Ulrich362: Well, Delphine needs a good slap in the face, shame Frisk wasn't there to give her one.
bopdog111: That may change soon cause now after Jin, and Frisk head to Winterhold they need to regroup with there friends as there gonna head through probably one of there toughest obstacles to obtain the Elder Scroll that Paarthurnax told them about.
Ulrich362: True, it's definitely going to be an interesting meeting.
bopdog111: So let's see how everyone can handle being in a new underground base the monsters never found, and some new enemies that come with it.
Ulrich362: Agreed, enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: We don't own Undertale or the Elder Scrolls Series, all we own are the OCs.
So after wishing the Greybeards farewell, Jin and Frisk both headed to Winterhold together taking a carriage from Ivarstead to head there with a lot on there minds. An Elder Scroll is needed for the next part of there journey to stop Alduin, and they needed to find out where one is which Frisk gets an idea that as a scholar of magical items she believes that the College's Urag should be able to provide them with an answer.
They managed to arrive in Winterhold, and after paying for the carriage they all headed to the College entering inside, and with Frisk as the guide, entered the Arcanaeum where Urag is busy with the books placing some up before he notices Frisk over. "Ah, your back. If you have any questions about those books from the artifact in Saarthal, I already told you you need to talk to Orthorn in Fellglow Keep to get them."
"Actually, we wanted to know if you had any information on an Elder Scroll." Frisk admitted causing Urag to raise an eyebrow.
"And what exactly do you plan to do with it? Do you even know what you're asking about, or are you just someone's errand girl?" he questioned.
Jin took this over to discuss over. "More to the point, do you have anything, or perhaps do you have one here?"
"You think that even if I did have one here, I would let you see it?" Urag asked crossing his arms with a stare. "It would be kept under the highest security. The greatest thief in the world wouldn't be able to lay a finger on it."
The Argonian frowned seeing it must come to this but for the good of everything needs to be this way. "And to the Dragonborn?"
"What about... wait. Are you? Were you the one the Greybeards were calling?" Urag questioned in shock.
"That's right, I need to find one and my friend told me that you could help." Jin admitted.
"I thought if anyone might know something it would be you." Frisk admitted as Urag recognized her as one of the new apprentices at the college.
"I see, well I don't know how much help it would be but I can bring you some books." Urag told them. He walked over to a book shelf searching over before grabbing two books he managed to find, and placed them on the counter. "Here you go. Try not to spill anything on them."
So they walked over, and takes the books. Jin looked before handing the one titled Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls to Frisk. "Start reading." She nodded as they opened the books to read starting with Jin's book.
Effects of the Elder Scrolls
It is widely known among scholars that the Elder Scrolls entail a certain hazard in their very reading. The mechanism of the effects has, at present, been largely unknown - theories of hidden knowledge and divine retribution were the subject of idle speculation with little investigation.
I, Justinius Poluhnius, have undertaken to thoroughly document the ailments afflicted by the Elder Scrolls on their readers, though a unified theory of how they manifest continues to elude me and remains a subject for future study.
I have grouped the effects into four, finding that the avenue of experience depends largely upon the mind of the reader. If this is unclear, I hope that a proper dichotomy will lay it plain.
Group the First: The Naifs
For one who has received no training in the history or nature of the Elder Scrolls, the scroll itself is, effectively, inert. No prophecy can be scried nor knowledge obtained. While the scroll will not impart learning to the uninformed, nor will it afflict them in any adverse fashion. Visually, the scroll will appear to be awash in odd lettering and symbols. Those who know their astronomy often claim to recognize constellations in the patterns and connections, but such conjecture is impossible to further investigate since the very nature of this study necessitates unlearned subjects.
Group the Second: The Unguarded Intellects
It is this second group that realizes the greatest danger from attempting to read the scrolls. These are subjects who have an understanding of the nature of the Elder Scrolls and possess sufficient knowledge to actually read what is inscribed there. They have not, however, developed adequate discipline to stave off the mind-shattering effect of having a glimpse of infinity. These unfortunate souls are struck immediately, irrevocably, and completely blind. Such is the price for overreaching one's faculties. It bears mentioning, though, that with the blindness also comes a fragment of that hidden knowledge - whether the future, the past, or the deep natures of being is dependent on the individual and their place in the greater spheres. But the knowledge does come.
Group the Third: Mediated Understanding
Alone in Tamriel, it would appear that only the Cult of the Ancestor Moth has discovered the discipline to properly guard one's mind when reading the scrolls. Their novitiates must undergo the most rigorous mental cultivation, and they often spend a decade or more at the monastery before being allowed to read their first Elder Scroll. The monks say this is for the initiates' own protection, as they must have witnessed many Unguarded Intellects among their more eager ranks. With appropriate fortitude, these readers also receive blindness, though at a far lesser magnitude than the Unguarded. Their vision fogs slightly, but they retain shape, color, and enough acuity to continue to read mundane texts. The knowledge they gain from the scroll is also tempered somewhat - it requires stages of meditation and reflection to fully appreciate and express what one saw.
Group the Fourth: Illuminated Understanding
Between the previous group and this one exists a continuum that has, at present, only been traversed by the monks of the Ancestor Moth. With continued readings the monks become gradually more and more blind, but receive greater and more detailed knowledge. As they spend their waking hours pondering the revelations, they also receive a further degree of mental fortitude. There is, for every monk, a day of Penultimate Reading, when the only knowledge the Elder Scroll imparts is that the monk's next reading shall be his last.
For each monk the Penultimate Reading comes at a different and unknowable time - preliminary work has been done to predict the occurrence by charting the severity of an individual monk's blindness, but all who reach these later stages report that the increasing blindness seems to taper with increased readings. Some pose the notion that some other, unseen, sense is, in fact, continuing to diminish at this upper range, but I shall leave such postulations to philosophers.
To prepare for his Ultimate Reading, a monk typically withdraws to seclusion in order to reflect upon a lifetime of revelations and appoint his mind for reception of his last. Upon this final reading, he is forever blinded as sure as those Unguarded ones who raced to knowledge. The Illuminated one, though, has retained his understanding over a lifetime and typically possesses a more integral notion of what has been revealed to him.
It is hoped that this catalog will prove useful to those who wish to further our mortal understanding of the Elder Scrolls. The Moth priests remain aloof about these matters, taking the gradual debilitation that comes with reading as a point of pride. May this serve as a useful starting point for those hoping to take up such study.
-
Dictated to Anstius Metchim, 4th of Last Seed in the 126th year of the Second Era
Jin grunted over from this reading over everything. Great knowledge for the dangers, and stuff but this doesn't say any answers where they can find the Elder Scroll. He turned over towards Frisk. "Any luck on your end?" She is still reading her book but from the look of her face looks confused, and a bit baffled.
Ruminations of the Elder Scrolls
Imagine living beneath the waves with a strong-sighted blessing of most excellent fabric. Holding the fabric over your gills, you would begin to breathe-drink its warp and weft. Though the plantmatter fibers imbue your soul, the wretched plankton would pollute the cloth until it stank to heavens of prophecy. This is one manner in which the Scrolls first came to pass, but are we the sea, or the breather, or the fabric? Or are we the breath itself?
Can we flow through the Scrolls as knowledge flows through, being the water, or are we the stuck morass of sea-filth that gathers on the edge?
