Kay(jiit) Sarah Sara: Part 20 – Into the Midden
Morndas, 25th of Last Seed
This one is off on a rant.
‘Fetch this. Do that. Kill those,’ Kay muttered as she pulled on the iron ring of the trapdoor that led to the midden beneath the college. On her way to find Tolfdir, this one bumped into Mirabelle Ervine and convinced her to reveal the location of the Augur of Dunlain. ‘Khajiit has been in Skyrim for, what, nearly two weeks? And all I’ve done is stumble from one errand to another.’
Glancing around the room beneath the college, this one was dismayed to see an all too familiar scene.
‘Khajiit would not mind,’ Kay continued as she wandered around the typical Nordic dungeon architecture looking for the inevitable cave network, ‘but it seems that everybody is content to sit around and let this one do all the work.’
‘Why does that sound familiar?’ Stenvar replied as he drew his sword.
Kay had heard it too. The groan of a draugr. Even in the College of Winterhold, there was no avoiding the shambling zombies.
‘It sounded like it came from somewhere down there,’ this one replied, her ears pricking up as she gauged the distance. ‘It doesn’t sound close.’
Kay turned back to Stenvar just in time to see him rush off down the corridor, sword held ready to strike.
‘Somebody’s eager,’ Khajiit muttered as she followed the corridor deeper into the dungeon.
In no rush to face the draugr, this one made no effort to keep up with Stenvar. Instead, Kay considered where she would go next as she strolled along the corridor. The cold of the snowy north was draining her will to live. Had she realised that the college would be in such an inhospitable region, Khajiit would have stayed in Cyrodiil to study.
‘The College of Winterhold is a renowned institution,’ she told the darkness snidely. ‘This one can become a powerful mage at the…’
Kay’s voice trailed off as she turned the corner and faced a room she did not expect to see in the dungeons beneath the college.
Approaching with caution, this one studied the strange ritual circle, wondering what magical manipulation was needed to activate the circle. The presence of a daedric rune suggested it was unlikely to be without cost. Lifting a book from the table at the door, Khajiit turned the page and began reading.
‘The Atronach Forge offers few clues as to who built it, and even fewer as to how to unlock its full potential,’ Kay read aloud before looking back to the dais. ‘Interesting.’
Stuffing the book into her backpack, this one resolved to learn more about the forge. With luck, there would be a way to use it to make a profit. First, she needed to find the Augur of Dunlain.
‘Where did you go?’ whispered Stenvar, gesturing for this one to get down as Kay turned another corner to find the Nord crouched near a doorway.
‘Khajiit could ask Stenvar the same question,’ Kay responded as she edged closer. Beyond the doorway, a draugr warrior guarded the door to the next section of the dungeon. ‘On three?’
Stenvar nodded and began counting. Summoning a flame in the palm of her hand, Khajiit dashed to the right, circling a flooded section of the floor, as Stenvar went left. Before the draugr could react, this one threw a blast of flame over its leathery skin. Stenvar’s blade carved through the air, sinking deep into the neck of the zombie. Bones and tendons snapped as the head was sliced clean off, bouncing along the floor as Kay ceased her fiery assault.
‘Shall we?’ asked Stenvar, gesturing towards the door with one hand as he sheathed his sword.
Kay nodded and threw open the door. ‘Somebody needs to. Not like the arch mage is going to do it. And Tolfdir is too enamoured by the orb to tear himself away long enough to do anything.’
‘If it bothers you so much, why are we here?’ Stenvar asked as we continued through the dungeon. ‘Skyrim is a big place. Plenty of adventure to be had elsewhere.’
Khajiit sighed and shifted the straps of her pack, remembering the note from Falkreath she received on her way to the college. ‘Nord friend has a point. This one did not come to Skyrim to be a lackey. What was it Stenvar said the other day? Something about a fort?’
‘When I was a boy, I used to dream about having a fort all to myself.’
This one considered those words as she placed her hand on a door handle. Khajiit did not want to abandon her dreams like Stenvar, talking of them like they would never come true.
‘There is no help for you here,’ a voice called from beyond the door as Kay pulled down on the handle with no effect.
Pausing, Kay detected no movement beyond the door. Her patience wearing thin, Kay rattled the handle again.
‘Still you persist?’ the voice called out. ‘Very well, you may enter.’
The door swung open, wrenching Khajiit’s wrist before she could pull her hand away. Rubbing the aching joint, this one stared into the room and the floating ball of energy.
‘Welcome to the midden,’ the voice called as Kay stepped forward. ‘I am that which you have been seeking. Your efforts are in vain. It has already begun.’
‘Don’t tell Khajiit her efforts are in vain,’ Kay snapped, nostrils flaring. ‘This one was told to seek you out. Khajiit has done as requested. If the so-called wizards of Skyrim wish to hide their ignorance behind a pretence of esoteric aloofness, so be it. This one is done playing their games.’
‘You blindly follow a path to your own destruction,’ the Augur of Dunlain said as Kay turned on her heel. ‘The Thalmor came seeking answers as well, unaware they will be his undoing. Your path now follows his, though you will arrive too late.’
Kay paused, back to the Augur. ‘What Thalmor?’
‘The one who calls himself Ancano. He seeks information about the Eye, but what he will find shall be quite different. Your path differs from most. You are being guided, pushed towards something. It is a good path, one untravelled by many. It is a path that can save your College. I will tell you what you need to know to follow it further. To see through Magnus' Eye without being blinded, you require his staff. Events now spiral quickly towards the inevitable centre, so you must act with haste. Take this knowledge to your arch mage.’
‘Why Khajiit?’ asked Kay, turning back to the Augur as the ball of light faded away. Her breathing slow and regulated, Khajiit narrowed her eyes. ‘So be it.’
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