Chapter 3: Shimmermist Cave

[22nd of First Seed 4E 202]

In the month which the people in Tamriel called First Seed and I still named 'März', March, in my mind, Vilkas had requested that I join a group of other Companions to clear a place called 'Shimmermist Cave', not very far northeast of Whiterun. Farmers around the city, specifically on the east side, had complained about an increasing number of thefts, and some people had noticed strange and creepy creatures during the night. Aela, Farkas, Ria, the two whelps and I would go to investigate and do something about it, with the huntress being in charge. This expedition would also be a good opportunity to observe how the whelps behaved and judge their combat style and attitude; the Harbinger would want to learn about that in order to decide when/if the whelps could be initiated and become full Companion members.

I made sure that my armor and weapons were complete, found my way to one of the outhouses and went out to the backyard to wait for the rest of the party. Our group was larger than normal for typical Companion tasks, but Shimmermist Cave had a reputation for being a very dangerous place, as I had been told, so we'd better prepare properly. When the others arrived a few minutes later, Aela said:

"All here? Great – let's go!"

When we passed the market area, I found Jordis, my housecarl from Haafingar, talking with Mia, the alchemist, and I used the opportunity to tell her that I'd be out for a day or two. As expected Jordis did not like the idea and wanted to be at my side, as she considered it to be her duty as housecarl, but I told her that this was a Companion quest, and there were going to be six of us anyway; she had to live with that. Antonius, my other housecarl, was not around at this time, but getting some more equipment from Markarth. Mia wanted to learn if we were about to go to place where mushrooms might be found, and when I looked at Aela, she nodded and said:

"Not sure, but likely, yes."

The junior alchemist asked:

"So, can you please do me a favor and collect some Fly Amanita and Glowing Mushrooms, if you can find them. Arcadia and I are about to run out, and we'd like to restock our supply."

"Sure, I will do that when we find any!"

I did not have a clue what those mushrooms might be good for, but Mia likely knew; she beamed and waved, and we left the city and walked east on the main road. After some time one of the whelps, Irene, the Breton, asked Aela:

"What do we know about our target?"

"Not much, really. I don't think that any of us stepped inside recently, and there are all kind of rumors about adventurers getting lost in there. We do not know what to expect, and thus we better show up in force. You whelps need to be careful and do exactly what we say, got it?"

They both nodded, and we walked in silence for some time. Even with the cold morning temperatures, butterflies were around many of the flowers on the wayside, and I almost wished that I had more time right now to watch them. At least, I mused while I passed the area, the butterflies here were real ones, and their flight and landings looked and were real, compared to the vanilla game, where those insects sometimes landed above a flower instead of right on it, like half a meter above it or so. I smiled, but of course reality was, well, 'real'; no surprise here.

Later on, when we had turned left at the crossroads, I had a look at the others' equipment. Aela and Irene both had a bow, so that we had three of us – including myself with the crossbow – for distance attacks; Farkas, Ria and Erik were sword fighters. Farkas and Erik both had greatswords made of Skyforge steel on them, while Ria preferred a one handed sword and a shield. Finally, of course, there were Hanni and Nanni, my saber cat cubs. As a matter of fact, I was not sure if the term 'cubs' was still appropriate; they had grown a lot since I had found them, and their tusks were clearly visible. On the other side, for me they'd probably stay my 'cubs' forever, like you always called your children that, even when they were already adult people. Like me, everybody wore a backpack with some supplies and plenty of space for loot, and Ria and I also had plenty of potions, just in case, and everybody had enough food for at least two days plus their bedrolls. We probably had to stay in there for the night, and we'd find a suitable place to sleep, I hoped.

