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Skyrim: Arga's Story

Chapter 11: Beneath the Mound

Sponsored by Draxinusom

By Draconicon

The bones of the dragon were gathered up in the morning, harvested by the students and put into a pile. All but one of them were secured for transport back, and the last of them was held in Arga's possession. He didn't tell anyone about it, as it was only a piece of a tooth that he'd pulled for himself rather than a large part of the skeleton, and he'd attached it to a large piece of wood to use as a small dagger.

It was something, at least, and he was pretty sure that J'zargo would want it when they got back. Much as he teased the Khajiit, he wasn't about to forget about his friend.

The robed Argonian stood at the lip of the former mound. During the fight, it had been hollowed out, and this morning, Tolfdir had asked for volunteers to explore it. He and Brelyna had been the first to agree, while the others had been more willing to stay aboveground with Faralda and keep an eye out for any returning dragons or bandits. After all, the fight that night had been rather loud and extremely difficult to hide, and it was better to keep an eye out. Even Tolfdir agreed to that, despite his eagerness to get underground and see what was hidden.

As the other mages started setting up watches and agreeing to different patrol patterns, Arga was pulling different pieces of equipment from the packs that were gathered around him. Rope, daggers, lockpicks, anything that might work to get through blocked doors or around scattered bits of ruins. He'd been through enough of them to know how it worked, and knew that if there were passages beneath the mound, there were likely traps and other things like in the barrows scattered about Skyrim.

As he was tying off a bit of rope to his pack, he saw the sandals of a familiar Dunmer. He looked up, blushing slightly as he saw Brelyna.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to see if you had everything."

"I have just about everything, yes. I might like a couple of soul gems, just in case, but, can't have everything."

"They might have some of those down there. From my research, there were often souls damned to rest in the tombs of heroes."

"That wouldn't surprise me in the slightest."

He blushed again as he looked away, his mind already back to the tent and what the two of them had done last night. Arga was still rather amazed that Brelyna had had so much...capacity to her insides, considering what she had been doing with his cock. The blush burned hotter, particularly as he felt his groin stirring at the memories. Better times for that would be found, he knew, but he hurriedly pulled the rope tight around his pack, and stood up.

"What about you? Do you have everything?"

"Yes. Already packed everything I needed, as well as a few magicka potions."

"Do you have one to spare?"

She nodded, handing the blue vial over. He tucked it into his pocket, and turned.

Tolfdir was waiting for them in the scattered dust of the old mound, and they descended the stairs that had been buried for years. The ground beneath was cold, but stone rather than earth, and he wasn't entirely surprised to find that Tolfdir had already found the door that led further into the underground. The old Nord had a nose for that sort of thing, it seemed, and always had a way of ferreting out secrets.

They followed him down, looking at one another as the old teacher started muttering on about the strange appearance of dragons, what it might mean, how this would change everything once they got back to the College. Arga was thinking of something else.

That other dragon, the big one. He knew what I was doing. Was he the one that Teryx had been worried about? Having stolen his body and all...

He remembered the other dragon, wondering how he was doing. As annoying as the other feral dragon had been, he knew that it had been good luck meeting him. His potential as a Shouter had been unlocked far easier, he imagined, than it would have been if he had been on his own. He wondered what would happen in the future, and if he would ever see that dragon again.

For that matter, he wondered if he would ever see the big one again. The answer to both, fortunately and unfortunately, was probably yes.

They followed Tolfdir out of the light and into an underground cavern. Arga paused, looking out into the wide-open space, and shook his head.

"It feels like one of the barrows in here."

"I agree, young man," Tolfdir said. "Which means there are likely to be draugrs, or other traps. Everyone, maintain fire."

They nodded, and soon, each mage had a bit of fire burning in the palms of their hands. Arga wiggled his fingers, shaking his head as he flicked his eyes from one cranny along the wall to another. There were so many places for the undead to hide, and he knew better than to think that it would be easy to deal with them all. He still remembered running through Bleak Falls Barrow, and the sheer flood of undead that had followed then.

