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 March 4, 2014.
SUMMARY: Harry and the circle have an encounter with the Daedric prince of forbidden knowledge; Harry and Tommy have a discussion with Justin to sort out where things stand between them; a second attack from tan-robed cultists nearly costs lives, resulting in Mazhe and the group travelling to Solstheim and a trek into another enormous ruin; Harry is treated to a most bizarre dream; and an encounter with one of Hermaeus Mora's black books somehow separates Harry from the rest of his circle...
23: THE TEMPLE OF MIRAAK
18 Last Seed – 2 Hearthfire, 4E201
Less than a minute later, the four of them were standing in a small outpost set in the ice field north of Winterhold: the home and research station of Septimus Signus. Mazhe retrieved the strange-looking device from his satchel, and handed it over to the aged man.
"I can almost... hear them... I feel their life energy," the old man intoned, "Come, I will make the mixture."
For the next hour, Harry and his circle could only watch, as the mage worked at an alchemy station, blending a number of ingredients with the harvested blood. He referred to a series of parchments set out nearby, likely carefully-written notes, research into the strange contraption which seemed to take up a vast amount of room in the small outpost. It was definitely of Dwemer origin, with a series of rings on one side, all of different sizes. It was certainly a curious thing, all were in agreement on that much. With that kind of locking mechanism, it could only point to extraordinary treasure hidden inside.
At last, Septimus poured part of the potion into a small flask, crossed the floor to the contraption, then dumped some of the flask on a spot near the centre of the rings.
"Most disappointing-" Septimus stopped speaking, as one of the rings began to shift, rotating in a counter-clockwise direction. Then two others began, and a fraction of a second later, so did the rest of them. All of them, spinning, faster and faster, until they all aligned in concentric circles. With a final loud CLUNK, the rings seemed to telescope inward, and the middle slid out of place, revealing a rather non-descript room at its end.
Septimus was moving faster than a man his age should be able to, and cleared the telescoping tunnel, to stand in front of a pedestal at the middle of the chamber. On it lay an enormous book, its cover seemingly made up of a patchwork of leather. It was truly unique, and Harry could easily feel the magic radiating from it. The rest of the group had filed in behind.
"What's this? It's just a book!" Septimus sounded annoyed, but reached out for it anyway.
"Careful, sir," Harry warned, but it was too late. Septimus was lifted off the ground, as a mass of dark tentacles blasted out of the book to snatch the elderly mage tightly. Far more terrifying, a dark cloud seemed to form, with what seemed like hundreds of eyes, all blinking at once, the edge of the cloud surrounded by more dark tentacles.
"My... dear... Septimus." The voice seemed to come from everywhere, echoing in the hollow chamber. It came across as condescending, syrupy, sticky: something like the dark tentacles which now held Septimus captive. "You have been a most loyal servant, but I am afraid you have... exhausted your usefulness to me."
Another tentacle exploded from the book, seeming to blast straight through Septimus' face, and exit the other side. The man cried out once, and fell limp. He was dead.
Now, Harry knew he was looking at something that was far more terrifying than Voldemort ever could be: the face (if it could be called that) of a monster. Still, he worked up the courage.
"Who... who are you?"
The dark tentacles dropped the body of Septimus, while the hundreds of eyes all blinked and looked at the speaker.
"I, am Hermaeus Mora, seer of the unseen, knower of the unknown, the keeper of forbidden knowledge, the gardener of men."
The eyes blinked again, and Harry felt tremendous pressure on his mental shields. They held momentarily, but they were truly no match against a Daedric Deity. It seemed like his entire life flashed before his mind's eye in a heartbeat.
"Most... curious, mortal. A body bearing host to two souls, though perhaps not intentionally," the Daedric prince remarked.
"I... please do not harm my friends," said Mazhe, "I have done as you asked."
"Indeed you have." The eyes all turned back to Mazhe, and Harry felt the pressure all but vanish.
"What happens now?"
"Now you have my Ohgma Infinium. It contains the knowledge of the ages as revealed to Xarses, my loyal servant." The eyes blinked several times. "For hundreds of years, it's been shut away from the world, locked away in this infernal lockbox. Septimus was a useful tool for unleashing it."
"You see all men as tools then?" Justin muttered.
"Some are more useful than others, but all mortals have a use, a purpose, do you not agree? All eventually outlive their use, this is but a sad, simple truth." The mass of eyes once again turned to look at Mazhe. "Now, champion, the Ohgma Infinium falls to you. Let us work wonders together." The tentacles and the cloud of eyes vanished.
For several seconds, no one moved, still stunned by what had just transpired.
"Gods... that was..."
"Feel like I need a shower," Tommy muttered, "Grab the book or whatever the fuck it is, let's get out of here."
"Ditto," Harry finally managed.
Mazhe needed no further prompting, as he collected the heavy tome and stuffed it into his rucksack. He would look at it later. The big issue for now, was to put as much distance between themselves and their present location.
"Harry. Mind making us another Portkey?"
Moments later, they landed in a swirl of limbs in the courtyard of the College of Winterhold. While Mazhe decided to head for the library for some research, Harry and the others headed up to the Arch-Mage's quarters to speak with Tolfdir, and at least let him know of Septimus' demise. The College would likely see to a proper burial.
Early morning, 20 Last Seed
For the first time in what seemed like ages, the four of them stayed in the Hall of Attainment. Harry's rooms were exactly as they'd been left, and the group agreed to take a bit of time to recover from the stressful events of the last few days. So it was, just before dawn, that Harry's mobile rang.
"Yeah?" Harry questioned, sleepily.
"Harry." It was Remus. "We just got word from the city guard. A dragon's been spotted south of the city."
"Shit. All right, we'll be there shortly." He ended the call, then swung his legs over the side of the bed. 'Way too early for this', he thought. "Mazhe?"
"Something's wrong?"
"Remus just called. There's a dragon just south of Riften. Though I think the city guard could probably deal with it, it's... it's your back yard, right?"
"Yeah," Mazhe agreed, as he stood up and began to dress. The others were also getting dressed at this point, there being an unspoken agreement that they would go together.
One spent port key later deposited them in the Ragged Flagon, where Remus was waiting. Another port key took them just outside the west gate of the city, where a detachment of the city guard were waiting.
"Dragonborn. Good of you to come," said the guard captain.
"We got here quick as we could," said Mazhe, "Where was it seen?"
"In that direction."
"Then let us head that way. When we locate it, open with a ranged attack. Concentrate your fire on its wings, we need to cripple it."
"Once it's down, concentrate your fire on its head and face," Tommy picked up, "Eyes, mouth, snout."
They actually came upon it near a farm as it terrorized its owners and the pair of guards providing security. The house and the mill were both now fully alight, with the dragon circling overhead. In the morning light, they could see it was a dark green shade, with slightly lighter colouring at the edge of its wings. The city guard quickly formed a line, longbows drawn, and took aim. Twenty arrows were loosed, with most of them finding their mark—the city guard were more than able marksmen.
Unfortunately, given the size of the beast, the attack did very little damage, and only attracted the dragon's attention. It circled around again, and while the men hurried to get arrows loaded, it unleashed a deadly stream of fire, sending men scattering. Three were unable to get clear, and were set alight.
"Aguamenti!" A stream of water from Remus' wand doused the flames, but the men were horribly injured, effectively knocked out of the fight.
"Harry, see to them," said Mazhe.
"Sure."
"Gods. We need something a little more potent."
