now!"
Justin took the opening given, aimed the staff at the exposed monster, and a bolt of magic bloomed from the end, to narrowly miss. He let fly another blast, and this time the aim was true. The monster let out a horrible shriek, and faltered, as though it were being drained.
"Again!" Tommy shouted, still pressing with all his strength. He was sweating profusely at this point, both hands squeezing the creature's neck. Another blast of magic nailed the monster. Justin had become more than accustomed to the behaviour of the staff he held, and the powerful entity they were fighting now paid for it.
Harry, meanwhile, moved behind the fighting pair, drawing one of his daggers.
"Time to end this," he spoke, and drove the powerful weapon into the monster's back.
The fight was over. The undead creature collapsed, and so did Tommy, spent from the encounter.
"What... are... you?" the monster rasped. It was still alive, but the life force was rapidly draining from it. Tommy and Justin stood over it, brandishing staff and crossbow. Mazhe, still prone on the ground, still managed to produce an orange glow in his hand, and Harry stood, an ice spike ready.
"The same I might ask of you," Harry demanded, "What... what are you?"
"Morokei," it answered, "You were... worthy opponents." It was gone.
"Glorious," Harry translated, "Drem... may he find peace in the afterlife."
"May it find peace? It tried to kill us, Harry!" Mazhe exclaimed, still from his prone position.
"Everything in here tried to kill us Mazhe," said Tommy, finally catching his breath, "We got the staff, let's just get out of here."
"Not yet," said Harry, collecting the mask off of Morokei. He then set the remains on fire. "Just to prevent him from ever coming back."
He crawled over to his friend.
"You okay?"
"I will be. Healing potion..." he was rummaging through his satchel, but Harry beat him to the punch. "Here."
"Thanks. The staff drains your magic and your health. I was lucky... only got me a little, but... weakened me severely. Likely would have killed Tommy."
"You okay now?" Harry asked his friend.
"Yeah, I think so. We all good to keep moving then?"
"Sounds good to me," Tommy agreed.
"Same. Let's get back to the College."
Harry snatched up a stone from the floor, and created a Portkey.
"Grab on, we go in ten."
Instead of landing in the courtyard of the College, as expected, they landed across the bridge, where Tolfdir and many students were gathered.
"Harry. Thank the Nine. Did you..." Tolfdir did not finish, seeing the staff secured to Justin's back.
"What happened?" Mazhe questioned.
"Whatever Ancano's doing to the eye has made things more and more unstable. See for yourself," Tolfdir said, casting a hand toward the College. It was surrounded in a maelstrom of whirling energy.
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered.
"What do we do now, then?" Mazhe asked.
"You four have the staff," answered Tolfdir, "It's likely the only thing that will penetrate whatever Ancano is doing. Just aim it at the storm, see if it will break through."
"Right. Everyone else get behind us, we'll need lots of able spell casters at our back when we get in there," Mazhe decided.
With the bulk of the College membership behind them, Harry, Mazhe, Justin, and Tommy moved up the stone ramp and onto the bridge. Even from this distance, they could feel the immense amount of magical energy being produced by the Eye of Magnus. To Tommy, it in some ways resembled a hurricane.
Reaching the mid point of the bridge, Justin began to use the staff and blast away at the storm of energy circling the College grounds. There had been doubts about the effectiveness, but that was all put to rest, as the magic from the staff easily cut through the storm and put an end to it. The group took off at a dead run the rest of the way, and charged through the busted doors leading into the Hall of the Elements.
Ancano was still casting magic at the powerful orb, but he most certainly noticed as they entered.
"You dare approach me here? Are you mad? You cannot hope to defeat me!"
"You're the one who's mad, Ancano," Harry answered evenly, "I somehow knew we would end up on opposite sides of the battlefield one day."
"Oh, you knew, did you?" Ancano sneered, "A silly little school boy, you have no hope of matching the power I have at my command!"
KAWHACK! The ice spike disintegrated without leaving a mark.
"See?!" Ancano taunted, "You cannot leave a mark on me! I, meanwhile, have free reign!"
An arc of magic leapt from the orb, narrowly missing Mazhe, leaving a scorch mark on the ground. More than a few of the College membership took exception to that, and unleashed a swarm of magical attacks, but it was all in vain, the energy simply being absorbed by the orb at the centre of the room. Even attacks of non-magical means had no effect, as the orb acted as some sort of barrier against solid projectiles.
"The staff," Tolfdir suggested, "Use the staff on the orb. It's behaving exactly as it had when we first encountered it in Saarthal."
"Right. Against Jyrik Gauldurson," Harry remembered, "Give it a go, Justin."
Justin needed no further prompting, but turned the Staff of Magnus on the Eye. The orb pulsed angrily, and the outer layer of it seemed to shift and expand, allowing a nearly blinding light to escape from the gaps.
"NOW! He should be vulnerable!" Harry shouted, and before Ancano could do anything, the now vulnerable Altmer was struck by dozens of blasts of magic. He was rendered a pile of ash. After all, the college's entire population had taken great exception to the damage the Thalmor mage had caused.
The Eye, however, was still pulsing and spinning, as angry as ever, the storm of magic still swirling around it.
"Now what do we do?" Mazhe asked, beat. It had been a long night, and the dawn was just starting to show through the windows.
"I... I don't know. Ancano is gone, but whatever he's done to the Eye doesn't seem to have stopped," answered Tolfdir, equally alarmed, "I have no idea what to do!"
It was then a shadowy figure began to form in their midst—one they had seen already on several occasions. The gold and crimson robes announced the arrival of a Psijic Monk.