Imagine, again, this time but different. A bird cresting the wind is lifted by a gust and downed by a stone. But the stone can come from above, if the bird is upside down. Where, then, did the gust come from? And which direction? Did the gods send either, or has the bird decreed their presence by her own mindmaking?
The all-sight of the Scrolls makes a turning of the mind such that relative positions are absolute in their primacy.
I ask you again to imagine for me. This time you are beneath the ground, a tiny acorn planted by some well-meaning elf-maiden of the woodlands for her pleasure. You wish to grow but fear what you may become, so you push off the water, the dirt, the sun, to stay in your hole. But it is in the very pushing that you become a tree, in spite of yourself. How did that happen?
The acorn is a kind of tree-egg in this instance, and the knowledge is water and sun. We are the chicken inside the egg, but also the dirt. The knowledge from the Scrolls is what we push against to become full-sighted ourselves.
One final imagining before your mind closes from the shock of ever-knowing. You are now a flame burning bright blue within a vast emptiness. In time you see your brothers and sisters, burnings of their own in the distance and along your side. A sea of pinpoints, a constellation of memories. Each burns bright, then flickers. Then two more take its place but not forever lest the void fills with rancid light that sucks the thought.
Each of our minds is actually the emptiness, and the learnings of the Scrolls are the pinpoints. Without their stabbing light, my consciousness would be as a vast nothingness, unknowing its emptiness as a void is unknowing of itself. But the burnings are dangerous, and must be carefully tended and minded and brought to themselves and spread to their siblings.
Frisk frowned. "This makes no sense."
Jin checked it, and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is this...?" He walked to Urag who was watching them read before he said to the orc. "That Ruminations book doesn't make any sense..."
"Aye, that's the work of Septimus Signus." Urag acknowledged over with a small nod knowing that the book is really random in it's writing. "He's the world's master of the nature of Elder Scrolls, but... well. He's been gone for a long while. Too long."
"Where did he go?"
"Somewhere up north, in the ice fields. Said he found some old Dwemer artifact, but... well, that was years ago. Haven't heard from him since."
"Oh, he's dead?" Jin asked having a bad feeling there stuck on a dead end from how that sounded like.
Urag shook his head no denying that possibility. "Oh no. I hope not. But even I haven't seen him in years, and we were close. Became obsessed with the Dwemer. Took off north saying he had found some old artifact. Haven't seen him since. Somewhere in the ice fields, if you want to try and find him."
"Farther north, great." Jin frowned hearing that before turning to Frisk. "Should we let your friends know what's going on?"
Frisk looked before then saying over. "I... I think we can manage it. We are near it, and with Sans not with us, it be a waste of time to head back when we're already near the location."
Jin turned over. It be risky as it's by themselves but he does see the logic over this, they can save more time by heading to the Ice Caps, and then heading back to Sky Haven Temple to inform everyone else about this.
"Very well then. We should be careful." Jin at that decided to give this a shot which they exited the college together. After a very long time they managed to find a safe path down where they see the College is standing on a large stone pillar from the ground. He had heard the rumors of the College but doesn't care eitherway as long as there not responsible for the collapse of Winterhold years ago. Seeing the large body of water in there path he frowned. "This will be freezing your balls off..." He turned over towards Frisk. "Your gonna need to hold on to me so I'll know if the cold makes you pass out."
Soon they noticed an iceberg with what looked like an entrance in its side as they approached before they saw a wooden door. Jin grabs an ice cap pulling himself out of the water before helping Frisk out. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I am." Frisk nodded before pausing. "Wait a second."
Taking a breath she summoned her Flame Atronach so it's natural heat could warm them up a bit.
Jin takes a breath sighing feeling the heat which is a nice big contrast then the freezing temperature while Frisk shivered over, and warmed up quick sighing. After about a minute the Atronach vanished which made them remember what there suppose to do, and head inside the hut looking around walking down a icecap of stairs. They see a large cube artifact but also see a elder man wearing a robe walking around trying to study with a shelf having books, small bottles they recognize as Skooma.
"Dig, Dwemer, in the beyond. I'll know you're lost unknown and rise to your depths." the man muttered as he paced. "When the top level was built, no more could be placed. It was and is the maximal apex."
Frisk blinked. "Is... is he ok?"
"The Skooma probably got to his head." Jin said eyeing the bottles, and shaking his head. "Whatever let's do this." He walked over to the elder man.
"When the top level was built, no more could be placed. It was and is the maximal apex."
"Excuse me?" The man blinked turning over where Jin is near him. "We heard you know about Elder Scrolls."
"The Empire. They absconded with them. Or so they think. The ones they saw. The ones they thought they saw. I know of one." the man, Septimus, spoken over in his state. "Forgotten. Sequestered. But I cannot go to it, not poor Septimus, for I... I have arisen beyond its grasp."
"So do you have an Elder Scroll here?"
"I've seen enough to know their fabric. The warp of air, the weft of time. But no, it is not in my possession." Septimus at least provided a clear answer to them if he has one.
"Do you know where one is at least?" Jin asked him if he knows where.
"Here. Well, here as in this plane. Mundus. Tamriel. Nearby, relatively speaking. On the cosmological scale, it's all nearby." Septimus answered over not quite in the way he meant which Jin made a annoyed expression as if asking, 'are you serious'.
"No, not like that. Do you know where one is LOCATED here?"
"One block lifts the other. Septimus will give you what you want, but you must bring him something in return." Septimus spoke that if they want to know the Elder Scroll's locations, they need to do something for him in return.
"Ok, what do you need us to do?" Frisk asked curiously.
"You see this masterwork of the Dwemer." Septimus gestured over towards the cube there seeing. "Deep inside their greatest knowings. Septimus is clever among men, but he is but an idiot child compared to the dullest of the Dwemer. Lucky then they left behind their own way of reading the Elder Scrolls." He turned over towards them. "In the depths of Blackreach one yet lies. Have you heard of Blackreach? "Cast upon where Dwemer cities slept, the yearning spire hidden learnings kept.""
Blackreach? That's a new place they never heard of... at least if your not caught up in Dwarven knowledge. Either way that's the location where an Elder Scroll is, and hopefully they can manage to find one. So Jin asked over to him. "So where is this, "Blackreach"?"
"Under deep. Below the dark. The hidden keep. Tower Mzark. Alftand. The point of puncture, of first entry, of the tapping." Septimus explained over to them. "Delve to its limits, and Blackreach lies just beyond. But not all can enter there. Only Septimus knows the hidden key to loose the lock to jump beneath the deathly rock."
"Underground..." Frisk trailed off shocked to be hearing that, that this is perhaps even deeper then Mt. Ebott cause she never encountered Blackreach in all of her time there.
"Two things I have for you. Two shapes. One edged, one round. The round one, for tuning. Dwemer music is soft and subtle, and needed to open their cleverest gates." Septimus takes two objects from a bag handing them to Jin. "The edged lexicon, for inscribing. To us, a hunk of metal. To the Dwemer, a full library of knowings. But... empty. Find Mzark and its sky-dome. The machinations there will read the Scroll and lay the lore upon the cube. Trust Septimus. He knows you can know."
Jin blinked. "What are we supposed to do with these things?"
"The deepest doors of Dwemer listen for singing. It plays the attitude of notes proper for opening. Can you not hear it? Too low for hearings?" Septimus explained the sphere acts as a key for the doors to Blackreach before then directing to the cube. "To glimpse the world inside an Elder Scroll can damage the eyes. Or the mind, as it has to Septimus. The Dwemer found a loophole, as they always do. To focus the knowledge away and inside without harm. Place the lexicon into their contraption and focus the knowings into it. When it brims with glow, bring it back and Septimus can read once more."
