Alda'hirakam ghar Ara; Chapter 35

• Posted by Caladran August 13, 2018 - Filed in TSC: Long Story - #Solstheim  #ciel'nn  #Teldryn Sero  #Highpoint Tower  - 1,092 views

  

  

  They ate the meager bits of bread with honey and tea while the island began to stir awake. The sounds of Silt echoed in the mild wind breeze as they packed the camp and started to make their way toward Highpoint Tower.
  
  With Highpoint Tower close by, the ash spawn rose from the ash. Ciel’nn and Teldryn still found out they were tough opponents. Ciel’nn fought like his partner had taught him and discovered that he finished an ash spawn faster than before. And, it didn’t take long from them to destroy the last of the ash spawns, but it still had left the young mer breathing fast.
  
  Teldryn found the entrance and he turned to his partner. “Are you ready? Or, do you need a short break?”
  
  “No, I’m fine.” Ciel’nn found himself more getting on the roll and slash than exhausted. The training had taught him to use his body and muscles more efficiently. His concerns were the apprentice in the tower. “I hope it’s not so dark down there.” The young mer bit his lower lip. The trauma he had from his childhood was still there, but the young mer wanted to get over it. Especially if they were going to explore some ruins later on.
  
  “We can use a torch if the area is too dark.” Teldryn smiled and opened the door. “Or a magelight spell.”
  
  “It doesn’t look so bad after all.” Ciel’nn said in a quiet tone as he looked around as he followed his partner and closed the door. I might live through this.
  
  The entrance are was lit by a wall sconce with three candles on the far end wall. A pile of ash and old bones along with a broken vase were on their left. On the left side was the rubble of broken things in the ash and barrels. A spiral stair led downward below the wall sconce.
  
  “Let’s be quiet. She might not know we’re here yet.” Teldryn gestured to Ciel’nn to follow. He took his sword ready in his hand as they slowly descended the first set of stairs. A single wall sconce was burning on the wall as they came to a small space with the chairs and the old braziers along with some hay bedding.  This was a watch room once.
  
  As they went down the next set of stairs, Ciel’nn found himself staying close to Teldryn. It’s as if we’re going into our cairns or something. Always deeper below the ground level… To his relief, he noticed a lantern on the wider stair. He tried to listen to if there were noises or sounds, but so far it had been quiet.
  
  On the table were two paper scrolls, two potions and a journal that belonged to Ildari. Ciel’nn read it in quietness and frowned at the written words, then shook his head. We’re dealing with a crazed apprentice here. Marvelous. I wish Talvas would have come with us now. He showed it to his partner, who grunted. “Wizards and their experiments.” His eyes told it and Ciel’nn nodded. The two potions and paper scrolls he stuffed in his backpack.
  
  The stairs ended into a room where a tunnel led into other areas of the tower. Ciel’nn was content enough for the tunnel had some wall sconces, but it would be only a matter of time when they ran out of wax. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to his partner. Be prepared for anything, Teldryn’s gaze told him. The young mer nodded and took his sword out with a deep breath. Mages and wizards… I should ask a higher payment for these types.
  
  The tunnel led into a cavern with some eggs. Ciel’nn hadn’t seen them before in his life and looked at them in curiosity, but stopped walking closer to them. The eggs are pulsating. Suddenly one egg burst open and a flame cloaked spider jumped at him. Ciel’nn took stepped back hastily and slashed at the spider that looked odd to him. Are these experiments too? It took a moment to kill the spider and he glanced at Teldryn.
  
  The older mer had killed a few of the spiders. Teldryn looked to his partner and nodded toward the small device with a soul gem.  There was another tunnel after it. “Do you have a resist magic potion?” he asked in a low tone. “That soul gem is probably charged.”
  
  “I’ll see.” Ciel’nn searched his backpack, but couldn’t find any. “Nope. Remind me to make more later.” He pondered a moment that if he’d go first he’d get his hair zapped out of its style. You’d look like a troll. His partner seemed to be thinking about the situation. “Well —”
  
  The young mer dashed toward the device and the lightning surged toward him at the same time. Ciel’nn gritted his teeth together in pain that went through his body. His hand reached for the soul gem when he leaped up the stairs, but he only managed to hit it when the last lightning struck him. Ciel’nn fell down  the the floor. N’chow, that hurt!
  
  Teldryn had watched his partner going for the damned soul gem with a wince on his face. He had to shake his head. “Was that really necessary?” He approached the young mer. “Can you move at all?” He knelt down and put his hand on Ciel’nn’s shoulder and his partner shifted.
  
  Ciel’nn groaned as Teldryn helped him to sit up. “Was there another option?” He took a Well-being potion that his partner offered him. “I can’t wait  to see what awaits us ahead.” The potion made him feel better and renewed, but it didn’t fix his hair that remained a bit zapped. “Some Telvanni should invent a magical comb that would keep our hair as we want. That’d be brilliant.” A deep sigh escaped from his lips. He could sit and stay there for a while longer.
  
  A smile crept on the older mer’s lips. His partner and his hair. Teldryn realized how that was one of the things Ciel’nn was going to complain about. He reached out to brush a few stray hairs out of Ciel’nn’s face. “That’d be ideal. Maybe ask Talvas about it.” He said in a softer tone, but froze as he listened in, but kept his eyes on Ciel’nn.  His partner frowned. What’s wrong?
  
