Chapter 20- Slayer Scrolls
Chapter 17- Chrissy Lydia
Day 15 Down into the Depths of Darkness
On the High Cliffs to Save a Friend
"Chrissy what is it?" Lydia calls out as she reaches out to Chrissy who was laying atop something crying her eyes out.
"It…s …. Sexy.. our what's left of him." Chrissy cries as she pets the metal form on the ground which looks like just the body of a horse but there were parts missing.
"What about your connection with him?" Lydia asks.
"Well at least someone has some brains." Sexy's deep baritone voice vibrated in Chrissy's mind.
"Oh, Sexy how is this possible, I am lying on your body?" Chrissy asks out loud.
"Stop your crying that is just one part of my body. Unless all of my body is completely destroyed, I will continue to live unless I grow old." Sexy answers.
"How can I help you in this condition?" Chrissy asks.
"Your friend is, okay?" Lydia inquires with hesitation and disbelief.
"By the nine how can that thing be, okay?" Halvar asks in shock at the metal form before him as it looked like the main body of a horse.
"Look to your left. There inside that cave you will find my other parts, which are my legs, head, and tail. Along with a type of oil that will make it easier for me to assemble back together. You must retrieve them all. I can direct you to each one." Sexy tells her.
"What are you holding back?" Chrissy demands as she can hear it in his voice.
"I don't know if I will be able to reassemble if I don't get back together soon." Sexy warns her.
"How much time?" Chrissy asks as she stands up and looks at the cave entrance.
"About 6 hours at best." He answers.
"Crap." Chrissy hisses.
"What is it?" Lydia asks.
"We don't have much time. We have to find Sexy's other parts and get them back together before he can't assemble himself." Chrissy answers her as she makes her way into the cave.
Just inside the entrance of the cave they find some strange mechanisms that they couldn't tell how to operate.
"What is it?" Lydia asks as looks at the large cylindrical object that appeared to go all the way down.
"No clue but we need to go this way." Chrissy says as she slips past it and they head down and round it.
As they travel Chrissy is able to turn her lamp off as the cave was lit by some light glowing mushrooms of various sizes all throughout.
"What other parts are we looking for?" Lydia asks.
"Sexy's legs, head, tail, and a special oil to make it easier for him to put himself back together again. Feels like we are the kings men.." Chrissy remarks as she thinks back to a famous nursery rhyme.
"We have Jarls and over them is the High Jarl. The only one above the High Jarl is the Emperor. So, we are not any kings' men or women." Lydia remarks.
"Sorry I was referring to a nursery rhyme and about how… Never mind." Chrissy says as she flinches in pain as Sexy screams at her for comparing him that Character.
"Okay." Lydia says as sees Chrissy's sudden pain.
"Thank god you got the arrows Lydia." Chrissy quietly says pulls out her bow and some arrows when they come to open area that ended at a ravine.
"That is not all I got. I took some of its feathers and a couple of gems." Lydia tells her.
"Your pack this time?" Chrissy asks.
"Yeah, we'll save yours for the heavy stuff." Lydia answers.
"You two should keep the talking down." Halvar warns.
"Why?" They both ask.
"The dark ones are down here." Halvar warns as he follows them into the cave.
"Dark one. I thought they were myths." Lydia says as she draws her sword.
"They aren't and they only leave their the caves at night and don't usually go far from it." Halvar answers.
"What are the dark ones?" Chrissy asks as she two draws her sword.
"They were at one time the strong prideful Ice elves but with their pride came their downfall." Halvar sadly explains.
"How?" Chrissy asks as they continue deeper in the cave.
"They separated themselves from all others and hid underground but in separating themselves from others they separated themselves from the greatness they once had into…" Halvar quietly says but stops in mid-sentence to point across a cavern to a hideous creature which resembles a hunched over wingless bat that was eating what was left of a Pharcry.
Chrissy was about to say something, but Halvar covers hers and Lydia's mouths as he tells the two women in a quiet voice. "We must be quiet as possible. They can't see very well but their hearing makes up for it."
"What direction do we need to go?" Lydia asks in a hush tone as she looks to the right and left of the ledge they were on. But there is no response. "Chrissy?"
"Give me a moment." Chrissy almost inaudibly replies as she takes a deep breath and focuses on where Sexy's closest piece was. After a few moments she directs them by pointing toward the right.
"Why didn't Sexy warn us these things were down here." Lydia asks after they made their way away from the Dark one.