Let's not have that happen here, please. Anything but that.

They walked across the chamber, making their way to the one door that gleamed in the firelight of their magic. Tolfdir leaned against it, tapping it a few times, before pulling on the knob. It was locked, of course, and he sighed.

"Well, that figures. It doesn't ever get any easier."

"Want me to see if I can unlock it?"

"Let's look around, first. The ancient Nords often locked doors for a reason, and if it's locked on both sides, it might be because of something on the other side."

Brelyna nodded, and snapped her fingers. A bulb of light flowed out from her hand, floating over the three of them. With the additional light, they were able to see a crack in the wall that they hadn't seen before.

They also saw pale skin, blind eyes, and heard the hissing of muttered words. Arga's eyes widened, and he pulled Brelyna back from the crack just before a pale, warty hand reached out for her.

"Falmer."

Two firebolts - one from him, one from her - shot out and torched the creature, knocking hit back onto its ass. There was a stirring from further back, and they all went silent. Tolfdir looked like he wanted to comment on the situation ever so badly, but even he seemed to recognize that it wasn't the time for that sort of behavior.

Arga watched as another Falmer walked towards them, staring out through the crack in the wall and tilting its head this way and that. The blind eyes picked up nothing, but the ears...he remembered Darkwater Crossing, and the depths near it, and he shivered as he waited for the ears to pick up their thudding heartbeats.

But it never did. The Falmer turned, the loinclothed savage leaving them behind, and they slowly let out the breaths that they were holding.

"Well, that settles it. There's something here that's well-worth seeing."

Tolfdir's statement led to both Arga and Brelyna groaning.

"Now, now, young ones, you have to admit that it's a possibility. The Falmer do not gather without reason. Either there is shelter further down that is better than in other parts of Skyrim, or, more likely, they have found something that is emanating power that they are attracted to. And let's be honest, none of us want to see Falmer casting more magic than they already have."

Arga shuddered. That would be a nightmare. He didn't know much about them, but he had heard that the Falmer occupied many of the underground cavern systems beneath Skyrim. Their numbers had to be immense, so if they were ever able to bring together their people, and worse, get themselves healed of their blindness...

The idea was too horrible to contemplate.

"I guess this means we're rooting them out."

"Yes, yes, it does. Brelyna, if you would -"

"I am not going back to the surface now. If anything, I think you should do that, Tolfdir."

The Dunmer's statement had the old man blinking, and Arga wasn't far behind. The idea of them doing the job of getting the other teacher or the other apprentices was a bit demeaning, he supposed, but telling the other teacher to do it was a little strange. He looked down at her, and then blinked as he saw the usual flicker of interest in her eyes.

Oh, no. He suppressed a groan, but just barely. He knew exactly what that look meant, and he knew that this wasn't going to go well for either of them. It was going to happen, though, because...

Well, he wasn't exactly going to turn her down when it came to going on a small adventure.

All of that passed through his head in the space of a few seconds, and Tolfdir nodded.

"No, no, you are right. If I'm going to get Faralda's help, I will have to ask her myself. The stubborn woman doesn't seem to know the meaning of the words 'academic advancement.' Wait right here, and I'll be right back."

"Of course, sir."

The dark elf bowed, her robes bending with her, and Arga did the same. The minute that Tolfdir was out of the chamber, heading further up towards the surface, the Argonian rounded on her.

"Are you crazy?!"

"You believe that I am?"

"I think that we're taking a stupid chance because you're curious about the Falmer. Why?"

"Well, they were elves, once. The effects of this fall upon them is something that any elf would be curious about."

"And you want to know what they might have found."

"And I want to know what they might have found."

Arga grumbled under his breath, rubbing his forehead a few times. The idea of going after them now was not something that he looked forward to. The trek through the caverns going after Derkeethus all those days back was something that he remembered with fear, and sometimes had nightmares of, due to the dark and wet that had surrounded them at all times. There'd been no escape from it, not even in the warmth of the other Argonian's arms.

But now...