  “Something is coming from the tunnel.” Teldryn mouthed.
  
  N’chow! Ciel’nn nodded, then he winced as he was trying to get up. The older mer helped him up and took the lead position again. They listened in a moment before continuing through the tunnel. The young mer hoped there weren’t more of those soul gem traps.He cursed himself for not being prepared with the potions. And, the list of needed items grows on…
  
  “It’s a fucking ash spawn!” Teldryn cursed quietly. The bitch has the ash spawn on her side. It’s just my rotten luck again. He edged forward along the tunnel until he saw it. A lone ash spawn with a molten sword stalking in the tunnel. Teldryn glanced at Ciel’nn. “Wait here.”
  
  Ciel’nn watched the older mer going ahead and taking on the lone ash spawn. It must be a scout if the ash spawn understood a single command. Or, maybe, Ciel’nn frowned, she controls them with the heart stone in her chest. What a frightening idea! A heart replaced with a heart stone… He shuddered as he would never understand such experiments. His partner was dealing with an ash spawn now, with furious slashes and dodges. Ciel’nn sighed, he make it look easy. He stretched his shoulders and arms. The Well-being potion had healed the lightning spots on his skin.
  
  Moving onward, they encountered another ash spawn that they destroyed quickly. Teldryn cursed as lightning struck him from another device. He stood his ground, taking the lightning while Ciel’nn dashed toward the soul gem. Gritting his teeth together, the older mer saw his partner taking the soul gem quickly, then throwing it away. He let out a ragged breath.  “They so love their soul gem traps.” He took a Well-being potion from Ciel’nn and drank it. “Isn’t it the best feeling in the whole of Nirn, eh?”
  
  “I can think of a better feeling.” Ciel’nn crooked a smirk, then made sure that his partner was able to walk.
  
  The noise of falling stones from the hidden wall trap made Teldryn grunt. “That much from a stealth approach. Now she definitely knows we’re coming.” They stood in a circular room where there was a rune in the middle and some torture devices with bits of blood on the right side. A lone enchanting table on the left side.
  
  “I’m sure she has more traps for us.” Ciel’nn eyed the room with disgust. It would be the old mer’s study room if it wasn’t so big. He frowned as he pushed the memories away. Those memories should be buried somewhere he couldn’t reach them. Still, some places reminded him of the old mer. Rot and fade away.
  
  The next tunnel led them to a joined corridor with another rune on the wall. They sneaked by it and headed for the right side corridor that led to a prison. Ciel’nn noticed another of Ildari’s journals. He’d give them all to Neloth even if he didn’t like them.
  
  “Hey, can you free me from this prison?” A Redguard woman approached them, and looked to Ciel’nn through the bars. “The witch might return anytime soon.  I’m Nyya, the last alive.”
  
  Ciel’nn nodded. “Sure, Nyya. We’re here to give her Neloth’s best wishes.” He took out his lock-picks and worked with the lock.
  
  “What can you tell about the witch?” Teldryn asked the woman.
  
  “We were digging in these mines when she found us. She was hurt so bad. We took pity on her and nursed her back to health. She repaid our kindness by attacking us in the middle of the night. Those of us that didn't die were made prisoners.”  Nyya replied, fretting in her place. “I’ve been here too long. She’ll come for me soon, if I don’t get out.”
  
  There was the sound of a small click when the lock opened and Ciel’nn pulled the door away. “There you go.” He smiled.
  
  “Thank you so much. If you are really going after her, make it quick. And, good luck to you! Maybe I’ll  see you in Raven Rock if I make it there.” Nyya smiled shortly before leaving them.
  
  “I hope she makes it.” Teldryn said in a quiet tone as they watched Nyya disappearing into the tunnel. “If the prison is here, then it means the witch is close by. Are you ready?” He looked to his partner.
  
  “More or less.” Ciel’nn sighed. He preferred to have a mage ally so much more. How many times had he faced a mage? What were their chances? He wasn’t sure. Surely Ildari would rain a small  pocket of Oblivion on them, and his poisons were useless against a person with a heart stone. He still had some summoning scrolls. They were his major cards in this coming game. “Let’s go and finish this, Teldryn.” Ciel’nn glanced at the older mer. “And, I hope we can manage it. I have a few scrolls of summoning ready.”
  
  “We will get through this, Ciel’nn. I have to admit, though, that it might be a rough battle.” Teldryn began to walk toward the other end of the tunnel. “I’m sure your scrolls will be useful.”
  
  The three hanging lanterns seemed to be significant to the area as they walked under them. Ahead was a some kind of platform with three soul gems in the small pillars. Above and in the far end wall was a wooden balcony like a raft. The whole place made Ciel’nn feel creepy, and he’d run away if he wasn’t with the older mer. He edged close to his partner.
  
   “You’ve gone far enough. Neloth is a fool if he thinks he could send a low life to finish me off.” A figure under a candlelight spell appeared on the wooden raft. The soul gem platform begin to charge, and soon an Ash Guardian appeared on center of it, roaring.
  
  “A fucking ash guardian!” Teldryn hissed. He could hear a few ash spawn from a close distance as well. Azura curse her!  His immediate concern was the hulking ash guardian. His partner had a scroll in his hand.
  
  Ciel’nn glanced at Teldryn. “I have something to say to you when this is over.”

   

   

  

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