"Sexy says that he can't sense them, because they feel like part of this place." Is how he explained it to me." Chrissy answers.
"How did your buddy's parts get down here?" Halvar asks.
"Bandits." Chrissy answers.
"Are they still down here?" Lydia asks.
"He says they are dead."
"How did the bandits get past the Pharcry and the Dark Ones?" Halvar asks.
"They came from the other direction and had a deal with the Pharcry from what Sexy's has told me. They fought with the dark ones and lost."
The trio spent several minutes tracking through the darkness with only Chrissy's lantern to lead the way. They went through tight spaces and down when they suddenly come to find a ancient ruins of a long forgotten city.
"Wow!" Chrissy says as she stops and stares at the almost empty ruined city.
"Shhh." Halvar warns as he points to sever different Dark Ones in different locations.
"Alright.. I'll take that one, Lydia take that one out. Halvar watch our backs just in case." Chrissy says as she points to each two the dark ones.
"3 count?" Lydia questions.
"Yup." Chrissy says as she draws her bow and takes aim while Halvar turned and watched their backs. "1…2…3" Chrissy says as she lets her arrow fly. The arrow is silent for Chrissy but the creature hears it and turns to the sound, but it is met in the face by the arrow. Lydia's arrow nails her target in throat sending the creature over the ledge it was on.
Halvar used his hammer to take out two dark ones with one swing as they came from the darkness behind them.
"Any others?" Lydia asks as she sees the smashed bodies of the Dark ones.
"I don't see any." Chrissy says as she looks over the bodies of the creatures.
"Their ears are good in potions." Halvar tells her.
"Thanks, but no thanks. You can use my knife if you want them." Chrissy says as she pulls out her knife.
"Nah I'll just use theirs." Halvar says while he takes a bone knife of one of the creatures and proceeds to remove the ears. He also takes other items that he can use like a bow, some strange looking arrows, couple of hard style pouches that looked like they were made from the shell of a large bug or turtle. He also finds a small pouch with some small gems.
"Now where?" Lydia asks.
"That way." Chrissy remarks as she points across a bridge that actually had handrails.
They come to an empty fountain with the head of a horse on top of it. "There is his head." Chrissy tells them as she points at Sexy strong metal head then starts to climb up to get it.
It took her a few minutes to remove his head from the fountain top all the while the others kept watch while she worked.
"Catch." Chrissy calls out to Halvar as she tosses Sexy's head to him, which he caught with ease. After she makes sure he caught it Chrissy climbs down and turns around. "Please put him into my pack."
"It wont fit." Halvar says after he opens the pack and sees how full it was.
"Lydia would you please show him." Chrissy asks.
With a big grin on her face Lydia gives him "a give me" motion so he hands it to her. Lydia gleefully shoves the head into the bag as an open jaw Halvar watches in disbelief.
"How is that possible?" Halvar asks.
"We think it's a blessing I don't know how or why I got it I just do." Chrissy answers.
"Fare enough. Where is the next piece we need to find?" Halvar asks.
"The next pieces are this way." Chrissy says as she points in a dark direction.
"Why did they bring your friend down here?" Lydia asks as they walk on with weapons at the ready.
"He says that they thought he was the key to unlock the city's treasures."
"Is he?" Halvar asks hopefully.
"No. They thought he was because he is a metal horse and looked similar to the machines of the ones that protect this place. He says that what they are looking for is much smaller than him." Chrissy says but thinks. "So, the other horse isn't as fat?"
"Why you.. I am not fat!" Sexy said so loudly in Chrissy's mind she flinches in pain.
"Damn, it was a joke so don't be an ass." Chrissy sneers back as she comes back from the pain.
"I am in horse form not ass." Sexy indignantly response.
"There doesn't seem to be a difference with you." Chrissy grumbles.
"What is it?" Lydia asks.
"Huh?" Halvar asks.
"Oh, I told Sexy that he was fatter than the other horse they were looking for and he didn't like it." Chrissy snickers back.
"Och." Halvar remarks.
"I personally like more meat on my stubs." Lydia smiles seductively.
"Too much info." Chrissy hisses at the gross mental image that Sexy just sent her.
They came to a stone statue of a horse with an extremely large metal horse leg on it. Halvar easily retrieves it for them and places it into Chrissy's pack. Chrissy then points them to the next area where they have to take out more of the Dark Ones.