Both Tolfdir and Brelyna had a point. The idea of the Falmer having something that would extend their magic, or even just attracted them here, was something that they needed to deal with. If it was down there, if something was getting their attention, they could at least see what it was so that the other mages would have a clear idea of what they were getting into. Better to get it done fast, though.

"I don't suppose you have an invisibility spell?"

#

They slipped through the caverns with ease upon the invisibility spell that Brelyna had conjured for the pair of them, though not without a few close calls. More than once, the pair of them had pulled back against the far side of the wall, waiting for a Falmer to pass by, and then hurried on just as the former elf was about to whip around and see them. The danger was always around, and Arga swore that his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

The invisibility spell wasn't so much for the Falmer, considering they were blind. It was more for the other things that were in the tunnel, from the few goblins that were intruding on the tunnels to the bugs and other things that the Falmer kept as pets. More than once, Arga spotted the glistening chitin shell of the insects, and he pulled them as far away as possible. Even with invisibility, he wasn't risking being found out by them.

They made their way deeper and deeper, through tunnels that were dug roughly and quickly, until they spilled out into something much bigger. Arga's eyes went wide as he looked down, and hissed under his breath as he saw what was waiting.

It was a vast underground ruin, made of blue-white stone that extended as far as the eye could see. A great wooden door divided the chamber from somewhere else on the right, and to the left was a sheer drop-off. Just before the drop-off, however, was a Falmer encampment, surrounded by dwarven metal and debris.

Looks like they were dealing with a number of different automatons before they got settled.

He looked back at the door, narrowing his eyes. Inscribed around the door were more of those dragon words, marked in their runic language. He didn't know what it meant, but Brelyna might. He tapped her on the shoulder.

"Do you know what that means?"

"It's...hard to make out, but there are some familiar words. Here...lies a priest..." She shook her head. "No, no, there's another word. Dragon priest."

"A dragon priest?"

"I don't know what they are, either. But...might be worth checking out."

"Alright...but quietly. We don't want them to notice."

They made their way down a set of stairs to their left, taking as long as they needed to make sure that it was as quiet as they could make it. Without drawing the attention of the Falmer, they made their way to the door, and then slowly opened it.

As soon as they did, a rush of cold air came shooting out, chilling him to the bone. Blue light filled the air, and he felt the rush of magicka. But worst was the sight of the figure on the other side.

He was surrounded by bones, skeletal remains of man and mer around him, and he wore a metal mask upon his face. In his hand was a staff of power, such strength that Arga could feel from the doorway dozens of feet away. And as it was raised, he saw fire gathering around it.

He shut the door again, and Brelyna pulled him away from it.

WHOOOOSH!

Sudden heat bloomed where they'd been standing, and the door fell with fire burning all about it. It consumed itself and the air around it, crackling and burning with all the heat of the magic that had been summoned.

The screams of the Falmer filled their ears, and Arga followed Brelyna behind some of the stalagmites near them. They hid behind the rock, and stared through the gaps as an army of Falmer, over two hundred strong, charged forward.

One has to kill the other. Please, just let one kill the other.

The masked man emerged from the other room, floating over the flames as if he need never walk. The staff in his hand burned with the same fire that consumed the door around him, and he glanced about as if the world had come into existence for his pleasure and his alone. As the Falmer charged him, he almost seemed to look down his nose.

He's going to win.

Arga knew it before it happened, and watched as the staff swept forward. The fire on the tip burned through everything that lay before him, consuming the Falmer in one brief instant. The heat of the fire was so much that he saw the blue-white stone beneath the foul former elves melting apart, and he knew that they could have been caught in that a moment ago if they had been an instant slower.

He looked to his side, staring at Brelyna as the invisibility spell wore of, and knew that they were thinking the same thing. One of them had to get away, and let the mages above know not to come down.

And that's going to be me, he knew. I'm the one that has something different than magic. And she's the one that might know what the hell it is.

Arga nodded at her, and she nodded back. She squeezed his leg, then a bit higher, mouthing 'Get back alive' before starting to move.