"We knew the pair of you would succeed," he said, "Your victory here justifies our belief in you. You have proven yourself more than worthy to one day guide the College of Winterhold."
"One day, maybe, sir," said Mazhe, "But... this... the Eye... what do we do now?"
"The Eye has grown unstable. It cannot remain here, or else it may destroy your College and this world," the monk answered gravely, "It must be secured. Ancano's actions prove that the world is not ready for such a thing."
Harry noticed that the monk was joined by three others, and they now stood in a diamond formation around the Eye.
"We shall safeguard it... for now," the monk continued, "I wish you both good luck, Mazhe, and Mr. Potter, you have done great things here today."
He turned to face Tolfdir. "Until these two are ready, it falls to you to lead the College."
"And not Mirabelle? I thought she was his, uh, deputy," said Harry.
"Mirabelle did not make it, Harry," answered Arniel, "She tried to keep things secured while everyone else evacuated back across the bridge."
"We lost some very talented people today," said Mazhe, head bowed.
"Thus is the way fate unfolds sometimes, all of you do realize that," said the monk, "Now it is time for us to go. I bid you all good bye, but know that we will meet again."
He turned back to face the Eye, and raised his hands to it, like the others. They faded out of view, the Eye vanishing only a fraction of a second later.
"Then it is done. It is over," said Mazhe, beat.
"The four of you, go get some rest. We can talk about matters after," said Tolfdir.
"C'mon, guys, he's right," said Harry, "Gonna go fall in my bed, and hopefully not be disturbed for the next six hours or so."
Tolfdir had to smile, seeing his two brightest mages walking out of the hall, Mazhe with his arm around his younger friend, with Justin and Tommy pulling up the rear. It was an odd group, but they had each others' backs. He knew he was in for quite the tale once they had some rest. For now, there was a mess to clean up, and order to restore... a communication needed to be sent down to the Jarl of Winterhold, and perhaps the Jarls of Dawnstar and Windhelm while he was at it, just to cross all the 'T's, and dot all the 'I's.
When the four of them entered Harry's rooms in the Hall of Attainment, however, it was clear they wouldn't be getting rest for some time yet. The room was turned over, with everything scattered on the floor. Clearly, the magical storm created by the eye had disrupted things all over the College. The fire was also out in the fireplace, and with no fire, the floo connection was out.
Of course, that wasn't the only way for people back in the Commonwealth to reach Harry and his circle, and sure enough, within minutes, Harry's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Harry?! God, we've been trying to reach you for hours!" came Alice's concerned voice.
"We had a small problem here. Just give us a minute to get the floo open and come through. It's been a, well, exciting past couple of days."
Minutes later, a small crowd of people seemed to flood the suite through the floo. In some ways Harry was touched by the number of people concerned about his well-being. Even Sirius and Remus come through, both of them being greatly concerned for their best friends' son.
Just about everyone was gravely concerned, finding the place in such disarray.
"Looks like a tornado blew through," said Brandon.
"A dangerous and powerful magical object was brought into the College," Harry answered, as he continued to set the room back to rights, "Something that shouldn't have been here in the first place. A visitor to the College started messing with it, and... this is the result."
"And this visitor?" Will asked.
"Dead," Mazhe answered, "He put the entire world at risk with what he did."
"I see," said Alice, frowning. "I keep forgetting how truly dangerous this world can be."
"No different than our own, Alice," said Harry, with a frown of his own, "At least here—for the most part anyway—I know what to expect."
"Harry... you don't have to be concerned about us wanting to stop you from being here," said Guardian Elaine, with a soft smile, "You couldn't have said it better. But you cannot fault us for not being concerned, you being out of contact for as long as you were."
"No, guess not. And after you see the memories I'm about to share with you, I wouldn't be surprised if... well... that's exactly what you wanted to do. Gods... still can't believe..."
"Here," said Mazhe, putting Harry's pensieve on the table.
"Thanks."
Harry began to draw out a series of memories.
"Merlin... Looks like we're in for quite the tale," Remus assumed.
"Been a challenging few hours, yeah," said Tommy, settling into a chair. "We probably won't be much help for the next few hours-'least not Harry. All of us have been up too long."
"Guys... get some rest. I'll set this up then I'll be doing the same," Harry said, dropping yet another memory into the clay bowl. Even if he was only sharing the highlights, the material easily covered several hours.
"We'll wake you when we're done," Sirius offered.
"Great."
UP NEXT: Officials from the American Department of Magic visit the Commonwealth's ministry of Justice, resulting in Britain's minster of Magic receiving an unwelcome dressing down by his American counterpart;a funeral is held for Savos Aren; and Harry and his circle return to Hogwarts after a distressing letter from Hermione, resulting in complications...
CHAPTER NOTES: So there are a few things that Harry and his circle did not encounter while in Labyrinthian (The word wall, and the encounter with Estormo to name two instances), but I take a bit of artistic license here. Equally, I barely touched on their travel through the last bit of the ruin, leading up to the fight with Morokei, given it was just more fights with Draugr & so on. I cut a few corners here, but if only to cut down on the repetition.
Was the fight against Ancano a little too easy? Come on. Against the entire college membership (or most of it)? No chance, once Mazhe disrupted the orb and stripped away the protection. The College hated the guy, so they wouldn't be in the mood to be kind. Curse first and ask questions later, and all that.
(1) There is debate on the Skyrim Wiki about what Morokei is actually saying here, so I won't post any translation. Also, given Harry's most certainly not fluent in the dragon tongue, he's only able to guess a couple of the words (though his guesses are close).
(2) nunon hir do hi - "Only four of you"