"Shotgun would work up close, but not at that range," said Tommy.
"Here it comes again!" the guard captain shouted, as the men again scrambled to get arrows knocked and ready.
This time, the shots were much more accurate, and rather than piercing the skin of the wings, a number of shots struck the bone structure of it. The dragon let out a terrible screech, and fell from the sky with a loud THUD, crushing a thicket of nearby trees in the process. It climbed back onto its clumsy feet, balancing itself with its injured wings, and let out another terrible screech, a stream of fire igniting the nearby plants and trees.
KAWHACK! Harry's ice spike struck it in the chest, while a blast of fire courtesy of Mazhe struck it in the face. It let out more screeches, and another plume of scorching flames.
"Harry, we got this!" Tommy shouted, finally able to unleash a barrage of gunfire from the MP5 he wielded. The dragon let out another horrible scream, as the weapon was able to pump dozens of rounds into the target.
Another round of arrows joined the barrage of bullets, all of them peppering the dragon's face. It let out a final roar of defeat, and collapsed to the ground. Mazhe was ready for what was to happen next, as the dragon simply began to burn from the inside out, with a powerful surge of magic swirling from it, into his soul.
"All hail the Dragonborn!" came a shout from the guard captain, with a number of others joining in.
Sometime later, they had returned to Remus' cottage. While Tommy took the time to visit with his nieces, Harry, Mazhe, and Justin discussed the situation at hand with Remus. They'd barely gotten started when there came a knock at the door. Remus opened it to find another guard captain, along with one other.
"Yes?"
"May we speak to Mazhe?"
"What about?" Mazhe asked, joining Remus at the door.
"Dragonborn. We've been asked to bring you before the Jarl," the guard captain answered.
"Did she give a reason why?"
"She wishes to express her gratitude for your efforts in person, milord."
"What's going on?" Tommy had joined the others.
"We've been asked to visit the Jarl," Mazhe answered.
"We'll finish this discussion later then," said Remus.
The walk to Mistveil Keep was rather short, although it did result in a rather comical encounter as the group passed the city gate. Harry, Justin, Mazhe, and Tommy were rather startled to see a man running toward them, wearing nothing but a hat and a smile. He stopped short of them.
"'been looking for you," he announced, "Got something I'm supposed to deliver. Your hands only."
"Uh... you know you're naked, right?" Tommy managed. That was all it took. Mazhe collapsed in a fit of laughter, while Harry was trying and failing not to laugh himself.
Unfazed by their words, the courier produced a sealed letter from who only knows where, and held it out for Mazhe, who had somewhat recomposed himself.
"Who... who's it from?" he managed.
"They didn't say who they were, other than they were a friend of yours. Looks like that's it, gotta go." He took off, leaving the group momentarily speechless.
"Err... right then." And the group was again reduced to fits of laughter.(1)
"Gods... did that just happen?" Harry managed, at last getting a grip on things.
"Just... wow," said Tommy, shaking his head, "Had to be crazy, my answer."
"Yeah, agreed. Right, let's just..."
"Best not to keep the Jarl waiting," the guard captain said, seemingly unfazed by the strange courier.
The meeting with the Jarl didn't take long. Mazhe found himself two-thousand Septims richer, with the Jarl being more than appreciative of the Dragonborn's assistance in dealing with the dragon. She also directed them to check out Lost Tongue Overlook, since there were rumours of another possible dragon sighting.
The trek up to the location took several hours. Mazhe knew where it was, having been to the bottom steps when he was much younger. However, Harry had not been, and so travel by magical means was out of the question. The rumour had been correct, and indeed, they found a dragon as well as a word wall at the top of the steps. Between the four of them, they brought the beast down, and Mazhe absorbed its soul.
The word wall this time gave him the word "faas", or "fear" in the dragon language. Now that he somewhat understood how it worked, it was just a matter of using one of the souls he'd now collected. As it was, he still didn't understand where they were 'stored', only that they were there, waiting to be used. It was some sort of magic, this much they all agreed on.
They retreated back to Remus' cottage, where they broached a potentially threatening matter.
"Harry, I've been doing some thinking. We may need to consider alternate accommodation. The dragon could've easily attacked here rather than the farm," said Remus.
"That's true. Wooden structure and all," Harry agreed, "Stone buildings would be much safer."
"Hmm. Markarth or Solitude—Markarth would be the better choice, the place is all Dwemer construction," Mazhe thought aloud, "Though purchasing a home in Markarth would be incredibly expensive."
"What about underground?" Tommy suggested, "Delvin would probably be able to help, right? Mazhe, you mind having a chat with him?"
"We can head there now." Mazhe's stomach chose that time to voice it's opinion on the skipping of lunch, garnering a round of laughter from the group.
"Ring me up and let me know," said Remus.
As they enjoyed lunch in the Ragged Flagon, Harry explained the problem to Delvin.
"It wouldn't be permanent, just until this dragon business is dealt with."
"Mercer will need to know, I don't need to tell you that," said Delvin, "But it shouldn't be an issue."
"There's a collapsed opening just inside the door leading out to the Ratway. Considering what Remus knows about expansion charms, he could probably make a set of rooms there," said Harry. "Thing is, we won't ever be in the way."
"And I can definitely help out, Charms was one of my stronger subjects," Justin added.
With the Guild Master consulted and the concept cleared with him, Remus set to work, with Justin and Harry helping out where they could. The various members of the Guild were certainly curious as to exactly how Remus was going to make a set of rooms out of nothing. It proved to be more than educational, with a truly awesome display of magic.
Remus decided to use a similar layout to the set of rooms Harry had been assigned during his forced stay at Hogwarts. A comfortable common room, with a dining room and a small kitchen, and rooms for the entire group. It was a given that Harry and his circle would sometimes be staying there, so it only made sense that there be extra room. Not to mention, it was nothing to add more space if required.
By the end of the day, the cottage had been closed up and secured against typical vandals and bandits, while Remus and Tommy's nieces were moved into the newly created flat. If anything, the new living arrangements were a step up from the cottage, with more room provided. At the time of construction, the cottage was really only meant for Remus and the children, with the occasional visit. With Harry and his circle spending more time there, it did get rather crowded.
After they took a late dinner, Justin finally decided to discuss the rift that had formed between Harry and the Commonwealth.
"Harry, I can't begin to fathom how you felt in June—"
"Justin..."
"Harry, let him say his piece, it's only fair," said Remus. The group were seated comfortably in the common room, beverages of choice amongst them.
Harry made a face, but indicated his friend continue. It was only fair.
"I promise you, I had no idea what the S.O.U. were up to, and trust me, if I had, I wouldn't have brought either of you near the event. You weren't the only one who was furious to find out what actually happened—who was behind it. I had some very choice words to say to Brandon and the other members who'd been watching our backs. And I'll tell you this: queen Susan was livid when she got word. Brandon is lucky he's still got a job... a few others not so. It put a black mark on all of us, right? I'm truly sorry we let you down."
"I..." Harry blew out a breath, digesting Justin's words.
"Look. No matter what happens back in Trevelyan, I'm here for you. I have resignation papers that only need a signature, and I'll sign them if that's what you want, Harry. I'm—or was—your teacher, but more importantly, you're my best friend. Helping you always comes first... it always has."
"No... you don't have to go that far, Justin. I... Gods, I'm still finding it hard... the same unit who were watching my back all throughout the Triwizard tournament... then again last year... were the same people responsible for the disaster that put Tommy in our midst—not that I don't regret you being here, Tommy, it's just, it shouldn't have happened in the first place. You should be on your way to mending your relationship with your family, not grieving for the loss of them!"