"All of us pick a target and fire on a three count?" Lydia asks quietly which Chrissy just nods as she turns to the one, she is going to kill just before drawing an arrow than notching her bow. Lydia imitates Chrissy's movements while targeting one in a different area. Halvar takes aim at one that was just above where Lydia was aiming.
"1….2…3!" Lydia counts than fires as the others release their shots at almost the same time.
"Mine went splat." Chrissy says as watches her arrow strike the creature in the side sending it off the cliff.
"Mine is dead." Lydia remarks as she saw her arrow nailed the creature in between the eyes and out the back of the head.
"Mine is hanging by his loin cloth." Halvar remarks as he notches another arrow and aims at the poor dark one that he had knocked off balance just enough that it slipped off the ledge it was on. Now the only thing keeping it from a long drop with a sudden stop was its loin cloth and it was screaming loudly and they were afraid it would draw others. Before he fires the cloth tares, and the creature falls to its death.
"Any others?" Lydia asks after she watched the creatures hit the bottom.
"Don't see any." Chrissy says whiles she scans the area.
"No. Now where?" Halvar asks.
"The mural over there has the rest of him. That will be the last and we can get out of here." Chrissy says as starts to head over the mural but is pulled back by Halvar.
"What the Hell?"
"That." Halvar says while he points to a 12-foot height metal golem creature walking around the area.
"Crap! What is that?" Chrissy asks.
"They are the Watchers. They are extremely hard to kill. If you can call it killing." Halvar explains.
"To bad we don't have any more of that Boom Dust of yours." Lydia remarks.
"Yeah, right you want the roof to cave in on us." Chrissy replies.
"Wait you two caused the Mountain to fall?" Halvar demands.
"It wasn't on purpose." Chrissy sheepishly answers.
"But it worked." Lydia inputs
"I do have a crazy idea, but you may not like it." Chrissy says and pauses.
"What is it?" Lydia asks knowing that the look on her Thane's face meant trouble.
"We get that thing close to the edge of the cliff way over there away from Sexy's parts and force it off." Chrissy answers simply enough.
"How?" Both Lydia and Halvar ask at the same time.
"Bait." Chrissy says with a shrug.
"What Bait?" Halvar asks.
"Who?" Lydia interjets.
"I can force it off with the word of power. So, can't be me." Chrissy remarks with a shrug.
"How do you know a word of Power?" Halvar asks in disbelief.
"She is the Dragon Born. She took the head of a Dragon off with that shield. The people of White Run are calling it the Death Shield. She killed an assassin who was trying to kill the Jarl of White Run. And just yesterday she took the head of a bandit off with it." Lydia informs him with great pride.
"My beloved was right she said she heard the GreyBeards call for the Dragonborn." Halvar remarks.
"I just did what needed to be done." Chrissy remarks with no emotion.
"So, Lydia and I get to have the fun of being the bait." Halvar remarks as he takes up his weapon and runs out.
With a shake of her head as if to say, "He is crazy, but I am not going to be left out of the fun." As she runs out right after him.
Chrissy pulls her bow and notches an arrow but doesn't aim it at the metal giant. She only uses her new bow's ability to turn invisible and creep into the area as she waits for her housecarl and new ally to get the creature close to the edge. The two didn't disappoint, for when they enter, they start out buy not just hurling arrows at the iron giant but insults to boot.
"Hey slag breath! Halvar laughs as he slams his hammer against the leg of the creature causing a ringing noise that in turn hurt Halvar ears.
"Bad vibrations?" Lydia asks while she shoots the creature from the side.
"WHAT?!" Halvar calls as the ringing in his ears makes it hard for him to hear her.
"MOVE!" Lydia yells causing him to quickly run towards her with the creature right on his heels.
The two ran towards the edge the creature follows but it stops short as it seems to know that they planned to knock him off the edge. The creature starts to fire crossbow bolts at their feet not realizing that Chrissy was coming up behind it.
"Surprise." Chrissy says as she lets the arrow fly causing the creature to turn on one leg allowing Halvar and Lydia to run in opposite directions leaving the edge open for her to use the word of power.
As the creature was off balance with the turn Chrissy screams the word of power forcing the creature to the edge but not over. Chrissy tries the word of power again, but it doesn't work.
"You a few minutes before you can use the word again as you are too new to the word of power." A faint voice tells Chrissy in her mind.
"Now you tell me." Chrissy sneers as she notches another arrow and lets it fly.
