Corrupted heart, part 2, And I ain't halfway yet, dudes. Options

[jack cloudy]

Alright, I just noticed I breached the 200 post mark at the first thread. So here's the new thread.

No update here yet, though. I'll see if I can edit this post later today.

Edit, forgot the link to the last part. Here it is.

Corrupted Heart, part 1

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Sep 24 2007, 09:30 PM

[jack cloudy]

Wow, nearly a month has passed.

Good point though, Mallet. About Merdrar, I mean. I haven't really put it into practice now though. Ah well, let's just continue with the latest chapter. And oh boy, I just can't seem to give Rajn a break, can I? I swear, she always takes the main role in her scenes.



Chapter 8: Maze of ice and forgotten shadows.

Skyrim, Labyrinthian

The wind howled lonely over the snowcovered hills. A few stumps of grass stubbornly clung to life, yet there were no trees or flowers. Dominating the entire area was a humongous and ancient contraption of blackened stone.
,,Nice architecture. It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s round and its rock.” Rajn quipped. Aran twitched his lips into half a smile.
,,Thank you for the lecture. Anything else?” He replied. Behind the two, Merdrar was standing next to Marsh, the latter of the two covered by five robes layered over each other.
,,Was there any point to that observation?” The Dremora asked with his grating voice. Rajn’s ears twitched and she cast an irritated glance at him which made Marsh chuckle.
,,There was a point, trust me. She’s just warming up.” The Argonian hissed and flicked his tail.

,,Ok, once more, with see-through. Yup, the gate is solid steel with the most complicated lock I’ve ever seen. It has a nice and thick cover that can withstand a battering ram I’d say, not to mention that the lock itself drives a collection of progressively larger weels. I can only assume that the biggest ones open and close the door. Good thing too, I don’t see anyone just flinging it open with a hand. I’ll give the picking a shot, but don’t count on instant success. Beyond that, stairs ending in a room with three gates leading to three corridors. There’s more, but I can’t give you anything solid till we get closer. I do see some motion though. Doesn’t seem quite…..fleshy. Creepy.” Rajn held up a finger at each part of her observation. She then gave Merdrar a smug grin.
,,Well, how was that? Good enough to please the almighty?” She asked in a snobbish tone. Merdrar snorted.
,,Just open the door already.” He growled. The Bosmer stuck out her tongue and marched for the entrance to the Labyrinthian that dominated the landscape, the others following in her wake.

,,You’re hard to please, mister ‘I wear lots of armour and never bathe’. Seriously, take it off and jump in a lake sometime soon. You reek! Have mercy on my poor nose!” Rajn complained as she peered into the lock on the gate and twidled with her clasp of bleached bone.
,,I reek? Why, you little twit! You don’t exactly smell so nice either. How many different kinds of perfume did you use?! Twenty? The scent of flowers is vastly overrated!” Merdrar puffed.
,,Oh, scared to admit the truth? You reek, and I don’t. I used five flavours, just so you know. Can’t get enough of a good thing, ya know. And your smell is definitely not good.” The girl stabbed playfully. Merdrar glowered and balled his hands into fists, till Aran placed a hand on his chest.
,,Bear with her, she’s just trying to ease the tension.” He explained. The Dremora’s shoulders sagged slightly as he relaxed.
,,Tension?” He asked. The Dunmer shrugged and turned to watch Rajn work on the lock before answering.
,,Last time we went into one of these, Rajn nearly got eaten, I nearly got killed trying to protect her and we were forced to flee through a shiftgate that landed us in this frozen wasteland. I don’t believe any of us is eager for a repeat.”

For six minutes, the only sounds were the howling of the wind and the clicking of the various lockpicks Rajn inserted into the lock and twisted about. Finally she admitted defeat with a sigh and placed the tools back into the grooves of her clasp before tying it back into her hair. She’d gone back to a curly mess.
,,Nope, I’ve got nothing. Anyone else have any ideas, or should we start digging?” She said frustrated. Aran shook his head.
,,I don’t think we can dig through the ground that easily. We don’t have a shovel and the ground is frozen which makes it as hard as a rock. Look around, do you see a key lying under the snow somewhere? It’s a stretch, but I can’t think of anything better.” He commented. Merdrar roared with laughter, catching everyone else offguard.

,,I thought you were a warrior, but now I see that I’m mistaken! Out of the way, you little elves, I’ll show you how it is done.” He boasted, drew his Claymore and moved up to the door. Rajn folded her arms and tapped on the snow with a foot.
,,That’s not going to work, I tell ya. Might as well give up now and spare us the humiliation.” She predicted.
,,Shut your mouth, shortie. I’ll show you what real power is. Haha, I can’t wait to see your faces after I tear through this little door as if through paper. AAARRRAAAAGGGGHHHH” The Dremore howled as he unleashed a blinding barrage of vicious blows that whipped up snow and sounded a metallic screech each time the Daedric Claymore struck the golden steel. Thirty times he struck and thirty times the lock stubbornly defied him. He stepped back and glared at the obstruction.
,,How?!” He bellowed.

Rajn snickered.
,,Told ya. That lock is a part of a huge mechanism that runs throughout the whole door, which is five meters thick. You can’t strike the hinges either, for they’re on the inside, not the outside. No way you’re ever going to do much good with that piece of chop-iron. You need a key that can trigger the whole mechanism and make the door open on its own. So in short, you lose.” She gloated. Aran cocked an eyebrow.
,,Rajn.” He warned.
,,Oh yeah, he’s got a short temper. Sorry, I forgot.”

Merdrar sheathed his sword with more force than was strictly needed.
,,Damn you, Tharn. Why do I have to put up with these clowns? It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t always plead innocence!” He thought furiously.
,,Ok, so I didn’t manage to bust the door. But I seem to recall that you weren’t all that successful either.” He retorted. Marsh nodded, the first sign he’d given of following the back-and-forth banter going on.

,,If you would mind, please listen to me for a moment instead of squabbling. We know that the Labyrinthian was built by Shalidor. When I told Rajn to, ahem, investigate the mage guild, I had her search specifically for books whose title contained either Shalidor as well as the Labyrinthian, on top of the list of specific titles I requested of her. When at camp, I’ve taken the time to study and I now know the exact location of Shalidor’s former home. If there is a key to this door, that would be the most likely place to search.” He looked from one face to another, awaiting any questions or objections. When there were none, he turned away from the Labyrinthian and headed back out onto the old trail.
,,I’ll lead, you follow.” He hissed.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Mar 11 2008, 09:08 AM