That got a gruff nod out of the man in question.
"My sentiments exactly," Justin agreed, "But there is something worse. There was... and perhaps still is... a spy, enemy sympathizer, or both, within the S.O.U. The government is still investigating, but the Queen herself has ordered the government to stay away from you until the breach is cleared. No matter what you think of Valicadia right now, they still have your safety in mind, and always will."
"I'm still not ready to openly forgive them. But you... I don't blame you... it would be stupid—I was being stupid."
Tommy let out a snort. "Guess we shouldn't be surprised, really. I mean, there was the Anthrax attack in January."
"Possible the two incidents could be linked," said Remus, "Incidents aimed at destabilizing the government. It's the sort of tactics Voldemort used during the first Wizarding war back in England."
"Having a specialized military unit cause that much chaos... like Justin said, a black eye for sure," Tommy agreed, seeming to soften. Like Harry, he also quickly understood where Justin was coming from. There were others much higher up the chain of command responsible. And really, Justin hadn't been working for the government at the time of the disaster, so really, he was only a citizen of the Commonwealth.
28 Last Seed
The past few days had seen a return to the regular training schedule. With the dragon situation stalled for now, Harry felt it only proper they get back on track. Therefore, that morning found Harry at his normal weekly smithing lesson with Balimund. Mazhe used a nearby workbench, making adjustments to his armour. Justin and Tommy, meanwhile, were hunched over a conjured bench nearby, working on some sort of gadget Justin had brought with him.
Harry looked up just in time to see a fireball flying at Mazhe.
"MAZHE!"
His friend snapped up a shield just in time to have the flaming projectile slam into it.
KAWHACK! Harry's ice spike narrowly missed the attackers, a pair dressed in tan robes wearing masks that resembled octopus tentacles—more of Miraak's cultists.
ZAAAP. Asbjorn collapsed in a heap, spasming and twitching, the recipient of a powerful shock spell.
"We shall clear the way for the coming of the true Dragonborn!" one of the enemies exclaimed, and Harry was forced to duck another nasty fireball, while Mazhe once again sprung up a shield to deflect a shock spell.
"Harry? What the fuck?!" Tommy was alarmed, quickly understanding what was going on. Justin had already produced his wand. Tommy reached into his small rucksack, and produced his MP5.
Further action was not required, however, as the city guard took great exception to the strangers causing havoc. One cultist took an arrow to the chest and dropped like a sack of stones, while the other took an arrow in the shoulder and staggered back.
"I shall not fall!" he cried, unleashing another shock spell at Mazhe.
Mazhe retaliated with a fireball of his own. Weakened by the arrow, the cultist had little chance to react as the flaming projectile caught him in the chest, setting his robes alight. His screams were pitiful.
"Take your medicine, fucker," Tommy muttered, as they came to gather around the attackers. The pair were not long for the world, and expired shortly after.
While Mazhe helped Asbjorn to heal his injuries, he realized they couldn't further postpone a trip to Solstheim. He expressed his thoughts as he passed over another healing potion. Asbjorn was still trembling like a leaf, having received the equivalent of a lightning strike. The man was lucky to be alive.
"They'll just keep doing this. Next time someone might end up dead."
"Yeah, agreed," said Harry, "It's whatever you want to do, you know I'll always have your back, Mazhe."
"The note said they arrived in Windhelm. We'll stop back at the flat, let Remus know, 'an I'll also want to let Delvin know, just so he's in the loop."
An hour later, they were at the Windhelm docks, looking for Gjalund Salt-Sage. They found him on the third try.
"If you're looking for passage to Solstheim, too bad. I'm not going back there anymore," said the fair-haired Nord. He looked out of sorts, even though it had been well over a week since the cultists first attacked. How was it that two more had shown up then?
"Friend, we need your help," Harry tried, "Two individuals attacked us, and according to the information we obtained from them, they came from Solstheim aboard your boat."
"Now hold on! That wasn't my fault... I didn't know they were going to attack anybody. I don't even know how I got here," Gjalund protested.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's hard to explain... I remember those people with the masks coming on board, then... Next thing I remember, I was here and they were gone."
Gjalund rubbed his face with his hands. Whatever the cultists had done to him still truly bothered him.
"That's not right, losing whole days like that. There's been something strange going on there for a while, but after this... I'm done. I'm not going back to Solstheim. I'm sorry."
"Even if... we paid double your usual fare? Look, we really need to solve what's going on here," said Harry, "Do you really want to be responsible for further deaths? A friend was nearly killed this morning... because of them."
"I... I guess you have a point," Gjalund conceded, "But I still need some coin. Five hundred Septims."
"Deal," said Mazhe, reaching into his rucksack and pulling out his coin bag.
"Here, let me throw in an extra hundred Septims," said Harry, "Sounds like hazard pay."
Gjalund was more than appreciative, as Harry pulled out a bag of coins to join what Mazhe was producing.
31 Last Seed
Raven Rock settlement, Solstheim, Morrowind Province
The trip had gone relatively smoothly, but Harry was more than happy to set feet back on solid ground as the boat was tied up.
"Well, here we are. This is Raven Rock," Gjalund said, "Can't say I'm all that glad to see it again. Good luck. Maybe you can figure out what's going on around here."
"That's the plan," said Mazhe, as they disembarked.
They had only gotten a short distance, not even off the dock, before they were approached by a tall Dunmer wearing expensive clothes.
"I don't recognize you, so I'll assume this is your first visit to Raven Rock, outlander. State your intentions."
"I, uh-" Mazhe began, but Harry cut in, asking, "Before we answer that question, who are you and what business is it of yours?"
"Harry..." Justin said.
The stranger, meanwhile, looked annoyed at Harry's tone.
"I am Andril Arano, the Second Councillor of Raven Rock. Again I must ask who you are and what exactly are your intentions?"
"I'm Mazhe. This is Harry, Justin, and Tommy. We're here investigating cultists who were sent by Miraak to kill us. Have you heard of him, or know of someone who might know about him?"
"Miraak... Miraak... I... the name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure." He seemed to think for a moment, before saying, "I think... it might have something to do with the Earth Stone."
"Where is this Earth Stone?" Tommy asked.
"Just over there." Andril pointed a long finger toward a green beam of light shining skyward, with a strange stone formation. Even from that distance, they could see a group of people working around it.
"Err... thank you, sir. I didn't mean to offend, just we have many reasons to be suspicious of people asking our business, equally as you do," said Harry.
"Indeed." Andril gave them a nod, then said, "Just remember, Raven Rock is sovereign territory of House Redoran. This is Morrowind, not Skyrim. While you're here you will be expected to abide by our laws."
Mazhe gave a grin. "We'll be on our best behaviour."
After procuring a map of the island from a merchant in the small market, the four of them set off for the Earth Stone, which was only a short walk from the centre of the settlement. It took very little time to get there, and when they arrived, they found it crawling with individuals at work on some sort of monument being built around the black stone at the centre of a shallow circular pool.
"Here in his shrine, that they have forgotten," they were all chanting, save for one: another dark elf, dressed in an unusual set of expensive robes.
"Err... excuse me," Harry dared ask, as they approached. "What's happening here?"
"I might ask the same of you, seeing as you four are not in the same state as the others here," answered the stranger.
"We're looking for someone named Miraak," Mazhe answered.