Irene, a female Breton and one of the whelps, had joined the Companions end of last year, and I had had the opportunity to spend some time with her around Christmas; those days were also important to her as 'Saturalia', which apparently had a Breton origin. Normally, she would have been 'promoted' from whelp status already, but she had been back in High Rock for a couple of months to help taking care of her ailing mother. According to what Irene had told us, her sister Wulfryn had stayed with her until their mother's death from a severe sickness which the healers had not been able to cure and treat, and while her sister was staying in High Rock for the time being, Irene had come back, fully dedicated to showing her worth as Companion. With her affinity for magic, the Breton differed from almost everybody else at the Companions, but while some, like Vilkas and Skjor, had an issue with this, Kodlak, supported by Aela and Farkas, had argued that a Companion with excellent magical capabilities would complement the others well; besides, Irene had shown that she could also handle a sword or a similar weapon properly; this was a 'condicio sine qua non' for a Companion.

Erik, the innkeeper's son from Rorikstead, had joined a little bit later, and I had noticed that Kodlak had been somewhat less than enthusiastic when the young Nord had come into Jorrvaskr. He certainly was strong and sturdy and showed an aptitude for sword fighting, that was obvious, but the Harbinger told us that he wasn't sure about the whelp's character; he seemed to be somewhat stubborn and aggressive at times, and that was probably one of the reasons why he was still a whelp. I had made it from whelp to Shield-Brother in about two months, and according to what I had heard later on, that was pretty fast. Others, I had been told, had taken more months or even years, and some never got beyond whelp status and left again eventually. Kodlak Whitemane had a good feeling for somebody's heart and spirit, but even he misjudged people from time to time. He had specifically asked that we observe Erik during this mission and report back to him about his willingness to work in a team and such.

I was pulled from my thoughts when we turned off the main road, following a side path to the right, and Vilkas suggested that we pay attention now. A couple of saber cats crossed our way, but a shouted 'KAAN' from me made them docile; Kynareth had allowed me to learn this single shout last year, and the Greybeards at High Hrothgar had pointed me in the right direction and guided me in meditation; everybody at Jorrvaskr was aware of this by now, and there had been a few opportunities to use the shout for peaceful purposes. The two whelps saw that in action right now for the first time, though, and they were duly impressed, although Erik mumbled something like:

"Would be better to kill them instead of just making them docile for some time."

I was not sure if I had understood him properly, but he was entitled to his own opinion, of course, and nobody else mentioned anything; specifically with saber cats, I was clearly prejudiced, as I had two of them with me, but I was in general reluctant to kill animals unless I had to, not only because of Kynareth՚s guidance. We hurried along; after all, the effect of the shout only lasted for something like ten minutes. After a few bends of the path I noticed two ore veins of an unknown type left and right of the trail, and Farkas told us that those were quicksilver ore veins; I did not know what quicksilver could be used for, but I vaguely recalled that Antonius had mentioned that a few months earlier – I would have to ask him again eventually. It turned out that nobody in our group was knowledgeable on that topic, but we were all warriors and not smiths or geologists. About one hour after we had left the main road the cave entrance was directly ahead, and a few strange symbols and items were placed next to it.

"Falmer totems; I should have known" Farkas mumbled.

"Falmer? Really? Here in our hold?"

"They go almost everywhere if there is a big and deep cave, Shield-Brother. And this also explains the creepy creatures some farmers have seen at night. The darkness gives them an advantage, and we've heard reports about nightly Falmer forays from other holds, too."

I had certainly not expected that. I knew that Falmer were in some caves, but I had not assumed them to be so close to Whiterun. But all right, there were six of us plus Hanni and Nanni; we should be able to cope with them, even with sneaking not working well against them. But most of us could not sneak anyway, specifically Farkas and Erik with their heavy armor.

Erik had a question:

"What exactly are Falmer?"

"Whelp, we are likely going to find some in there; we believe that they used to be Snow Elves, but they live mostly underground and have very bad to nonexistent eyesight. They are always hostile, and that's all we need to know."

"We'll have to be careful, as they are able to hide well and have a good sense of hearing. Individually, their fighters are not usually very strong, but they also have shamans capable of string destruction spells, and they usually show up in groups." Irene added.