In the ruins of the Falmer army, the dragon priest turned his head. He raised his staff towards the fleeing Dunmer, and Arga shouted.

"Fus!"

The shockwave broke the stones before him, and carried the rocks forward. They pelted the dragon priest in the face and along his sides, almost knocking him off of his feet. As Brelyna fled, Arga leaped forward, pulling out the dagger he'd made for himself and swinging it forward. He scored a gash along the priest's shoulder, blocked the staff coming up to face him, and was left face to face with the stranger.

The mask was gold, reflective, and it burned with power. He could feel the magic coming off of it as he leaned close, shaking his head.

"You...What are you?"

There was no answer. Only magic.

"Fus Ro Dah!"

A more powerful version of the Shout that he'd used slammed into him, sending the Argonian flying backwards over the mess of burning Falmer bodies. He slammed into one, bounced, and rolled over another, fire catching at the edges of his robe. Arga rolled to his feet, yanking it off and throwing it to the side. He tossed his dagger from hand to hand, shaking his head.

Not good. He can do that, too...which means he's going to kill me if I stick around. Unless...

He felt the energy in him coming back from the first Shout. He had one go before the dragon priest would be on him again. He had one chance.

Arga ran forward, dodging to the side to avoid a wave of fire, and ducked under a bolt of lightning. As he got close, he whipped his hand back, threw the dagger -

"Fus!"

And shouted again. The already-spinning dragon tooth dagger flew faster, projected by his voice. The dagger spun around, impaled itself in the priest's shoulder, and -

"Iiz Slen Nus!"

The Shout hit him with all the force of a blizzard behind it, and Arga toppled backwards as he was encased with the frozen fury of the words. He couldn't move. He couldn't break free. The ice formed around him in blocks, leaving only his head even slightly in the clear.

Floating over to him, the priest looked down and shook his head. There was blood coming from the priest's shoulder, but the wound closed quickly with the application of a healing spell. Soon, there was nothing left of any sign of wounding.

A gesture of the staff lifted him from the ground, and Arga realized that he wasn't going to die. Not yet, at least. The masked man floated him through the ruins, and back to the other chamber. He struggled, trying to break free, but the ice had him firmly in its frozen grip. He was trapped.

At least Brelyna escaped. Everyone up there will know what's going on...

Didn't save him, though. And with the ease that this thing dealt with two hundred Falmer, he didn't want to think about how many people would die if the rest of the College came down here. He wanted to live...but he didn't think he would.

The doors closed behind them, and he was left in unfamiliar territory. All he could do was stare at the ceiling as he was floated along, which was so far up above them that the darkness hid it from sight. He heard something like a river passing by, something underground, perhaps. Arga didn't know where it was, though, so the information was nearly useless.

Eventually, the priest set him down on a table, and the ice melted. New bands of ice, conjured by hand, held him down, leaving the naked Argonian completely helpless.

As he got used to the feeling of the stone table under him, the priest set its staff down beside him, and then leaned forward. The mask continued to burn with magic, almost with a magical fire that oozed out with heat that made him feel like he was leaning towards the sun. The priest's voice, raspy and hissing, echoed from the depths of the mask to his ears.

"What are you, mortal, to speak the tongue of my masters?"

"I'm an Argonian. Arga, if you need a name."

"A lizard...Do you carry the blood of dragons, lizard?"

"Considering how little I know of my parentage, it is possible."

"Sssss...dragon blood, or dragon soul?"

He flashed back to the other dragon, remembering their conversations. The other dragon had told him that he had a dragon's blood, but not its soul. Was that what the priest was talking about? Could that save him?

"I...was told that I have dragon's blood."

"Then you..."

"..."

"We shall speak, you and I...And see what will come of it."

The dragon priest gestured, and the ice bands disappeared. Arga sat up, and was presented with the dagger that he'd managed to stab through the priest's shoulder. The tip was stained dark with blood, but the priest seemed none the worse for it. The masked figure shook it gently.

"How did you kill one of my masters?"

...How the hell do I answer that without getting my face cut off?

The End