"Miraak... Miraak... It sounds familiar, and yet I can't quite place... Oh. Wait, I recall. But that makes very little sense. Miraak's been dead for thousands of years."
"How do you mean?"
"I'm not sure, but it is fascinating, isn't it? Perhaps it has some relation to what's going on here. Quite unexpected. I'm afraid I can't give you any answers. But there are ruins of an ancient temple of Miraak's toward the centre of the island. If I were you, I'd look there."
"Can you show me?" Mazhe was already pulling out the newly purchased map. The dark elf was only happy to indicate the location. He also marked another location.
"Should you have other questions, you can find me either here, or at Tel Mithryn, my home here in Solstheim."
"You've been very helpful, uh—"
"I am Neloth."
"I'm Harry. These are my friends Mazhe, Tommy, and Justin."
"Ah, I see. And now your names most certainly bring note," said Neloth, "The unfortunate events at the College of Winterhold, Savos Aren was a great wizard."
"He was my mentor. He is sorely missed."
After a quick discussion amongst themselves, it was once again decided that Harry would use his broom to fly to the location, rather than them waste the time getting there on foot. Tommy and Justin went into the trunk, and with that secured in Harry's pocket, he took flight on his Firebolt, with Mazhe on the back. The flight only took an hour or so, given the broom's speed, with them flying over several forts, and a number of other key locations. They slowed down or stopped several times so Mazhe could look at the map, more to confirm what they were seeing from the air.
Finally, they arrived at a massive temple. Much like at the Earth Stone back in Raven Rock (which they could easily see from this point), there were a number of people somehow enthralled and working on the outside structure. The pair landed, and Harry stowed his broom away, then produced his trunk to let Tommy and Justin out. This took a little longer, since the pair had gone into the Virtual Projection Room.
The four of them finally began climbing up the wooden steps leading to the top of the ruin, and hopefully its entrance. The architecture was unlike anything they'd seen up to this point, at least as far as the exterior of a Nordic ruin went. It looked to be something... much older.
Reaching the top of the stairs, they then found stairs going down on all sides, leading to another standing stone. It was also casting a beam of green light skyward. On the far side, there appeared to be a ramp descending in a curve, and that was likely the entrance. Attention, however, was drawn to an individual not enthralled like the others.
"...here to help you! You must leave this place!"
The speaker was a woman, and she wore armour unlike anything the group had seen before. It was mainly steel, with dark brown quilted material beneath it. To Harry, it was gorgeous, and he made a note to perhaps ask where he might obtain such gear. The woman had noticed them.
"You there. What brings you to this place? Why are you here?"
"I might ask the same thing. I'm Mazhe, this is Harry, Justin, and Tommy."
Tommy let out a snot. "Seems we've been doing a lot of that lately."
The woman gave a sad smile. "I am Frea of the Skaal. I am here to either save my people, or avenge them."
"These people who are somehow enthralled," Harry guessed.
"Yes," answered Frea, "Something has taken control of most of the people here in Solstheim. It makes them forget themselves, and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the stones, and the very land itself."
"Sounds like the Imperius curse," Harry said, mostly to himself.
"What is this 'Imperius curse' you speak of?" Frea asked.
"The results are very similar to what's happened to your people. It strips away the victim's free will," Harry answered.
"We're trying to figure out what's going on. Some cultists attacked us twice now. They were sent by Miraak, according to their orders," said Mazhe.
"My father Storn, who is also our shaman, says Miraak has returned to Solstheim, but that is impossible."
"Like Mazhe said, he tried to have us killed, so maybe it's not quite as impossible as you might think," said Harry, a dark look crossing his face, "When it comes to magic, I don't think there are too many things that are impossible. Seems there's always a way... even concerning death."
Frea frowned, then said, "Then all of us have a reason to see what lies beneath us. Let us go. There is nothing more I can do here. The Tree Stone and my friends are beyond my help for now. We need to find a way into the temple below."
At once there came a grinding sound. Something was opening below. On cue, everyone had armed themselves, ready for whatever threat was about to make itself known. It was wise they did, as four cultists emerged from the ramp leading down, and attacked.
This time it was Justin who acted first, firing off a string of banishing curses at the threats. Being clustered together as they were, they were sent flying. The others quickly reacted, sending the now dazed cultists off to their next great adventure. It was over in seconds.
The ramp, as expected, led to the actual entrance to the temple, and stepping inside, they found it exactly like most other Nordic ruins—at least in the structural design. The layout, on the other hand, was rather different. A short distance in, they came across several circular chambers. Frea encouraged them to look around and collect anything that might be of use, but Mazhe declined. He'd already acquired enough junk as it was; they were more than equipped to handle whatever might be around.
"We've dealt with a Dragon Priest once, Frea," Mazhe explained.
"Miraak was one of them," said Frea, surprised, "He served the dragons before their fall—at least for a while. Then he turned against them. He made his own path, and his actions cost him dearly."
Mazhe let out a snort. "No kidding. Judging by the number of dragon skeletons on the hillside leading up to the temple, I would say Miraak was certainly able to stand on his own."
"The stories say he sought to claim Solstheim for himself, and the dragons destroyed him for it."
"He's another bully, a tyrant, a monster. We deal with him like every other," said Tommy.
"Yeah, agreed," said Harry, "Like I said to a certain whiskered wanker once, bullies only understand one thing: irrefutable, undeniable force. Let's keep moving."
Some time after, they entered an enormous square room, with vast arches that were normally found outside. They straddled an equally enormous square pit, with a number of cages being suspended from the arches. Some of them held skeletons.
"I do not wish to imagine the kind of things that happened in this chamber. Who were the poor souls trapped in these cages? What sort of torture—"
Frea's musings were interrupted by the tell-tale sound of sarcophagus lids slamming open. They had company in the form of several very powerful Draugr.
They was once again tested, going up against one that resembled Jyrik Gauldurson. It was incredibly strong, and within seconds, it had spawned a Storm Atronach.
"Mazhe! The staff! Gods!" Harry shouted, panicked. He'd picked off the second Draugr with a blasting curse, it was still twitching on the other side of the room. Tommy and Frea, meanwhile, were tangling with a third.
"Distract it!" Tommy shouted, having to dodge a rather painful ice spike. Being around Harry enough, he knew these were more than painful, deadly if it landed in the right place.
Frea quickly caught on to what Tommy was up to, and kept the monster occupied until—
Crunch. The Draugr's head seemed to explode into thousands of tiny pieces, thanks to Tommy's shotgun. The body collapsed in a heap.
Mazhe, meanwhile, had quickly produced the Staff of Magus. Harry was having to dodge the conjured Storm Atronach, but Mazhe was still free, and brought the staff to bear on the remaining threat. Sure of an opening, he let fly, and the bolt of magic caught the bone walker in the side. It collapsed in a heap, though still alive—if it could be considered alive. Another blast from the staff finally dispatched it.
The fight wasn't over, as several cultists had been drawn to the commotion from below. However, they were easily dispatched, rather weak opponents considering the Draugr the group had just faced.
As they regrouped and checked themselves over for injuries, Frea seemed fascinated by the staff Mazhe was wielding.
"It's the Staff of Magus," he explained, seeing her look.
"Then you have faced the Eye as well." It was not a question, but Mazhe gave a sad nod.
"Terrible things happened when it was brought into the College," said Harry, sourly, "We lost some great people."
"Father says that sort of thing should never have been brought into this world."