"So... the round one opens the door, and the cube copies what an Elder Scroll says?" Jin summarized.
This time to Jin's relief, Septimus only gave a nod instead of speaking.
"I guess we should talk with Esbern about Blackreach and Mzark?" Frisk asked him. "Plus maybe some of the others can go with us."
"Yes." Jin nodded before bowing thankfully to Septimus before they both exit out. When they did Jin sighed over. "He sure is... unique in his speech."
"Yeah, he is... but hopefully he was right about Blackreach." Frisk admitted before frowning. "The swim back is going to be hard."
"We can do it like before. After that we just take a carriage near Sky Haven Temple, and head back." Jin said to her before taking her swimming back as before.
As soon as they arrived back at land, they headed to the town of Winterhold where they hired a carriage to head back towards a area near Sky Haven Temple which is at Markarth, and walked together reaching the camp. The Forsworn were of course there, and were minding there own business, acknowledging them as Ainertick managed to get them to stop attacking, and let them know there good friends of his. They soon arrived at Sky Haven Temple walking in where they see some of the monsters from Mt. Ebott cleaning, and taking care of some areas where the Temple doesn't seem to be the ruined state, they first seen it as with lanterns around, and walking with Blades Equipment to the armory.
Frisk's eyes widened as she saw some bandages on Asgore's hand. "What happened?"
Jin also looked seeing the bandages, and widen his eyes walking over seeing the injury on Asgore's hand.
"Just... a training mishap happened." Asgore assured Frisk with a soft smile. "I'll be fine just need to let it rest for the day."
She looked unsure but nodded hearing that.
"Well, we know where to find an Elder Scroll... kind of." Jin mentioned before explaining what they'd learned.
"An underground area?" Esbern who had noticed them came over, and had heard of the Elder Scroll's location. "So in order to learn the Shout you need, you need to head to Blackreach to obtain the Elder Scroll so you have a chance at defeating Alduin. Ah but it's underground, and as it's a Dwarvern city it could be teaming with Falmer, Chaurus, and the old Dwarven Machinery."
"It would seem that way." Jin nodded. "So, who's going underground?"
"That even a question?" Sans asked over. "Of course we would all join up with you."
"Not me, me, and Delphine need to study more here at Sky Haven Temple, and prepare it to clean up the rest of the mess once Alduin is stopped." Esbern spoke over that he, and Delphine are needed here more then anywhere else. "We wish you luck on your journey Dragonborn."
Jin nodded over understanding that. "So... I suppose we all should get going to Mzark."
"Wait a second, does anyone know where Mzark is?" Toriel inquired. "I've never heard of it before now."
"THAT'S AN EXCELLENT POINT YOUR MAJESTY!" Papyrus admitted.
"No need to worry, I know." Ainertick raised his hand to answer. "Not exactly as good as Ji'anni, or Renko, but I do have SOME knowledge of the Dwarven Ruins around here. Although we shouldn't head to Mzark."
"Why not?"
"The place is locked, and can only be unlocked from the other side." Ainertick explained to Chara on why they can't use Mzark to enter Blackreach. "The place that we can access to enter Blackreach while using Mzark as the exit way is Alftand, a Dwarven ruin that is near Winterhold."
"Then that's where we'll go." Jin mentioned. "We have the key to get in so we should be fine."
"I wish you all luck." Esbern nodded as they nodded before all of them headed out trusting Esbern's word that Delphine will stay under control around the monsters.
After using Sans to travel back to Winterhold they follow Ainertick to the ruins of Alftand as he checks the map. During the journey, Frisk with Jin's permission had told the group of monsters, and family about what Jin had told her regarding why he hates the Thalmor, doesn't think too highly of the Empire, and why he had forsaken his previous identity.
"that... sorry you had to go through all of that pal, but hopefully things start to improve for you." Sans mentioned softly. "if you need an ear, Undyne or Tori's got one... I'd offer but, well this bonehead's lacking in that department."
"It just felt... like a weight lifted off of me after I finally told someone about it." Jin admitted over to them. "All these years hunting, killing Thalmor, trying to find the bastard that done it. No-one matter what though, I will find him."
"How can you be sure, you haven't already killed him in the years?" Undyne brought over a good point over how Jin knows he haven't done it yet.
Jin sighed over before then asking. "You remember the music box, I have?"
"Of course, it's beautiful." Asgore nodded.
"Well Kasala had constructed two music boxes." Jin explained as a flash of Kasala having made two music boxes different in appearance but having the same tune as she gave one to Jin at that time but she, and her family kept the other-one. "I hold one of them when she gifted it to me. She, and my family kept the other one to remember me. When I arrived at the village, I seen the music box on the Thalmor that murdered them. That is my only clue who could've done it... all the Thalmor I killed, all the bases I barged in, and destroyed... none of them had that music box."
"What are you going to do when you find him?" Asriel asked uncertainly.
"That's an obvious answer... I'd take his head." Jin answered with hatred in his tone.
Asriel flinched slightly at that.
"Is that what your wife and child would want?" Asgore asked him before holding his hands up defensively. "I don't mean I'll stop you, but would they want their husband and father to become a cold-hearted killer?"
"They already know I'm a killer... I'm a soldier, I kill for a living to protect there home." Jin pointed out that killing is part of life as a soldier as long as you fight for what you believe in, for glory, and for defending all what you love. But the Thalmor are instead something else for his fighting code. "But for that Thalmor, and Elenwen... it's personal."
Asgore just nodded. "Right."
With that they continued following Ainertick.
"Hey, I know how you feel Ffamran. I can still remember Maro spouting off at you, that you decided to head off to try stopping them when the Empire couldn't, and returned having lost everything." Ainertick spoke over to Jin while keeping his focus on the map. "Who the hell does Maro think he is, telling you it's none of your business when it's your family that is getting killed out there? That's one of the reasons why I left with Renko, and Yaggnak."
"You, Renko, and Yaggnak left the league Ainertick?" Jin questioned over hearing that a little surprised from it. "Renko, and Yaggnak, I can understand but you?"
"What's that suppose to mean?" Ainertick glared over feeling offended over before he then sighed over. "After Uthgerd, and you left from the White-Cold Condordat, and the attack on Black Marsh, we had been discussing over, and Renko brought up that if the Thalmor are being allowed to do this without the consent of the other providences, there be no point to continue on. So the three of us up, and left the league as we don't feel it's worth allowing those guys to keep doing what there doing without consequences."
"Do you know what happened to them?" Jin asked him.
"Renko went back to Valenwood to be with his father. Yaggnak, well he only said, he's heading to see how his son is doing, and prepare him for a different life as he was previously training him to be the next Orc of the League." Ainertick answered over which is not much answers. "Or if you mean everyone else that was still in when we left."
"No, just them." Jin frowned hearing that. "It's good they got out when they did."
"And everyone else?"
"Afraid, I don't know. I stopped paying attention when I left the empire." Ainertick admitted over to Frisk he doesn't know what happened to the rest of them. "Well except Maro, he's the leader of the replacement bodyguard unit that protects the Emperor in place of the Blades."
"The emperor... he must be very safely protected." Asriel admitted. "Kind of like the royal guard right Undyne?"
Undyne grinned over before Ainertick checked the map. "Oh we're here." They looked seeing large ruins with the entrance in between some ice, and a bridge.