Snow Elves? Oh yes, right, there had been some elaboration on that in the game, during the quest towards the Forgotten Vale. What had that been about? Sure there were a few books on that topic, and maybe I'd get to do that quest later on anyway. So far, I did not even know if vampires and the Dawnguard were actually part of this real Skyrim, right? No, not true; I had found a dead Dawnguard patrol, and that's where I had my crossbow from. So, the Dawnguard was obviously real, but I did not know if/when Serana was going to be found. Even if that was going to happen soon, this world was not mainly about me, and it was likely going to be somebody else getting to her first and 'triggering' the quest line. Maybe I'd get to meet her at least? Just to see if she looked like I imagined her to look like?

Anyway, as noon had already passed, Aela and Farkas called for a lunch break, and for some time we silently indulged in our food. It was probably a good idea to rest outside, with daylight and fresh air around us; who could know what we'd find inside the cave.

Once we entered the cave, according to my estimation in mid afternoon, we found ourselves first in the typical narrow passage leading further down into the ground. Not far after the entrance I noticed the first glowing mushrooms on the walls, and I also saw some sections of the ceiling glowing dimly. The glowing mushrooms I had seen before, but the ceiling also shimmering was new to me. After a few bends of the passage it widened a little bit, and now there was additional illumination also provided by free-floating mist; it seemed obvious where the cave had gotten its name from. I was not sure if I had ever been in this cave when playing the game, and as I did not recall this, maybe I had not; however, there were quite a few caves in the game and maybe even more in reality, so maybe I just did not remember. We stopped for a few minutes to get our eyes adjusted and to take in the scenery and the environment, and then we slowly followed the path through the cavern we had been led into, while I stopped occasionally to pick up some of the mushrooms as I had promised to Mia.

So far, there was no enemy or beast in sight, but we moved slowly and cautiously. If there really were Falmer around somewhere, we might not notice them until we got close. For some minutes our progress was almost unhindered; there were a few skeever trying to bother us, but they did not delay us for more than a few seconds each. After a few more turns of the passage it opened up into a larger cavern, and we found a rock bridge ahead, crossing a pool of water. Aela stopped us and asked:

"There is something over there at the other side; I can sense it, but I can't really see it and I do not know what it is. The glowing mist makes seeing objects in the distance very hard."

Irene offered:

"I have been in Falmer caves before, and if I am not mistaken, this is a chaurus over there at the other end; very dangerous."

I enjoyed the natural illumination a lot, and thanks to my Khajiit eyes, I could at least see the vague outline of some creature on the other side of the bridge, although I could not identify it; however, I was familiar which chauruses – was that the correct plural form, or was it rather chauri or the same as the singular form, chaurus? – and I had no reason not to believe the Breton. Thus, I nodded, made my crossbow ready, and fired a bolt right into the beast. That single bolt was not enough to kill it, though, and the animal spit something in our direction. Due to the distance we could all easily evade, and next we hit with another one of my bolts plus arrows from Irene and Aela, and it moved no longer. Once we had crossed the bridge, we examined the dead animal, and now I also recognized the chaurus. I could recall a few critical encounters with such beasts from playing, specifically in Blackreach, but also other areas, like this basement below a lighthouse further north, and I recalled that they frequently seemed to live together with Falmer. I did not know if Falmer actually bred them or they just had some kind of symbiosis or so, but I knew that we had to be careful. As far as I recalled, I had been in some locations where Falmer actually kind of domesticated the animals, but I did not know for which purpose. I also warned the others:

"We need to be careful. Chaurus can not only be around as grown up animals like this, but they can also emerge from eggs or sacs or something like this, and I have heard that this can happen right when somebody passes."

"B'lushona is right" Irene nodded, "and I have heard the same. As a matter of fact, some believe that ground based chauruses emerge from eggs, and at a later time, some create a chrysalis and change into flying variants, like a chaurus hunter fledgling."

"What is a chrysalis?"

"A chrysalis is a special casing around the animal to protect it while it transforms from one stage to another one; that's what I have been told at least."

So, if I understood her properly, chaurus had a metamorphosis like some insects on Earth, like butterflies and beetles? Wow, I had not been aware of that; while playing, I had simply fought all of the variants without thinking about the background much; Irene was certainly well educated.