"Given all that happened, I couldn't agree more. But we didn't know at the time it was unearthed at Saarthal." Harry blew out a breath. "Come on, let's keep moving."
Move, they did. More corridors, more Draugr, many of them equally as difficult as the ones they'd encountered earlier. The temple was proving to be every bit as challenging as both Saarthal and Labyrinthian. Finally arriving at a semi-circular room, Mazhe suggested they stop, something everyone easily agreed on. Harry produced his chest, restored it to proper size, and they entered, after Harry added Frea to the wards.
"This is truly fascinating magic," Frea commented, as they gathered around the small table in the common room.
"My friends here... they had it made for me," Harry answered, with a rare grin.
After an hour's rest, and the few nicks and scratches in exposed areas tended to, they exited the chest, and resumed their trek through the ruins, if perhaps a bit more refreshed. If they believed things were going to get easier, they were sorely mistaking.
It seemed like every turn revealed either more Draugr, or more cultists. Several occasions resulted in rather painful injuries that required strong healing charms and healing potions. Much like Saarthal, some of the undead were able to utilize Dragon shouts. Justin had been blown down a corridor twice, and across a room once, while Tommy had the misfortune to be slammed into the back of a sarcophagus, an almost repeat incident to what he'd suffered in Saarthal. This time, neither suffered critical injuries—at least none that put them out of the fight for good.
Draugr and cultists weren't the only things they had to dodge. Traps were numerous, covering the broad spectrum of devious devices aimed at doing maximum damage. Darts, spikes, spears, swinging blades, battering rams, the temple had them all, with frightening frequency. One particular set of swinging blade traps had them all stumped until Harry used an immobilization charm on them. He again scolded himself for not realizing the simple solution sooner. After all, he was trained in magic from two different worlds!
Finally, they reached a larger room with a vaulted ceiling, and Mazhe was immediately drawn to a familiar ornamental structure they'd started calling a word wall. A set of letters were glowing, and as he approached, he could feel the word imprint itself in his head: Mul—strength.
Then it was a free-for-all, as a number of upright sarcophagi burst open, including one which was at the back face of the room. The back of the sarcophagus led to a small chamber and a door, but everyone was currently tied up with the enemies that had appeared. All of them had helms with tall horns on them. It promised to be a painful fight.
Harry, though, had enough.
"REDUCTO!" The Draugr which had emerged from the centre sarcophagus instantly lost its head, it being blown into a thousand pieces. He wheeled and repeated the process for one currently engaged with their new friend. It too, lost its head. In rapid succession, he sent all five of the monsters to their fate, then finally sagged to the floor, momentarily spent.
"Harry... Gods..." said Mazhe, impressed.
"That was... most frightening," Frea managed.
"Harry's always been a little dynamo when it comes to magic," said Tommy, stowing his weapons away.
"Piss off," Harry managed, although it was all in jest.
"By the All-maker," Frea whispered, "To see the remains of dragons displayed in such a manner..."
"Agreed. Certainly very brave. Whether intelligence would follow, well, that remains to be seen," said Mazhe.
"All right, guys, let's keep moving," Justin prodded. Mazhe couldn't agree more, and stepped into the small alcove hidden through the back of the sarcophagus. To his dismay, the door inside was locked with a formidable lock none of them had seen before. After breaking nearly twenty-five picks, Harry finally unleashed another terrifying blast of magic, obliterating both doors and opening the way.
They crossed a small room, after which Harry was forced to obliterate a second set of doors, and that led them into what was obviously a dining area. At first it seemed like a dead end, until Tommy found a hidden lever which opened a section of wall. That led down a passageway to another semi-circular room with a spiral staircase leading down. It was covered with a trap door, with the obvious control lever positioned just below three rather bizarre sculptures.
To Harry, they somewhat resembled fish, in a distorted, grotesque manner. To be sure, he set them all on fire, and watched as they burned to a crisp, before finally triggering the handle and opening the trap door. Better safe than sorry, and all that. The decoration had changed, and now featured more of the odd fish sculptures. More corridors, stairs, before they finally arrived at a gigantic upward-sloping cavern.
Here, there were more dragon skeletons on display, suspended from the ceiling, and careful observation spotted several rockfall traps. They traversed the chamber along the side, with Tommy relying on firearms to attack and destroy the enemies here, this time lowly skeletons as apposed to the rather tough Draugr that had been prominent in previous areas.
It wasn't all easy, however, as they reached the top of the chamber, as another particularly strong Draugr burst out of a horizontal sarcophagus. Being up close, Tommy dispatched it with two blasts from his shotgun.
"Bloody hell, how much further does this place go? Feels like I've run a marathon," Harry complained.
"My sense tells me we're almost to the end," said Frea.
"Gods, hope so. We've been in here for hours. At least it feels so."
"After this... let's just be ready. This 'Miraak', he's dangerous. We all agree, right?"
"No shit, Tommy."
They pushed through the large set of doors behind the sarcophagus, and were disappointed, as it led to yet another tunnel, twisting and winding its way further underground. Then, through a stone gate raised by a lever on a nearby pedestal, they stepped into a chamber unlike anything they'd seen before.
It was circular, with a strange, dark lattice of some sort making up the floor and walls, with intricate arch-work throughout. At the centre of the room stood a pedestal, and on it lay a book of about the same dimensions as the Ohgma Infinium. It was nearly black, with a strange green symbol decorating it.
"There is strange magic surrounding that book, ready yourself," Frea warned.
"Careful, Mazhe," Harry warned. Mazhe simply walked over to the pedestal, and opened the strange book.
It's debatable as to who was more surprised, when a single dark tentacle snaked from the book, to wrap itself around Mazhe's midsection, up and around his neck. He became partially transparent, but did not cry out. It was rather startling, but at the same time, if their friend was still at least partially there, then...
"No, don't interfere," Harry said, stilling Tommy's hand.
"It might kill him!"
"No. Look. Remember the tentacles from the Ohgma Infinium?"
"He's talking to Hermaeus Mora, then," Tommy guessed.
"Yeah, my suspicion."
"Where is it you have come into contact with him?" Frea asked, surprised at the revelation.
"Mazhe has the Ohgma Infinium."
"It would be wise not to have further contact with him. No matter what he promises, it can only lead to ruin."
Finally, Mazhe retook solid form, but sagged to the floor, looking spent.
"By the Gods," he muttered.
"What did you see?" Harry prodded.
"Miraak... was there. Along with these... things... hideous beasts. I have no idea what they were."
"Where? Where is he? Can we reach him? Can we kill him?" Frea almost demanded.
Mazhe let out a sigh. "Unlikely at this point. Somehow reading this book took me to where he was."
"This is a dangerous thing then. We should return to my village, and show this to my father. Perhaps Storn can make sense of what's going on."
"The settlement not far from here? We passed by it on our way here. If you trust us, we can get there quickly," Harry offered.
Harry and Mazhe had flown over the Skaal village earlier, and so one spent port key later, they landed just at the edge of the settlement, as not to startle anyone who lived there. As Harry had suspected, it was nearing dark, and indeed they'd been inside the temple for hours. While Frea took Mazhe to see her father, Harry once again produced the chest and set it up against one of the buildings—the structures much resembled buildings in Morthal, if he had to make a comparison.
Harry, Tommy, and Justin climbed into the chest, and Harry wasted no time summoning Dobby. There was unspoken agreement they would stay the night there, since it was likely their business in the area was far from done.
"Harry Potter sir call for Dobby?"