Seeing it Asgore frowned slightly. "At least this time, there will be a way back out."
They all climbed up, and when they encounter any dangerous things dealt with them before entering the ice looking around seeing all of ice, and snow around with a lit torch on the ground.
"Looks like we weren't the first here if the torch is still active." Jin takes the torch in his hand raising it up.
"Thieves?" Ainertick guessed. "Dwarven ruins tend to have some valuable treasures hidden away."
"Whatever the case let's keep our guard up."
"Certainly reminds you of our missions right?"
"Whatever." Jin said to Ainertick as they start there trek forward ahead walking carefully.
"Where is it? I know you are trying to keep it for your self, J'zhar..."
"Shhh!" Jin quieted them as there hearing voices as they see someone walking pass them through a wooden opening to another side of a room.
"You always try to keep it for yourself! No! There's got to be more Skooma..." Silence happened for a few seconds before the voice continued. "Shut up! Shut up! Don't lie to me, J'zhar! You hid it! You always try to hide it from me!"
"Wow... sounds like someone misses his skooma." Ainertick joked over chuckling to himself which Jin looked at him not amused. "Ah come on Ffamran, you gotta admit that's funny!"
"Must everything be a joke? You had skooma before, and it took us 3 weeks to get you off that stuff." Jin reminded over with a glare.
"Let's try to avoid him." Asgore suggested.
They nodded walking carefully around to be careful. Eventually they find lots of stones around with the same metal pipes, and some sort of tablet, and some mechanical orange spiders on the ground.
"Dwarven Spider Workers." Ainertick knelled down softly placing a hand on one of them. "Looked to be freshly disabled..."
"They look kind of creepy." Asriel admitted looking at them nervously.
"Despite the centuries when they vanish the machines that the dwarves left behind still roam around, and work to this day. There intelligent, and know what the hell there doing." Jin explained over to them. "So case in point, you see fuckers like these around, expect more, and worse along the way."
Asriel shivered a bit hearing that as they continued through the dungeon. Arriving they find what looks like a research area with some spiders on a stone shelf. Ainertick walked over grabbing a book, and reads it.
Research Notes
If only Umani would have left one of these Dwarven machine creatures intact for me to study. The fact that they almost killed those Khajiit brothers in the middle of the night doesn't mean we couldn't have found a way to disable one. We dragged some stuff in front of the pipes they came out of to stop them from coming back.
They are simply fascinating! It is just as Calcelmo described in Dwarves, v2. Their appearance does, in fact, resemble that of an arachnid. I had thought that to be an embellishment given by his source. The inclusion of the soul gem into the design of the apparatus is quite remarkable. It could explain the focus for the lightning that he describes.
Oddly enough it doesn't appear to be the main power source for the apparatus. Perhaps some sort of harmonic resonance with the energies contained in the soul gem to bring heat to a small boiler? Too early to say conclusively. That does raise the question of where they get the liquid for the boiler however.
Huh, that was strange. I thought I just saw something moving beyond the barred door. It looked vaguely humanoid. I wonder if it could be an undiscovered automaton? I'm going to move my bedroll down here to see if I can catch another glimpse of it. This is all so exciting!
"That... sounds like a bad idea." Undyne admitted.
"Well it doesn't looked to be thieves. Just some researchers." Ainertick can get what they are judging from how this book is written. "And this J'zhar, and whoever it was talking to him must've been those Khajiit brothers it was talking about."
"Hey, I found something over here!" Frisk called from apart of the area finding some things.
Hearing that they looked to see what she found. She shows them two books. "I found one of them in a cabin before we entered, and this one by the barrel."
"Let me see here." Jin takes them reading them.
Expedition Manifest
We've managed to secure the site and hold off any others who may try to steal our discoveries so far, especially those from the College of Winterhold, who seem to think the glory of exploring every ruin should be theirs alone.
The crew for our expedition is as follows:
Sulla Trebatius (myself) - Expedition leader
Umana - my constant companion and bodyguard
Valie - a mage not associated with Winterhold (took some time to find)
Endrast - a fellow explorer of some local renown
Yag - a great brute of a woman, hired to keep the rest of the labor in check
J'darr and J'zhar - two Khajiit brothers, hired as labor
Need a couple more laborers, getting through the ice is proving difficult.
We've set up shelter and scouted the area. The small ruins on the lower plateau of the glacier don't seem connected to the main structure and we haven't managed to find a way into the tower parapet we've found here. Yag mentioned spotting a fissure in the glacial wall that may lead into the ruins so we are going to try find a way to get down there with the gear. Looks like a storm is coming.
"A fissure in the glacial wall? Do they mean a crack, is that what we're looking for?" Asriel asked them. "Do you think they broke through already?"
"It's possible, and it also tells us how many people we could expect to see, at least seven." Jin noted. Before he takes the other book to read it.
Sulla's Journal
We tried to get through glacier at the top, but we couldn't find any way into that tower parapet. Yag spotted in the glacial wall and construction of a catwalk was finished just in time for a storm to hit. At first we thought to wait it out, but it has only gotten worse. A shift in the glacier took out several of the new laborers.
I ordered everyone to quickly move as much of the supplies as we could into the fissure and we managed to get most of it. One of the hands decided he wasn't going to listen and tried to make it out through the storm, but got blown off the catwalk by the wind.
Looks like we are well and truly stuck in here. But for all that I feel even more driven that I should be the one to uncover the mysteries of this ruin. I'm tired of all the credit for my work going to the Mages or the Legion. It will be my name that goes down in the history books for this discovery.
"Oh... maybe not." Asriel admitted.
"We better keep moving, we don't know what could be up ahead." Ainertick suggested over to them. "We might find some of them, and find out what they know, and what they can tell us about the Elder Scroll."
"That's probably for the best." Asgore nodded in agreement.
They walked before hearing something turning around seeing a dwarven orb on the ground in front of a pipe before it turned over moving at Frisk who blinked. Jin widen his eyes yelling. "Frisk move!" He moved to defend as the orb folded to a humanoid like machine with a blade, and raised a hand to slash down.
Frisk's eyes widened as she barely managed to conjure her bound dagger and defend herself from the strike but it still knocked her off balance as she fell to the ground.
Jin tackled the machine away as it turned, and readied something on it's arm firing something as Jin was checking Frisk which struck his arm making him holler out seeing a crossbow bolt had shot on his arm before the machine moved to attack again that Ainertick uses a axe to slash down the blade arm forcing it to detach before turning, and decapitated the machine made it collapse down in pieces. He turned over towards Jinn, and Frisk. "You two sods alright...?"
"As alright as I can." Jin reached grunting loud pulling out the bolt with some effort.
"Let me see." Toriel frowned looking at his arm before using her healing magic on the wound.
Jin raised it as it healed over as Ainertick checked over the defeated machine taking out some oil, some cogs, bolts, and a white glowing crystal from it.
"We should be careful, who knows how many of those things are down here." Asgore frowned slightly.
Frisk however frowned. "Sorry Jin, I should have been paying more attention."
"Don't worry about it. It is like the Dwarven to place traps like those in. Just be more careful." Jin stated to her as they continued on.
So they continued forward ahead, and through the machines they find some more ice, bed rolls, and blooded areas around. They continued forward though being careful for more Dwarven machines, and fighting whatever they encounter. Eventually seeing another lit torch they walked down over seeing something.