"Use that word again!" Halvar calls out.
"I can't." Chrissy says as she shoots another arrow.
"Why didn't you say that before?" Halvar says as he runs over to the creature's leg and starts to pound on it with his hammer. While Lydia shoots her own arrows at the metal creature which only ding off of it.
"I didn't know." Chrissy snaps back while she takes off her shield and sends it flying at the creature.
The shield hits the metal monster causing it to tip even more but not enough to send it over the edge. It was at that point Halvar hit it with his hammer as hard as he could while Lydia sent three arrows at it at the same time. Chrissy's shield bounces back to her and she catches with her left hand and cussing at the pain it causes but sends it back at the monster. The keep hitting away at the it until…
"Halvar get back the ground is falling!" Chrissy yells out as she catches her shield.
Halvar runs for it while the ground below him starts to give way. The metal monster falls as it tries to grab whatever it can to prevent it's fall but fails as there was nothing close it could. Halvar is running like death itself was on his heals as it was, but no one can outrun death and he falls.
"NO!" Chrissy screams watching her new friend falling and she runs for him. Lydia is right behind her but neither makes it in time to prevent Halvar from falling with the rubble towards the darkness below.
"Halvar!" Chrissy and Lydia both yell as they reach the edge.
"I am right here you don't have to yell but I sure could use a hand up." Halvar says as he is hanging by one his left hairy hand while his right kept a hold of his hammer.
"Damn you know how to scare someone. Your beloved would have killed us." Chrissy laughs.
"How about two?" Lydia remarks whiles she starts to help him up as she silently directs Chrissy to watch their back to make sure nothing came running up behind them. Chrissy watches their back and breathes a sigh of relief as Lydia was barely able to get him up with little to no problems.
"Let's get your friends parts and get out of here." Halvar remarks as he brushes off his bare legs.
"You I got to know something." Chrissy says as she watches him clean the dust off his half naked body.
"What?" Halvar asks.
"It's not just you but how is that you Nords can get away with little to no armor. I mean you are wearing hardly anything and don't look cold. While I am almost completely covered, and I am so cold?" Chrissy remarks as she shows her cloak.
"I don't know I am just warm most of the time. Summertime is hell on the plains for me. That is why when my wife suggested building a home up there, I was all for it. My family was the same. As for other people I don't know maybe they are the same" Halvar answers as they walk over to where Sexy's parts were.
"I am the same too." Lydia answers as they reach the parts.
With everyone working to retrieve a part they make quick work of it but as Lydia removes the las part some type of fluid starts to leak out of where the part was.
"Cool that the last thing we need." Chrissy says as she recognizes it as the oil that Sexy said he needed. "Halvar could you fetch that urn over there it looks really big but small enough to fit in my pack.
"It has a lid." Halvar remarks as he puts it down in front of the leak and takes the lid off only to find it was already full of the fluid.
"That is lucky we don't have to wait for it to fill. Put the lid back on and let's put it in my pack."
"You don't have much time." Sexy says.
"It's going to take a little pit to get back."
"No use the elevator."
"Why didn't you tell me there was one in the first place."
"Because it was on the floor you are on and doesn't move without an operator." Sexy replies.
"Where is it?"
"It's back where my head was." Sexy barely says.
"Fuck. Let's move his is fading." Chrissy says as she puts the pack back on and rushes back the way they came.
All three picked up the pace as they headed back. Chrissy had to keep herself in check as she didn't leave the others behind with her speed. When she saw the elevator, she could have kicked herself for not realizing what it was in the first place. Chrissy pushes the lever on the side causing the doors to slide open.
"What in the?..." Halvar says in awe.
"Just get in I'll explain on the way."
"What? Get in where? It's an empty room." Lydia points out as she walks in.
"Stay inside the circle." Chrissy says with a grin on her face while she indicated the stone circle on the floor, she pushes the lever in the middle of the room which simultaneously closes the doors and causes the floor to move upwards in the room.
"By TALOS!" Halvar cries out as he makes sure he was in the circle.
"I second that!" Lydia says as she feels her stomach move down while they are moving up at steady quick pace.
Chrissy on the other hand just closes her eyes and starts humming an all too familiar song until the elevator comes to an abrupt stop. After it stops some the doors on the opposite side of the elevator opened to reveal the entrance of the cave was right in front of them.
"Top floor with fresh air and open sky just outside." Chrissy jeers as she points out the doors then walks out of them.