"Yeah. We're going to be spending the night here. You mind fixing us up something to eat? Mazhe will be joining us."
"Right away, Harry Potter sir!" and with that, the excitable house elf was off into the kitchen.
"If it's gonna be a while, I'm gonna go die in the shower," Justin muttered, "God, that was nuts."
"There'll be enough time."
"Meantime. Join me on the floor. We'll do some mental exercises." Tommy left no room for arguments.
A short time later, Mazhe joined them. Nothing was said, since this was all routine. The calming and breathing exercises were also of great benefit to Harry's mental shields. He'd progressed along far enough that he was then learning the reciprocal, Legilimency.
Finally they ended the exercise.
"Well?" was Harry's simple question.
"Storn is most concerned. We have to go to a place called Saering's Watch. Miraak learned a word of power there," Mazhe answered, pulling out his map, and indicating a location on the north side of the island. "I think we should also provide a boost to Storn's ward over the settlement, he grows weary from the strain."
"Tommy, Justin, wait here, we'll only be a few minutes," Harry decided, while Mazhe placed the two books belonging to Hermaeus Mora up on one of the bookshelves. At this point, he didn't trust either of them.
It was exactly the same circumstance as months earlier back in the guest rooms they had been using at Hogwarts. Harry and Mazhe both cast what was in essence a booster charm at the ward Storn and two others were casting about the settlement. Harry also gave the three men pepper-up potions to help their stamina. He debated about just evacuating everyone into the trunk, but that wouldn't be practical, given they were all strangers. No, it was just better to help them boost the ward.
Back in the trunk, Mazhe further explained the situation.
"The word of power at Saering's Watch will be able to bring down whatever enchantment Miraak has put on the Wind Stone just North of here."
"So it would also likely work on the other Standing Stone in Raven Rock," Harry guessed.
"Yeah, likely. But not exactly the priority at this point. Let's get some rest, then head to Saering's Watch."
Tirdas, 1 Hearthfire, 4E201
Saering's Watch, Solstheim
They had left just after sunrise, once again taking flight on Harry's broom to save time. Mazhe again rode on the back, while the others waited inside Harry's chest. The chest was truly a godsend in its versatility.
In the rush to get to the site, they hadn't counted on running into resistance. That resistance took the form of a dragon, who was rather upset to find out it wasn't the only thing able to fly.
"Oh FUCK!" was Harry's first thoughts and words, realizing his colossal blunder. He pushed down on the handle aggressively, and they were off like a shot, his Firebolt being pressed to its limits.
"Left! Left!" Mazhe shouted, sending a blast of fire at the beast. It impacted with the dragon's chest, making it let out an ungodly shriek. It responded by sending out a plume of scorching flames. Only the broom's incredible speed prevented them from being badly burned.
"Gods, it's keeping up with us, Harry!"
"I know that!"
He circled around, trying to come up with a plan. Something that could easily keep up with them?
"Mazhe. Hold on, I mean it."
"Harry?"
"You trust me?"
No answer, only his best friend gripping about his waist tightly, as Harry pushed the broom to gain altitude, with the dragon in hot pursuit.
"Faster Harry!"
"Going as fast as I can, just hold on!" Harry aggressively pushed the handle down, forcing the broom into a dive. He remembered the move he'd seen Viktor pull off at the Quidditch World Cup... a Wronski Feint, or something, wasn't it? Ron would know.
"Harry?!"
"Trust me!" Harry shouted back, as the dragon let out another plume of scorching flames. The incredible speed they were reaching was in their favour, though, as it limited the reach of the flames. Gods, the ground was coming up fast... wait. Now, Mazhe caught onto what his friend was up to. A narrow gorge carved into the hillside. But would they fit? Harry wasn't slowing down for anything... he chanced a look behind, and sure enough, the dragon was still on their six (as Tommy would say), though now having a bit of trouble keeping up. The wind was almost painful—they blasted into the narrow gorge, and Mazhe felt the tremendous vibrations in the broom, as Harry pulled up sharply to prevent them from ploughing a ditch. His feet actually dragged through the flowing stream as they levelled off.
The dragon, unfortunately, being as big as it was, could not compensate for the sudden change in speed and direction, and so slammed head-first into the gorge, becoming hopelessly stuck, its wings shredded on the frozen ground that made up the walls. The shrieks and screams it made were pitiful.
Harry finally pulled the broom to a stop, and they circled around, then flew out the top of the gorge, to finally return to the crashed beast.
"Mazhe... I'll leave you the honours."
Mazhe dropped down onto the dragon's back, and drew a long blade from his rucksack, then climbed up its neck—at this point, the dragon was too disoriented to really understand what was happening. Harry had followed, if only to provide backup. Mazhe plunged the long blade into the top of the dragon's head, causing it to let out one final roar, the blade having passed through its brain.
"Best get off, rather not be burned alive," Harry muttered, as the pair of them hopped down off the now dead carcass.
"Gods... that was truly amazing flying—" Mazhe's praise was interrupted, as there came a noisy pop, and a shade took shape a short distance in front of them.
"Miraak," Mazhe hissed, recognizing the shade for who it was.
"It was a most... creative tactic, to entrap and slay a dragon in such a manner," said Miraak, gesturing to the corpse, "But it takes a strong will to command a dragon's soul. Perhaps you aren't as powerful as you think."
The dragon was beginning to burn, and unlike the last few times, the swirling surge of magic did not connect with Mazhe, but with Miraak. The shade let out a chuckle at Mazhe's shock.
"Thank you for your help. We will meet again soon." Miraak faded out of view.
Of course, it was far from done, as they were then forced to face a throng of Draugr and skeletons roaming the exterior ruin. They'd all been woken up by the rather noisy crash of the dragon only a few minutes earlier. Harry resorted to the most lethal, destructive spells he had in his arsenal, fuelled by adrenaline and anger. The monsters suffered terribly, being blown into tiny pieces. Harry's magic when fuelled in such a manner was a terrifying sight to behold.
Finally, Mazhe was able to learn the the dragon shout from the word wall, and they Disapparated back to the Ragged Flagon. It was an unspoken agreement they would take a few hours before returning to Storn. Once there, Harry restored his chest to regular size and fetched his other two friends.
"What was—what are we doing back at the Flagon?" Justin questioned.
"It's done. We got to the word wall, and Mazhe learned the word there," said Harry, with a snarl. "Bloody hell, the place was guarded by a dozen or so Draugr, skeletons, and worst of all, a dragon."
"You took it on without fetching us?"
"Didn't have time, Tommy. Blasted thing saw us before we landed, it chased us around the mountain and then some," Mazhe answered, "Harry got clever and lured it into a narrow gorge where it got stuck."
"Love to see a pensieve memory of that. Guess we can't fault him, Justin."
"C'mon, let's go grab a bite to eat and maybe a drink or two, before we go back to the Skaal village."
After a few hours of down time, the four of them returned to the Skaal village, and told Storn about their visit to Saering's Watch. Storn seemed to be only partially pleased with that news, but pointed a finger toward the beam of green light just north of the settlement.
"You must cleanse the stone using the knowledge you now have from Saering's Watch. Doing so will free our people."
With that done in short order (including killing a most bizarre creature that spawned in the middle of the shallow pool around the stone), they were then directed to seek out Neloth at Tel Mithryn. He would know more about the black books. He also asked Mazhe to clean the rest of the standing stones, and bring the earth back into balance. Mazhe only gave a nod, although not directly committing to dealing with it immediately. After being taunted by Miraak earlier, he'd at this point made dealing with him specifically the number one priority.