"What? Who is they, brother? Another of the smoothskins looking for food? But they weren't trapped with us..." the voice of who they heard earlier asked turning over allowing them to see it's a gray haired Khajiit with a belted tunic talking to another Khajiit in a bed roll. Before they can ask him questions, the Khajiit suddenly gained a hostile look. "No... No! You all must've been the ones who took my skooma!" He charged in to attack pulling out an axe.
"Ice Spike!" Ainertick fired an ice spike which through the chest of the Khajiit making him stopped gasping hard collapsing down dropping the axe coughing blood from the strong spell penetrating his airway, and other vitals as he coughed gasping hard guaranteed to die soon from how the blow went.
"Couldn't you have just knocked him out cold?" Asriel frowned seeing that.
"He's pretty too far gone. Skooma withdrawal does make the mind lost." Jin answered walking over. "We seen it happen, and managed to make Ainertick quit the stuff before he becomes like this poor sod..."
Ainertick lowered down with a dagger slitting the Khajiit's throat who gasped gurgling as his throat spilled blood staring up at the face of his killer gasping, and squirming away from this before then going still closing his eyes slowly as Ainertick closed his eyes. "May you find peace beyond your suffering..." He then turned over to the other Khajiit in the bed roll. "What about him?"
"Do it." Jin told him. "Better they're together in death than one alone in life."
Ainertick walked over checking before he shook his head. "Not what I mean Ffamran... but no need now, there both dead. He looks to be dead for a while." Noticing a journal he takes it, and read it aloud for them.
J'zhar's Journal
This one is at his wit's end. I signed J'darr and myself up for this expedition to try to get him clean of the Skooma. I brought a small supply to try bring him down slowly, but the storm has had us trapped in the glacier for weeks.
The others have not yet caught on that one with fur should not shake so much from the cold, but I've run out of the little skooma I brought and J'darr is getting pretty bad. He's started hallucinating creatures coming out of the ice and the ruins, the others are starting to think he may be behind Valie's disappearance, but I know he would never do something like that.
"What if he wasn't hallucinating?" Chara frowned.
"You ever had Skooma?" Jin asked her simply.
"No, but with everything we've already seen... who knows what could be down here." Chara pointed out only to frown. "Plus... killing isn't something you should do lightly."
"Again we're soldiers, we kill for a living. Better to end the threat rather then give it a chance to retaliate." Ainertick stated over before he then gestured them to follow him. "Now come on we better get a move on."
They nodded following Ainertick and Jin. They followed where they find another disabled Dwarven Spider, and after Ainertick looted the corpse Jin spots another journal. "These archeologists love to make journals of themselves..." He takes it checking over the contents.
Umana's Journal
It's been about a week since Valie went missing and now Endrast is gone too. We found blood leading over to the barred off doorway, but Sulla seems to think that they found a way through and that they are trying to cut him out of the discovery.
He keeps saying that we need to press on. We've manage to break through into another section of the ruins, an "Animonculory", where the dwarves would produce their automatons.
We learned the hard way that the metal creatures are still alive in there and it hasn't improved Yag's mood at all. She holds that the Khajiit brothers aren't involved with the disappearances and has been keeping a hard eye on Sulla.
The rations have all but run out and we are going to have to decide soon whether to brave the storm or try to push further into the ruins. I don't know if the echoes of screams I've heard in my sleep are those of our missing comrades, or my own nightmares.
"Ma... maybe we should turn back." Asriel shuddered a bit hearing that.
"We can't find an Elder Scroll anywhere is. We need to press on." Jin stated over simply to them. "Just keep your head, and your senses together, and we can get through this."
"Hopefully..." Frisk frowned.
They continued on where they see oil on the ground where Jin stepped closer which made 2 Dwarven Orbs such as before emerge from both sides of the wall, and folded together into machines.
"Step back!" Jin readied something over as the automatons turned over to fight before he shouted. "YOL TOOR!" The flame blast hit the Dwarven Guardians but also ignited the oil below them damaging them just as he, and Ainertick charged in slashing down with there weaponry as the fire weakened there bodies enough for them to defeat them with one blow.
"Behind you!" Undyne called as a spear struck a Spider that was sneaking up on Ainertick.
Ainertick turned over surprised over as the spider stumbled over from the spear that Ainertick readied, and slashed down disabling the spider. He turned over to Undyne nodding ahead raising his axe. "Thanks mate!"
"Keep your eyes and ears open." she told him.
He nodded as they turned continuing on reaching a room over where they dealt with some spiders that were working they managed to fight past them. Reaching a door that's locked, Ainertick starts picking over listening carefully before opening it, and then he, and Jin starts looting the room he had unlocked before they turned opening a large Dwarven Metal door just fighting spiders, and avoiding some pressure plates around as they be careful on the journey around being careful around the pumps of machinery around the room, and opening another door.
After closing the door Ainertick froze stopping the group. "Wait hang on... I feel something different in this room... there are some things... alive."
Jin focused over before he frowned looking disturbed. "Yeah, I can smell it... a scent of drool, and odor around here."
"I don't like the sound of that." Toriel admitted.
They continued forward ahead first taking care of the Spider, and walked together ahead investigating over. Jin lead Frisk, and Chara down a path forward here finding an opening over something walking before they find at the end was a chest, and a body of a man in ragged clothing.
Chara flinched seeing another body. "How many corpses are there going to be here?"
Jin investigates, and frowned seeing an arrow in his shoulder. "Must've bled out, or gotten poisoned from this arrow." Seeing a journal he takes it reading it over.
Endrast's Journal
The eyeless creatures took us in our sleep. I don't know what happened to the Khajiit brothers, we never saw them in the cell. I managed to pick the lock and we made a break for it, but got split up. Sulla yelled something about not leaving without finding what he came here for and Umana chased after him.
Yag and I tried for the top of the cave shaft, but one of the ramps was broken. Without a hesitation, she grabbed me by the scruff of my tunic, threw me atop the ledge and told me to run.
And I did.
I didn't even look back.
I just ran like a coward.
I could hear her fighting them and I just had to get away. I didn't even notice the arrow in my shoulder till I hid here.
Those metal creatures are still all around me and I'm too terrified to even move.
Eight Divines, please just take me now.
Frisk frowned. "This place is too dangerous."
"Obviously. They been kidnapped, and brought deeper. Now it's only the leader, and who this Umana is." Jin pocket the book, and after looting the chest walked together again. They encountered more Spheres, and fought them hard managing to get pass them ahead. Walking over a corner they spotted a clutch of blue eggs build up along the wall.
"Chaurus Eggs..." Ainertick recognized them taking some, and putting them in his bag. "There Alchemy Ingredients but there dangerous bugs if hatched. They have sharp mandibles, and can spit poison so be careful if you find them. There easy to spot with there black bodies, and a shell they can bend like a worm."
"sounds like they'll really bug us." Sans admitted.
"That a pun?" Ainertick asked automatically before they continued on. They looked around being careful of other things against some Dwarven Spheres, and Spider Workers reaching a ledge where at the bottom they see the body of a Orc Woman down against a ledge blood all around her.
Dropping down Ainertick checks her over, and frowned. "Gone... been dead for a while like the others we find... from what we learn this must be Yag, that Orc that's suppose to keep the laborers in line." He looked around before shaking his head. "No journal this time."
"Well I mean, obviously she can't exactly write something down while she was busy fighting." Jin pointed out remembering what the journal of the other guy said back there. "From how this looks, the Falmer must've torn her apart."
