The Seekers - Part 7: Restored

• Posted by Ponty April 15, 2013 - 1,016 views

  A couple hours of flying later, Serana dropped Rykon and Ariem by a cave mouth just to the east of a river in the northern part of the Reach. The pair stretched a little, their muscles numb from hanging in Serana's grip. Rykon was a bit nauseous but Ariemw as okay. The vampire reverted to her Nord form.
  "Well, my friends, here we are. Darkfall Cave."
  "Doesn't look like much," Rykon said. "What should we expect inside?"
  "Shouldn't be anything you need to kill. But you will need this."
  Serana placed the ornate pitcher between them.
  "Marcellus prefers not to be disturbed. I could fly you up, but I'm not willing to intrude on Auriel's good graces."
  Rykon looked confused. "The Snow Elves' god of Light - we know him as Akatosh," Ariem whispered to him.
  "So what exactly to we need to do to reach him?" Ariem asked, still seeming a little bewildered at what they'd been told.
  "You don't have much to worry about. It's completely linear. When you reach the first shrine, take the portal up to the Inner Sanctum!"
  With that she transformed again. "I have experiments I must get back to! Good luck!"
  "Wait!"

  Serana flew swiftly back towards Castle Volkihar. Ariem and Rykon stood in front of the cave mouth, both staring at the pitcher.
  "Ladies first," Rykon said, motioning towards the pitcher.
  Ariem looked at it hesitantly. "No, please, after you!"
  "It's a little closer to you," Rykon said, eyeing off the pitcher. "I think Serana meant for you to take it."
  Ariem picked up the pitcher. "And I was told you northerners were tough and brave," she said, shooting a playful glance at Rykon as she entered the cave.
  Rykon drew his bow, placed an arrow on the string and followed her in. Ariem cast a spell, shedding bright light over their otherwise dark and damp surroundings.
  "Any idea what's in here?"
  "Difficult to tell from back here. But from my past experiences it could be bandits, trolls, spiders, draugr, necromancers, warlocks, Falmer, or, if we're lucky, some Dwemer automatons and those cursed helicopter traps."
  Ariem looked puzzled. "A helicopter being?"
  Rykon seemed just as perplexed. "Buggered if I know. That's just what I heard them called."
  After a couple of minutes going through the winding tunnel they came to an old rope bridge over a pool below.
  "There's nothing on the other side!" Ariem said, more than a little confused.
  "Just a moment." Rykon said. He reached into his bag and pulled out a large piece of paper, laying it on the ground. When Ariem looked over she was surprised to find a partially completed drawing of Darkfall Cave - everywhere they had been seemed to be drawn in.
  "What - where did you get this?" she asked, shocked.
  "Turned up just before I met you, actually. Got it in my Protagonist's Starter Pack - I thought you'd have one too?"
  Ariem rolled her eyes. "Next thing you'll tell me is that you recently escaped from captivity!"

  The map directed the into the pool below them, and they followed the tunnels deeper. It seemed like nothing had been through there for years. Eventually they rounded a bend to find a small stone structure before them.
  "This must be the shrine Serana spoke of!" Ariem said, rushing toward it with the pitcher. All it appeared to be was a small dome with a sun symbol on top.
  Rykon glanced around the area, noting the dark alcoves all around. "Careful! It could be a trap!" he shouted, running after her.
  Ariem was examining the dome for some kind of mechanism, trying to hold the pitcher up to it. "How exactly does this thing work? I thought Serana said it was linear!" Rykon was still shifting his gaze around the cave walls around them. "Are you listening to me?"
  "We're not alone."
  Rykon drew his blade. Out of the darkness to their right spoke a croaking but distinctly elven voice. "Sorry! Missed my cue!"
  A slouched, white-skinned figure in a white and red hooded robe emerged, clearing his throat. "Welcome to the Chantry of Auri-El."
  "Uh... we're supposed to be meeting someone here," said Rykon. Ariem nudged him in the ribs.
  "We're looking for the Challenger. It's a matter of utmost importance."
  "The Challenger? I know not one by this name," the elf replied in his harsh voice.
  "We're told he's in an Inner Sanctum? Could you show us how to get there?"
  "To reach the inner sanctum, you must first complete the rite of Touching the Sky." he scurried back into his alcove, and returned with another ornate pitcher, similar to the one Ariem had.
  "The Chantry is dotted with a number of wayshrines; fill this holy ewer with water from each, and then you shall - "
  He was cut off by Rykon. "Sorry, we've already got one," he said, holding up the pitcher.
  "Oh, in that case go right in!"
  The elf cast a spell, causing the sun symbol on the dome to glow. In fact it was more than a dome; out of the floor emerged a 3 meter tall hexagonal structure.
  "Well, go on then!"
  Rykon took a cautious step inside with the pitcher. A series of portals opened around him. "Where can I get one of these..." he mused.
  "Before we go," Ariem asked, "are you a - "
  "Snow Elf?" the elf replied, removing his hood. Rykon turned around. "Well that's new."
  The elf looked not unlike one of the twisted Falmer, though he stood a little more upright, had a bit of hair, and, most notably, had eyes.
  "I... I don't know what to say!" Ariem stammered. "A living Snow Elf!"
  "The masters at the Sanctum call us the Restored. We were Falmer once, but they work to help us reclaim our heritage."
  Ariem was speechless. "Come on," Rykon said. "The Thalmor aren't going to wait around talking. Perhaps these masters can answer more of our questions."
  They bid the elf goodbye and entered the portal to the inner sanctum, instantly emerging on a balcony above a large, icy vale. The voice of an old Imperial spoke from behind them.
  "It's not often we get visitors in the Forgotten Vale."