"Let's see Neloth tomorrow," said Harry, "Gods... three battles this morning..."
"Don't tell me you're out of gas," Tommy snorted, "We can all run nearly all day!"
"No... no, it's not that," Harry answered, as they walked back toward the trunk, "Magically tired. I could take a magicka replenishing potion, but you know I don't like those all that much. And given the day's nearly spent as it is, let's take a rest, get cleaned up and refreshed, and start anew in the morning."
"Storn said everything's reasonably safe at this point as it is," Mazhe agreed, "Very well. Perhaps we should again return to the Flagon."
That night, they did not retire until the early hours of the following morning, with Harry and Mazhe being more than happy to share pensieve memories of the crazy battles which took place at Saering's Watch. When he finally found sleep, he was treated to a most peculiar dream.
Harry found himself standing on the sand of an ancient arena, the late afternoon sun beating down heavily upon him and three other individuals occupying its confines. All three of them wore very little, save for something to cover their unmentionables, light armour to cover their feet and lower legs, and in the case of the smaller pair, what looked like ring mail armour covered their right arms. An enormous crowd stood, cheering madly at the brutal fight the three others were engaged in—though it seemed as though they did not see him. One of the combatants was a giant of a man, though perhaps nowhere near the size of Hagrid—he was still enormous. He was painfully white, with white hair, reddish-eyes, and scars—there were so many scars covering his body. The man had seen many, many battles, this much was certain. Worse still, he sported three very fresh, very deep wounds across his chest and midsection, wounds that would have felled a typical person—such as the pair who fought him.
The two others were nearly the same size, with the slightly larger man carrying a red shield, the other a blue one. It was clear right off, they were meant to work together against the much larger opponent. Harry had never seen such a contest before, let alone heard about it.
As the three combatants clashed, Harry found himself glancing around the arena, his eyes falling on some sort of paddock with bars which separated it from the arena floor. Behind them, he spotted a number of others, including a chocolate-skinned man with hard eyes, and a very fair-skinned man with very light blond hair.
It became clear the pair were not working as a team, as red seemed to be more interested in doing things alone. That would only end badly, Harry realized. Alone, no man could ever fight off a giant, not with the simple tools before them. Perhaps in another setting, with the advantage of stealth and shadow, but in open combat?
Harry's pessimistic assumption began to bear fruit, as the giant sliced red deeply across the chest diagonally down to his abdomen, and as the man spun around partially out of shock, the giant sliced him across the back. Red was out of the game, barely moving.
Blue was trying to do his best on his own, but the giant was just too much. By this point, Harry wanted nothing more than to escape this terrible scene, having already seen more than enough bloodshed for real. The giant slammed into blue, sending him crashing against the wall. The man looked dazed.
Surprisingly, blue staggered back up to his feet, and charged again, doggedly determined to see this through. Harry somewhat admired the man's courage, though perhaps it might also be considered foolishness. Obviously the giant did not go for the kill with red, so if blue stayed down—
Now THAT was a new one. Red had snatched up a nearby helmet and used it to reflect the sun into the giant's eyes, momentarily blinding him, and giving blue the opportunity he needed. A slice to the back of the legs sent the monster to his knees, and it was a viciousness Harry had never witnessed, as blue literally hacked the giant's head off his shoulders.
As the head began its gravity-assisted fall to the sand, everything seemed to grind to a halt, a dark cloud of eyes and tentacles taking shape where the giant's head should have been.
"Friend of my champion," came the thick, syrupy voice of Hermaeus Mora, "Seek out the black book my champion has collected, so we may speak. I have a proposition which may be beneficial... to the both of us."
Harry woke up, drenched with sweat, his heart thumping loudly in his ears.
The morning exercise was more like an exercise in futility, as the dream Harry had been party to was still fresh in his mind. Even trying to shuttle it off to the side with his Occlumency exercises had done little to push it aside. It was screaming, 'You have to deal with me before anything else'.
"Harry. What has you driven to distraction?" Tommy finally demanded, sounding frustrated.
"I... Hermaeus Mora visited me in my dreams—a strange dream at that," Harry admitted.
"For real?"
"Shall I dig out my pensieve? No, never mind answering. Just..." He held up a hand, silently summoning his pensieve.
Harry did not join his friends as they viewed the memory, considering it was still very fresh in his head (if not somewhat dimmed from it being partially removed). If anything, he was still unsure of how to process this. A Daedric Prince had taken an interest in him. From Mazhe's warnings about the depravity of them, Harry was somewhat weary. Thing was, just perhaps, there might be a way of dealing with Voldemort once and for all. It might be worth the risk, to at least listen to what the Daedric Prince had to say.
"Gods, Harry. I thought you were joking," said Mazhe, shaking his head.
"Harry. Whatever he wants... it's dangerous."
"I know, Justin. Mazhe's warned me enough. Thing is, I can't just dismiss it either," said Harry, as he collected the memory and summoned a small vial.
"It's a chance for Harry to be rid of the bastard once and for all. It's what the manipulative goat-fucker wants Harry do do in the end, right?"
That got a laugh out of Harry.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"If he said to read the black book... now we know that's the sort of thing will happen at any time we open one of them... come with me to see Neloth. We can both speak to Hermaeus Mora, since it seems he's involved with whatever Miraak is doing," Mazhe reasoned, "That way you won't face him alone."
Nchardak was a Dwemer ruin a short walk north of Tel Mithryn. Neloth had explained some of the detail behind the black books, and led them to the partially submerged ruin. Between the five of them, they made short work of the Reavers (as bandits were called on Solstheim) that had set up a camp there, as well as the denizens that existed within the ruin itself.
It had proved a complicated affair to access the black book encased in some sort of compartment in the floor—no amount of prying, magical or otherwise, would undo it. Hence, they were forced to search the ruin for control cubes that were then used to start up boilers hidden in another section of the ruin. That seemed to take several hours, before Neloth finally declared it done. A pressing of a switch had the compartment in the floor open, and the black book raised on a pedestal.
Neloth seemed rather pleased, but said, "At last. I hope it was worth it. Please... be my guest. You deserve the first look. Besides, it could be very dangerous. These books are known to drive many people insane."
"Harry..." Mazhe indicated his friend take his hand.
"Keep an eye on us while we're gone," said Harry, gripping his friend's hand tightly. Mazhe flipped the book open, and as expected, a dark tentacle emerged from the book, to ensnare them both.
Seconds later, the pair were standing in a place Harry had only heard about, but Mazhe had already experienced. The floors were made up of a dark lattice work, with stone arches, an acid sky, and dark acid water. A dark cloud of eyes and tentacles was forming in front of them, and it seemed to be duplicated several times over. One was enough as it was—Harry felt both physically and mentally naked in front of them.
"I know you, champion," said Hermaeus Mora, "The Ohgma Infinium was just the beginning. This... is Apocrypha, where all knowledge is hoarded."
The eyes all blinked several times.
"Sate your thirst for knowledge... in the endless stacks of my library. If you tire of your search, read your book again to return to your mortal life... for a time."
The eyes again blinked several times.
"The lure of Apocrypha will draw you back. It's your fate."
"Uh, sir... you-" Harry began, but the eyes blinked again rapidly.
"Save your questions until the end. We will meet then." The clouds all vanished.
"Great. Looks like we're rats in a maze," Harry muttered.