Asriel shuddered fearfully hearing that. Hearing something they looked seeing something walking up. It was a bald humanoid like person with small yellow eyes, and a pushed up nose, and mouth showing fangs with claws, and elf ears alongside being mostly nude with clothes, and bug like armor on it looking like a pale gray in skin growling over.
"Fuckin' Falmer..." Jin cursed quietly over.
"They look dangerous." Chara admitted.
"They are... they make nests here in Dwarven Ruins. They're capable of magic, weaponry, and about anything else you can think of, but they're most dangerous in numbers, and their bug companions, the Chaurus... so if you encounter a Falmer, you better expect a village of about 50 inhabitants within." Ainertick explained as Jin carefully aimed, and shot striking the Falmer at the head killing it instantly as it collapsed.
"They used to be the race known as the Snow Elves but under slavery underground twisted them into what they are now." Jin explained it to them. "They're incapable of reasoning so the only way to stop them is to kill them."
"Slavery underground?" Undyne asked before frowning.
They carefully moved together as Ainertick looted the Falmer corpse, taking the ears before moving on ahead with them. They find more Falmer as they moved down the area finding some stars, and headed down where they also see some Falmer, an Alchemy Station, and shacks around. They also see things spewing fire around which they avoided closely as much as they can finding more Charurus eggs around, and a lever in what looks like a elevator shaft.
In the room, after dealing with the Falmer, they entered a locked room finding lots of items. Ainertick checks a table, and blinked over. "Hey mates? I think we found the missing mage." They headed over finding a dead female Altmer on the table with shackles on her.
"So this is how that mage, Valie went missing. She was kidnapped by the Falmer and the group assumed that J'darr murdered her from his skooma withdrawal state." Jin spoken up as he stared before then turning. "Nothing we can do for her now, let's get what we need in this room, and keep going." He walked outside of the room to wait for them.
Eventually they find a large room down, and after handling the Falmer over they went inside, and see a large door at the bottom, and headed down avoiding the trap there seeing, and opened the door entering in. They find themselves in a large underground area where some Falmer are patrolling with some shacks made out of the same bug hide as the ones there wearing as clothes with a gate closed.
"Gate is locked..." Jin frowned from this seeing this looking around, and saw a lever nearby. "There's a lever... The Falmer are blind so they can't see us, so we can probably avoid a brawl if we open the gate, and run like hell when it opens."
"So one of us needs to pull down the lever, and we cover them if the Falmer detects them." Ainertick is on board as in deeper Blackreach they should save their strength. "So should we draw straws?"
"I'll go." Asgore told them.
"Be careful out there. If they detect you, we're gonna need to fight them head-on." Ainertick told him not to get caught.
"I should be alright." Asgore mentioned moving down ahead of the others.
"Ainertick readied your bow in case they spotted him." Jin told his Breton comrade who nodded as they readied their arrows making sure they were aiming right as Asgore snuck his way to try opening the gate.
Asgore managed to sneak past the Falmer without much trouble... until a strange insect screeched having seen him.
"Huh?" That alarmed Asgore as he turned to see it.
"Goddamn!" Jin shot, striking the insect down. "Move, move!" The Falmer alarmed from the screech, and now the sound of Jin's call readied themselves turning over to battle as Jin, and Ainertick proceeded to fight them. Ainertick turned over to Asgore. "Don't worry about us mate! Get that gate open now!" He blocked a slash from a Falmer slashing, and brought down his axe on the head of the Falmer attacking him.
Asgore frowned but nodded heading for the switch.
"I thought you said they were blind!" Undyne pointed out as she stabbed a chaurus with her spear.
"The Falmer yes, the Chaurus however can see perfectly fine!" Jin yelled back as he blocked some attacks, slashing some Falmer off, and then sliced down a Chaurus cleanly in half. "You usually encounter eggs through camps like these!"
"It's open!" Asgore called as he widened his eyes, throwing a fireball at some poison from a Chaurus that fired it at him creating a massive explosion.
Jin turned, seeing the gate opening as he hollered. "Gate's open, come on!" Everyone moved, avoiding some Falmer attacks or Chaurus' spitting poison, and using their razor mandibles at them before passing through the bar gates.
Ainertick aimed, firing an arrow and hitting the lever. A Falmer that is about to attack him was lifted up from the bars being pierced as it struggled for a few seconds before limping down letting go of its sword as the other Falmer, and Charurus tried attacking through the gate but unable to break it to get to them.
"That was way too close for comfort." Jin wiped his nose from the close call. "Seems like the stories, and rumors about those things are true after all from how vile, and vicious they can be."
Frisk looked down and was shivering a bit. Seeing this Asriel, and Chara hugged her.
"What... would this have happened to you all if the barrier never broke?" Frisk asked sadly.
"Your monsters are free people. The Falmer were enslaved." Ainertick stated over to her the difference, and how the Falmer became twisted.
"We were sealed against our will." Asgore told him. "Still, we're free now thanks to Frisk."
They walked up the stairs as Ainertick checked over before he widen his eyes stopping them all. "Oh shit! Wait wait wait!"
"HUH, WHAT IS IT!?" Papyrus asked him.
Ainertick pointed as they looked over seeing a large statue robot made of Dwarvern metal was there waiting to be activated.
"Of course, of fucking course, we'd encounter one of those things." Jin sighed like he expected this but had hoped they wouldn't find one of them.
"What is that?" Toriel asked nervously seeing it.
"That my lady is a Dwarvern Centurion, one of the most deadliest if not the most deadliest of the automatons the Dwarves created." Ainertick explained over to him seriously. "They can use steam to cook you alive, slam down with the force of a large warhammer, and other dangerous attributes. Just fighting one of them head-on by yourself is suicide."
"Luckily for us we have numbers, and even that's a handful, they can take a lot of damage." Jin added over to them. "Although given from the locked door up there it must have the key to unlock it."
Chara frowned before pausing. "Huh, look up there, is that a crossbow?"
The looked to see a staircase leading up to a massive crossbow that was already loaded.
"Can we perhaps destroy it with that thing?" Ainertick suggested a way to damage it allowing them to defeat it.
"Probably not but it might give us a chance." Jin said before then saying to them. "Okay Chara, Frisk, Asriel, you three will see if you can fire that thing. Me, Undyne, Ainertick, and Papyrus shall lure it over." He then turned to the rest, "The rest of you will go with them to be out of harms way."
They all nodded heading to their positions.
"Okay... go!" Jin fired an arrow striking the Centurion catching it's attention as it turned stomping over. During this they try to damage it, and keep it's attention on them by shooting arrows, spears, or bones at the Centurion before it sprayed steam which they dodged to avoid over as it stomped over to them being lead by the four to the crossbow's direction. "Okay more... more!" They eventually moved the Centurion to where the crossbow is directed over. "Now!" He turned to the Dreemurr's to fire the crossbow now.
Frisk pulled a lever as the bolt hit the Centurian badly damaging it. The Centurion stumbled down at a exposed joint, and after taking a spear by Undyne, Ainertick jumped letting out a battle cry, and stabbed down at the exposed spot as it moved around a few times stumbling over before then collapsing down defeated.
"Ah... we bloody gone, and done it." Ainertick grinned taking some loot from the Centurion, and including a key. He then grinned to the Dreemurr Children. "Bloody nice shot that was!"
"Oh... thanks." Frisk blushed a bit.