Now, here on this other side of the bridge another passage through the rock provided a path forward, and once again it opened up into a cavern after a few more turns. This one has less natural illumination, and we found ourselves in almost darkness. There was still enough light for me to see, but barely, and the others struggled.

"What about some light?" Erik asked. "Aren't the Falmer blind anyway? Light should not tell our position, right?"

"I am not sure about the Falmer. Yes, they are supposed to be blind, but maybe they can still detect light."

"What about that?" I suggested. "I go first, look around to see if I can identify any danger, and when I do not see any, you can follow with light."

The others nodded, and Irene conjured a mage light, which hovered above her head. With her being a Breton, she was a Companion more versed in magic than most of the others, naturally. While the others kept back in the passage, I looked around in the cavern, but even my Khajiit eyes could not see much, so that I called the others over. While we still tried to get our bearings, an arrow hit Erik's armor, and another one echoed on Farkas' chest armor, and I was unable to see where the arrows were exactly coming from. We retreated for the moment and discussed what to do:

"How can we fight back if we don't see where the enemy is?"

"Hm, can we lure them out somehow?"

"Actually, maybe we can" I suggested. "I could send my saber cats ahead, and maybe the Falmer will chase them?"

"Worth a try."

I conjured Spirit, my familiar, and the three saber cats, the two real ones and the conjured one, rushed ahead when I sent them off with a verbal command of mine. I had spent a lot of time with Hanni and Nanni, and we now had a number of command words they obeyed; naturally, those commands were German words, similar to those used for dog training. Fortunately, my saber cats turned out to be at least as intelligent as a well trained dog on Earth, and I was happy that we were able to work together quite well. For now, I was not totally sure if sending the three saber cats ahead was the right approach, but so far Hanni and Nanni had shown considerable talent in finding out which enemies they could handle and which they could not, and while Spirit was more aggressive, Hanni and Nanni were experienced enough to retreat when a situation got too dangerous for them.

For about ten minutes we did not see or hear anything special, but later some fighting noise reached our ears. One of my cubs was suddenly back next to me, and she had a couple of arrows in her fur. I pulled them out and did my healing spell on her, and the next one arrived as well, with three Falmer on her heels. Irene, the Breton, raised her hands and cast a spell, and seconds later a skeleton was next to her, carrying a bow. The degenerated snow elves had probably not even realized yet that we had an ambush prepared for them, when they were met by bolts and arrows, also from the Skeleton archer Irene had just summoned. Two of the Falmer perished right away, but the third one was tougher, and maybe he was a mage or shaman or whatever they called their magic experts, as a thick frostbite cloud was sent in our direction. I ducked, but Erik kept standing and laughed:

"I am a Nord! Is that all you can do?"

As it turned out, it was not, and a lightning bolt followed, hitting Erik right in the chest. This had not been one of those weak ones, like the ones I managed to cast, where you twitched for a few seconds and continued fighting afterwards, but a strong one, and armor did not do much to prevent damage from such spells; on the contrary, metal armor tended to even intensify the effect, at least if it had direct contact with the body somewhere. Consequently, Erik was now down on the ground screaming. Ria fed him a healing potion, but the careless young Nord was out of the fight for now. A few more bolts and arrows were too much for the Falmer, though, and he went down as well. Spirit did not return, but that was not really a surprise for me. This was something I had learned to appreciate quite some time ago – I could send my familiar ahead into a dangerous area, not even expecting her to survive, and I could re-summon her later with no ill effects; she wasn't even angry with me or so. Naturally, I'd have to be much more careful with Hanni and Nanni, and I'd be very sad for a long time if I lost on of them; fortunately, they seemed to know when it was time for a tactical retreat.

Now, with Erik down and knowing that his screams must have been heard by enemies further down in the cave, we'd better be prepared for more massive attacks.

[Author's Notes: The term 'condicio sine qua non' is Latin and implies an absolutely required/indispensable condition.

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