"Come on then. Looks like we need to get this bridge to... unfurl?" Mazhe knitted his eyebrows together in confusion.
Harry, meanwhile, was drawn to what looked like a flower. It had what looked like a bud at the end of it, and as Harry went to touch it, it dropped into the centre, and the entire thing snapped shut.
"Gods... whatever you did, it worked!" said Mazhe, impressed. The strange lattice-like bridge was unfurling itself, providing a way forward.
Their next surprise came as they travelled through a corridor that seemed to bend on its own, scattering pages about in the process. Mazhe had certainly seen the abominations before. It had two tails, what might have been a cloak, tentacles on its lower body, two human arms, and a head shaped like it was a starfish. The most frightening bit, was the strange mouth-like opening that formed its midsection. In it were rows and rows of teeth, forming concentric circles. It was truly an abomination. Worse still, were the magical attacks it unleashed. An attack from a pair of them set Harry and Mazhe down for several minutes to recuperate, consuming both a healing potion and a headache potion.
They also learned very quickly to stay away from the pools in the floor, as they seemed to contain rather aggressive tentacles that lashed out if they got too close. That had burned through several more healing potions. The realm was dark, confusing, disorienting, its own brand of hell. Harry silently pictured a few of his enemies enjoying the confines of such a place, and a smirk momentarily crossed his face. How would Dumbledore fare in such a place?
Mazhe estimated it took them about three hours to reach the other end, or 'chapters', as it were, as there were books laying open on pedestals which gave them a link to the next 'section'. And other books, too. Both were quite busy, snagging interesting-looking tomes from shelves and tables as they passed, but both realized that lingering too long would play right into the Daedric Prince's hand. So they pressed on, at last arriving at a large dais, on which there lay an identical copy of the black book they'd opened to land there. And, as Mazhe opened it, the cloud of eyes and tentacles once again appeared.
"Well done, my champion," said Hermaeus Mora, sounding pleased, "Your journey towards enlightenment has finally led you here, to my realm, as I knew it would."
"It has been... truly fascinating, sir," said Mazhe, "What do you need of me?"
The eyes all blinked several times.
"I know why you're here, champion. You have sought out the forbidden knowledge that only one other has obtained."
"Miraak," said Harry.
"Indeed," said Hermaeus Mora, the eyes blinking once in his direction. They turned back toward Mazhe. "You are Dragonborn, like Miraak before you. A seeker of knowledge and power."
"Eh, somewhat," Mazhe answered, carefully, "But yes, I need to learn his secrets."
"All he knows he learned from me."
The eyes blinked several times, and Hermaeus Mora let out a chuckle.
"I know what you want: to use your power as Dragonborn to bend the world to your will. Here then, is the knowledge you need..." he chuckled again, "Though you did not know you needed it."
Mazhe felt a surge of power race through him, and with it, the whispers of a single word: Hah—mind.
"The second word of power. Use it to bend the wills of mortals to your purpose." The eyes blinked again. "But this, is not enough. Miraak knows the final word of power. Without that, you cannot hope to surpass him.
"Miraak served me well, and was rewarded. I can grant you the same power as he wields, but all knowledge has its price."
"This is true," Harry agreed, eliciting another chuckle from the Daedric deity.
"What is the price of this knowledge then? I will do my best to bring it to you," Mazhe answered.
"Mazhe..."
"Whatever it takes, right?"
"Indeed," said Hermaeus Mora, the eyes all blinking ominously, "You please me, champion. Your loyalty will be richly rewarded. The Skaal have withheld their secrets from me for many long years. The time has come for this knowledge to be added to my library."
"Then I will speak to Storn, and bring you this knowledge you seek."
"I know you will. And then I will give you the knowledge you seek. Send the Skaal shaman to me. He holds the secrets that will be mine."
"How?"
"How did we get here, Mazhe?" Harry reminded him.
"Oh."
"Uh, sir, you... asked to speak with me last night."
"Indeed I did, friend of my champion."
"It's Harry, sir."
"Well then, Harry. As I seek the secrets held from me by the Skaal, I also seek the knowledge of your... adversary. Your... Dark Lord has indulged in some most unique activities. This knowledge must also be added to my library."
"You said this would could be beneficial to both of us. What did you mean by that?"
"I have collected the unwitting souls of mortals for ages, luring them here into my realm, enticing them with forbidden knowledge. It is only the matter of... enticing one to read one of my books... such as you have done."
"You... you've trapped me here?!" Harry was alarmed, and if Mazhe were honest with himself, so was he.
The eyes blinked once. "Should I wish it to be, then yes. But no, Harry, that would not be productive, do you not agree?"
"I... yes. No... I mean..."
The eyes all blinked several times, and Hermaeus Mora let out another chuckle.
"The task then is simple, friend of my Champion. Have your Dark Lord read one of my books. I look forward to probing his thoughts and secrets."
"If this truly works, you have my gratitude, and that of our world, sir."
"Indeed."
"Uh, sir. Another question. Can I entice anyone to be trapped here?"
Mazhe cringed at the predatory glint that appeared in his best friend's eye, while the Daedric Prince actually laughed.
"That is most... simple to arrange, indeed." The eyes again turned to Mazhe. "You have a most valued companion, champion. We will indeed work wonders... together. Send me the shaman, and we will speak again."
The clouds all vanished.
"Harry, you are absolutely off your nut, you know."
"We're all just a little mad, aren't we? Besides, I have a rather short list of nasty individuals who deserve nothing better than eternity here. Can you not come up with a list of your own?"
"Harry, be careful. You could become trapped here just as easily!"
"I know that already, and I promise, I'll be careful. Now how do we get back?"
"Wait. Let me see... Gods, this will be really useful. Listen to this... 'Dragonborn Force: your Unrelenting Force shout does more damage and may disintegrate enemies'."
"That's brilliant."
Mazhe nodded in agreement, then touched the spot on the page with a finger. An orange shade momentarily surrounded him, and as he began to fade, he said, "Just touch the book. It'll get us back to Nchardak."
Harry followed suit, touching the book with a finger. He assumed it was something like a port key, and initially, he was right... until darkness swirled around him. He passed into the bliss of unconsciousness. Unseen by him, both the Elder Scroll and the small chain with the hourglass suspended in a hoop, both secure in his rucksack, shimmered a brilliant red for a moment, before falling still.
UP NEXT: Harry finds himself injured amongst strangers, and quickly discovers none of his emergency devices work; using both spell and coin he takes up the offer of hospitality; and with the introduction of one particular individual in the household, Harry quickly learns exactly where he finds himself.
AUTHOR NOTES: It may seem like I'm glazing over a bunch of things, but really. I'm sure you don't want to have three pages of the guys battling another dragon, right? That gets repetitive rather fast. I should also note, I will not detail much of Harry's actual training and such, I find that gets rather tedious and repetitive after a while as well. I find it's better to just touch on it periodically, with the results being put into action when it actually matters.
As to Harry battling a dragon on the back of his broom, that was just a natural event that had to happen. Though in a different location than Harry's canon (Triwizard tournament). Had a lot of fun writing that scene.
Now of course, one has to wonder, where's Harry going? And who's on that nasty list of his? Who will he be sending to Apocrypha? Then there's Voldemort... poor, poor, Voldemort. He knows not of the attention he's attracted.
(1) The 1.9 patch for Skyrim has actually put an end to this happening. Most unfortunate, considering it was one of the more amusing glitches in the game.