"That would have been useful going down." Lydia remarks.
"It needs an operator, or it is stuck on which ever floor the operator left on." Chrissy explains as she runs out of the entrance.
Lydia quickly follows Chrissy out as she was about to join Halvar who was emptying what was left in his stomach on the floor of the cave.
Outside the cave the sun was setting but that didn't stop Chrissy she slid down next to Sexy's body and started yanking out his pieces. She got vague images of what was needed to do get him back together. She started by filling each part with oil then attaching each limb, starting with his tail then each back leg, followed by his front legs then at last his head was attached.
"Well, what happens next?" Halvar asks after several minutes of nothing happening when the head was attached.
"I don't know.." Chrissy worriedly says as she reseals the container and puts it back in her pack then puts on her pack.
"What about your link?" Lydia asks.
"It's open but" Chrissy starts to say but stops as Sexy's body starts to produce a soft light that kept getting brighter and brighter. …HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Chrissy cries out as she pedals back away from what was happening.
"My eyes!" Halvar barks as he covers them.
The only thing that could be seen was a bright blinding white light radiating out from Sexy then a flash of purple.
"You can open your eyes." Sexy told them all.
"Easier said than done." Chrissy remarks while rapidly blinking her eyes for several moments. "Wow oh Wow! Damn!
"What is it?" Lydia asks as she still had her eyes covered.
"He is back and is as fine as ever." Chrissy states as she walks around the 18-hand high black and gold metal horse. "You are almost as big as a Clydesdale!"
"I am just right for my size." Sexy flat states with his head high.
"Did that machine just talk?" Halvar asks.
"I am not a machine I am a War Equinist." Sexy sneers at the man. Halvar jumps back at the intense stare he was getting from Sexy.
"Calm down you two. Are you good to go?" Chrissy asks.
"Yes, but well will have to get more of that fuel in a few months or I could end up like that again." Sexy tells her.
"Well, we can come back and get some if that's okay with Halvar and his wife." Chrissy says.
"After what you two you did for me and mine, I don't see a problem." Halvar remarks as he heads for his home.
"Can you carry both Lydia and me?" Chrissy asks.
"Get on."
Chrissy walks around the metal horse several times and just shakes her head.
"Something wrong?" Lydia asks while trying to hold back a laugh because she noticed that the bottom of the stirrup only reaches down to Chrissy's chest.
"Something wrong short stack?" Sexy asks.
Chrissy just gives them both an evil glare before she has to climb up the stirrup hand over hand until her foot was in place, and she could swing up into the metal saddle. Chrissy takes her foot out of the stirrup so that Lydia could climb up, but she just shakes her head and heads for Halvar's home.
"I liked you better as a bike." Chrissy mutters.
"No rubber here, plus I would stick out like that." Sexy answers back as he trots on.
"Say how are you like this anyways?" Chrissy asks.
"I am able to physically adapt to the culture I am in. This culture best accepts this form." Sexy answers as they easily catch up to the others.
"How many forms do you have?"
"I have acquired 4 at this point."
"Four… What are they?"
"The Cycle or as you refer to it Motorcycle. There is the Horse form I am in now. I have a type of humanoid one and my last is one that most hear would be fear full of for it is of a horse size dragon." Sexy answers.
"Why aren't you in the humanoid one?"
"It is difficult to change from one form to another. The cycle and this horse are the easiest to maintain right now as I will need time and the right parts for the other forms." Sexy explains.
"You might want to keep the talking down when we are around strangers." Chrissy suggests.
"Sorry it just feels so good to be back together again. I can believe I just said tha…" Sexy says as he hears Chrissy giggling.
It didn't take the group long to reach Halvar home and to a very happy wife.
"Thank you so much for saving my beloved." Brana says after she steps away from her husband. "It is late come in, eat and relax."
"We cannot right now we have to get our horses." Lydia points out.
"I was able convince them to follow you here and they are by the stable." Brana says as she points to the horses eating.
"We'll take care of them then come in." Chrissy says as she slides down off of Sexy.
"I know you are special you may come in." Brana says as she approaches Sexy and glides her ghostly hand over his face.
"Thank you, my lady." Sexy responds and bows his head to her.
Brana and Halvar head inside while Chrissy and Lydia tend to their original rides. It didn't take them long before they had removed the horses' saddles and bridles and replaced them with rope halters and leads. They made sure the horses had plenty of food and water then headed in.