After getting the key they walked up, and Jin uses the key unlocking the door entering inside where they see a dwarven door, and a blue artifact box in front of them.
"Sulla, let's just get out of here." they looked ahead where in front of door two people walked in front of it one is a Redguard woman that is talking with a glare having Steel Plated Armor, and having a wooden shield with spikes on it. "Hasn't there been enough death?"
"Oh, of course. You're just waiting for me to turn my back so you can have all the glory for yourself!" the other person a Imperial man having Imperial Armor on, and blonde hair spoken paranoid, and arrogantly over before drawing his sword over as the Redguard, Umana drew her sword to fight her former comrade.
Seeing that Jin signaled for them to be quiet.
The two started fighting over where Sulla tries slashing down that Umana parried with her sword moving to stab over that Sulla moved to dodge, and slash down that Umana moved, and shield bashed on Sulla that damaged him a bit from the spikes on her shield but he isn't one to go down kicking Umana away before then proceeding to slash down on her that she blocked with her shield before she manages to punch him away, and gets back up to attack jumping as Sulla turned attacking as they thrusted over staring at each other both stabbing each other fatally. Umana stepped back collapsing down alongside Sulla who collapsed himself coughing. "So... that's it then... my name won't be in the history books..."
"Your... a maniac Sulla..."
"Hehehehe... wouldn't you know?" Sulla chuckled over arrogant before he passed on.
He wasn't alone as Umana glared over before she turned limp killed from the mutual stab at each other.
Frisk frowned seeing the two bodies. "Why does everything end with death?"
"That is what is wrong with Skyrim these days, everyone is obsessed with death." Ainertick frowned walking, and looting the corpses taking the shield tossing it over to Undyne who takes it. "Here, your probably better suited to using that shield. She won't need it anymore."
Undyne frowned but nodded taking it. "This... you humans are worse than I thought."
"Not all are trained to be killers. Skyrim is just the area where battling is more commonplace among Nords." Ainertick stated over before walking seeing a lever. "Okay I think I see an easy entrance to Blackreach. Give me a second here." He pulled the lever as it raised up. After about a minute it lowered back down as he nodded ahead. "This exit's unlocked when we're done here."
"Very well." Jin turned his attention to the box looking around. "Frisk your a better puzzle solver, can you find anything we can use on this?" Frisk walked checking over before she spotted what looked like a slot.
Taking the orb she carefully placed it into the slot.
At that the mechanics in the box started shifting before the stone around began to lower down. When it's done Ainertick checked seeing a door as he grinned over. "And there's our entrance into Blackreach!"
"Hopefully there aren't any more surprises down there." Asgore frowned.
"Unlikely." Jin admitted as they walked entering the door over. When they walked inside there eyes widen from what there seeing.
"This... what is this?" Frisk asked in awe of the huge cave they walked into.
"It's... beautiful."
Like Chara said it's beautiful. Lots of glowing mushrooms with waterfalls around, ruins, glowing stones, and lots other stuff where compared to the surface, and Mt. Ebott, Blackreach looks to be one of the most unique places they all ever been in as they looked around seeing the place in it's beautiful glory.
"Whoa... quite a pretty place huh?" Ainertick smirked as he eyes the area too.
"Yes very." Jin admitted as barely anything can take him off-guard but seeing something like this does catch him a bit.
"When you're not trapped underground, you can really appreciate the wonders that can be found down here." Asgore admitted.
They are unaware as they admire Blackreach something is approaching from the stairs growling over smelling them over. Then it screeched charging in towards Asriel until something hit it. The startled group turned over seeing a Falmer almost slashed down on Asriel but an arrow was sticking out of it's throat before it collapsed down dead.
"How did that thing sneak up on us? It was acting like it could see!" Chara cried in shock.
"Here in Blackreach, they can detect by smell. Eyesight is a bust for them, they can sneak up by tracking the scent, or sound there prey makes." someone spoken as they see someone walking up covered in shadows.
"Who's there?" Undyne questioned as she summoned a half dozen floating spears.
Who walked in was a Dark Elf man having a shaven face with dark blue hair, and yellow eyes wearing worn out clothing or armor with a bow, and a quiver of arrows.
Both Ainertick, and Jin recognized him which widen there eyes, and Ainertick hollered out with a big grin. "Haha! Fedlas Ferntella! Is that really you!?"
"Hmm?" the dark Elf turned over seeing the Argonian, and Breton which he narrowed his eyes. "Well well Ffamrfan, Ainertick, this is a surprise."
"You know him?" Undyne questioned suspiciously.
"Hell yeah! This is our Dark Elf comrade from the Empire!" Ainertick answered with a big grin over.
"Indeed." Jin confirmed as he watches Fedlas picking the dead Falmer up on his shoulder. "Fedlas, how did you get down here?"
"I made myself a key."
"You... MADE a key that only the Dwarves can?" Jin questioned over with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah." Fedlas revealed an orb like the one they have. "Took me a good two months to get it working."
"Of course... I thought I understand him by this point." Jin sighed face-palming before then telling the group. "Don't worry Fedlas is a good guy, we can vouch for him."
"well, if you say so." Sans shrugged before frowning. "how long have you been down here?"
"10 years."
"Wha-10 fucking years mate!?" Ainertick asked shocked hearing that. "Why have you been down here for that long!?"
"Out of fucks to give so I decided to just leave it all." Fedlas stated over as he walked before then turned over. "We can talk more as we make our to way my home, Falmer would come around any moment if this scout hasn't reported in. And I'm on a bit of time crunch."
"We're actually here looking for something, an Elder Scroll." Jin told him.
"The Elder Scrolls, the Dwarves placed here huh?" Fedlas asked as they walked down where they see a cart holding corpses of Falmer, and Chaurus that he places the most recent one in, and used a rope to secure them in place. "Yeah, I know where it's at." He wakes taking the handles of the cart, and proceeds to pull it over. "I haven't had access to it yet as I lacked the Lexicon to try taking it out of it's containment."
"Lexicon, you mean this?" Jin asked showing Septimus's cube.
Fedlas looked over as he nodded. "Yes indeed that's the one. I'm not interested in it however, I was mostly there to see what I can find here." They arrived at a small building over before he turned over. "Ffamran, Ainertick helped me take the bodies down to the cellar. Best as well do it as I have helping hands in a long time."
"Sure." Ainertick nodded as he undid the rope which he, and Jin proceeded to take the bodies of the dead Falmer, and Chaurus in the house. Fedlas opened a door below which they felt a chill that the three take the bodies down there before they emerge a short time with Ainertick, and Jin carrying two frozen bodies of a Falmer, and Chaurus while Fedlas locked the door.
"Excuse the mess. I never got company down here." Fedlas turned proceeding to do some alchemy as everyone settle in, at the house. "So why exactly are you here for an Elder Scroll?"
"To slay a dragon." Jin answered.
"Slay a dragon? You do realize that dragons are a myth right? Sure they exist long ago, but there never been seen here-" Fedlas started over towards to tell them the dragons are long dead.
"That's what we thought too Fedlas. But dragons are coming back to life by other dragons. By the World Eater, Alduin." Ainertick explained over to him about what's been happening. "And now Ffamran needs an Elder Scroll down here to stop Alduin as he's Dragonborn."
Fedlas finished his alchemy as he turned over to them hearing that. "Dragonborn? Well I guess it explains the activity going down here lately." He then stated over. "But before you head out, you should get some rest, and some food. I can guess all your doing is fighting since you came down here to reach Blackreach, and haven't had a decent meal right?" At that Frisk, Asriel, and Chara's stomachs grumbled over
"Well... I guess you have a good point." Frisk admitted only for Asriel to blink.
"What's that orange orb hanging from the ceiling back there?" he asked recalling he seen a orange orb like the sun nearby.
"That's an area we will concern ourselves over at some point, not right now." Fedlas stated over. "For now rest, and get yourselves relaxing while it's being made." He takes the Chaurus corpse, and proceeds to cut off it's limbs, and mandibles.
Chara's eyes widened in disgust. "I'd rather eat snails."
"Oh yeah, almost forgotten about this that Fedlas does. Eats monsters."
"To properly cook Chaurus, you have to cut off the limbs, and mandibles." Fedlas proceeds explaining what he's doing among Ainertick talking. "Mandibles are hazardous, and are pure chithin. The legs are no different mostly shell rather then meat. Then slice the body up..." He starts to slice the Chaurus body into slices over. "Then remove the digestive track as it's bitter, and give an awful texture." He removes a small tube from it. He grabs his newly made potion pouring it in a pot with the slices, "Next you boil the slices either thawed or frozen in a big pot with a Cure Poison Potion mixed in to lend a acidic bite, and neutralize any poison in the body."
"Oh, I often heard how people often said Chaurus are bitter when they try cooking with it." Ainertick admitted from reading some books over this.
"That's because there idiots who can't find the cause as the poison they spit out is often bitter." Fedlas explained over as he takes a sack from a corner readying. "Then you slice some carrots, potatoes, or whatever veg you have, and place it in." After chopping some vegetables he turned his attention to the Falmer. "Then as for the Falmer remove the head, the hands, and feet." He chopped them all off with a large cleaver knife. "There great for stock making so best not get rid of them, just freeze them when your ready for Falmer Stock." He places them in a bag, and placed them in the cellar before proceeding to cut off the Falmer's limbs, and get rid of it's... anatomy, throwing that in the trash bin. "Then you simply remove the limbs like chicken get rid of any unsavory organs, and just bake, fry, or char them."
He gets down the Falmer's body removing anything bad seasoning it, and proceeds to fry them in some Dwarven Oil with some Nightshade, Salt, and a grated apple. The scent almost make them forget it's a dangerous monster they been fighting.
"That's... ok then." Frisk admitted seeing him cook the Chaurus.
Grabbing some Chaurus eggs he crushed them making them with vegetable bits, some sliced parts of the Falmer, and sliced some Mammoth Cheeses mixing in it for some good long minutes while also placing some odd ingredients before them checking over the taste before finishing up. "It's ready."
They see he had fixed up a large Chaurus Hot Pot where the shell changed color from the boiling to a deep red, fried Falmer pieces with a omelette of Charurus eggs, and mixed with Falmer meat with some bread.
"I... think I'll pass." Chara admitted seeing it.
"Yeah, me too." Asriel agreed.
"Ah don't worry. Appearance wise not so great but Fedlas knows what he's doing." Ainertick grinned over as he, and Jin accepted servings Fedlas handed them. "He always have this obsession with eating monsters like this basically anything that moves like these, we can eat."
"Not obsession. I'd call it more like fascination." Fedlas told with an annoyed look as he said it lots of times.
"I'll... give it a try." Frisk admitted as Fedlas hands her a serving.
"The Chaurus meat shrink a bit during the cooking so you can just pull it away from the shell." Frisk digs her fork in the Chaurus staring as it came off like he said. Taking a breath she takes the bite in her mouth eating it.
"Frisk?" Chara asked seeing that.
Frisk chewed over before she widen her eyes looking stunned before she proceeds to wolf down her bowl that shocked her siblings.
"Huh!? What'd I tell ya!?" Ainertick grinned seeing this while Jin is eating calmly. "I get it's odd looking but taste wise, mastery!"
"I'm still going to pass." Chara told them as Asriel nodded in agreement.
There stomach grumbled over as Ainertick shrugged with a grin. "Suit yourself, your just gonna starve!"
"Come on you two! This is delicious!" Frisk told them with a smile over. "This is nothing like anything we ever had before, you've got to try this!"
"I am not eating monsters!" Chara snapped as she knocked the bowl from Frisk's hands with a glare.
"Hey whoa!" Ainertick quickly grabbed the bowl from Frisk's hand before Chara can knock it down. "Mind watching the hostilities?"
"Just tell us where the scroll is so we can go." she told him hatefully.
"Don't be a moron Chara." Jin stated over to her sternly. "Your starving, and probably your chance to get a meal which your just gonna ignore where hunger pangs will stop you from continuing with your best effort? These monsters are not the same as the ones from Mt. Ebott, they have no sentience, and cannot be reasoned with where we kill them to stop them. The monsters you know however can speak, act, and think like people which is where they are different."
"Would you eat an Argonian?" She questioned.
"We Argonians are sentient, can think, act, and do things like humans. Of course I wouldn't." Jin stated over to her. "In my line of work, we eat, and take what we can as rations we are provided often get lost, or eaten up too fast. So Fedlas circumvent that by thinking of us eating monsters like these."
"Yeah, we probably would've starved hundreds of times had he hadn't done that." Ainertick agreed with a chuckle over. "So maybe you just lighten up a bit, and try it out? These aren't like the ones from Mt. Ebott."
"I said no." she glared drawing her dagger. "So drop it!"
"It's... more complicated for Chara and Asriel." Frisk told them.
"Chara..." Toriel placed a hand on Chara's shoulder as she looked at her looking understanding before she looked at Chara, and Asriel. "Both of you come outside with me for a sec."
"Don't stay out too long. Falmer, or whatever else would pop up." Fedlas warned the three.
The three of them walked out of the house. When there outside Toriel turned over to them. Asriel flinched under Toriel's look as Chara frowned looking down. Toriel sighed over. "Asriel, Chara, I'd understand what your feeling now, I truly do... but there is something I need to tell you two."
The two of them nodded listening to Toriel.
"There are times where such as things like this happened." Toriel explained over to them. "Similarly, humans eat meat like chicken or cows. In the Underground, it's no different. We also eat meat down in Mt. Ebott, and at times something like that does happen. If you remember Miss Muffet, she places spiders in her spider donut products."
"It's not the same thing at all!" Chara argued before clenching her fists. "You know what happened to us! You know that's something we will never do!"
"Chara... I'm telling you it's okay." Toriel said to her that made her daughter pause.
She frowned and looked away. "I'm not doing it... I'm fine."
Asriel softly takes Chara's hand. "Chara...?"
"Azzy... no." Chara frowned. "Just... let's just get the scroll and leave this place."
Ulrich362: Chara has a very good reason to not want to eat Monsters, but hopefully they can get the scroll without too much trouble and then with it they can hopefully stop Alduin?
bopdog111: We can reach the aftermath of that, and some of Fedlas' hobbies down next time. Then we can reach the Elder Scroll. First thoughts on Fedlas though?
Ulrich362: He's definitely interesting... hopefully he hasn't gone nuts living by himself for ten years... we saw what happened to Septimus.
bopdog111: Given by what we seen so far, probably still having his head on right.
Ulrich362: Apparently so, well we'll have to wait and see. See you in the next chapter. Oh, and for the record this Elder Scroll might have more than one use.
bopdog111: Be sure to review!