Oasis Chapter 2, Trouble with the mages. Options

[Tellie]

Wohoo...rofl . That was just funny, poor Hissking, having the swim of his life I presume. I really like the way you handle the game, and each update is dripping vith humour..please keep'em coming.

[Taillus]

Hahaha That will teach Hissking. Lets see how tough he is with flaming underwear!

[jack cloudy]

I based that one on Hlomar Wine-Sot. I loved that stupid Nord standing naked cause of that Festering witch and her charms. Glad you liked it. Now I've both been busy with real life for a while and trying to think up how to continue. Frankly, there wasn't much I could do about Edwinna's first three missions, so I just skipped to the Dwemer Tube. Anyway, here we go.



Finally, a real mission. All the time I’d been working for Edwinna Elberd, the Ald-Rhun steward, I’ve felt like a cheap delivery boy, bringing all the books she likes. But no books this time. No, she wanted a Dwemer tube. Nice, you could buy those if you knew where to look, but I was going to collect it from a Dwemer ruin since no one said I couldn’t take anything for myself. Long live the treasure hunter spirit.

The Siltstrider had taken me to what was the closest town to the ruin that I knew of, Gnisis. The place wasn’t much, just a few of the big shells people call houses here and some barracks. I’ve never seen so many Orcs at one place though. After taking my bearings, I left the town behind and moved into the mountains.

,,Excuse me. Thank the gods you came. I need your help.” Oh my, the woman who was standing by the side of the road was well, damn good looking! Silly, but she seemed to play on the male instincts. All I thought of was pleasing her.
,,Hello, fair lady. How may I be of assistance?” I asked. Man, I really sounded dumb but I didn’t noticed that.

,,I was on my way to Gnisis. I’m a dancer and I would perform there. But along the way I tripped and my ring fell into that muddy pond. I couldn’t just leave it there but I can’t show up all dirty you know. So I’ve been waiting for a hero to come along and help me out. Would you be so kind as to be my hero. I’m sure we can come to a very suitable reward.” A very fishy story but as said, my mind and instincts had been shut down and hormones had taken over.

,,Sure thing, you’ll have your ring back in no time.” I said and walked over to the pond. There was only one entrance and the rest of the pool was surrounded by high rocks. If you wanted an ambush, this was the perfect place. Thank the daedra I still had some sense of hygiene.

,,You can put that armour over there. It looks heavy and I don’t want you to drown.” She told me as she pointed at a few rocks.
,,No, that won’t be necessary.” I replied and jumped on top of one of the rocks lining the pond. Looking into it, the ring was barely visible near some plants. If I actually decided to take a swim without my armour, I would’ve been dead.
There were alternatives to swimming, such as a small bit of telekinesis. With a few gestures, I lifted the little trinket out of the water and into my hands.

,,There you go, it was my pleasure.” Anything else I had intended to say was cut short as I yelled. It was more in frustration and surprise than pain. An arrow had lodged itself firmly between the plates covering my left arm. At the same moment, the dancer’s hand went into her pocket and came out with something round and pointy. I finally realized what was going on here.

,,Oh no you won’t! Take that, you dirty piece of mud!” I shouted and pressed a hand filled with fire into her face while my other hand took out my Claymore. I ended with a wide slash across her stomach and watched her fall into the pond. Even if she survived those injuries and escaped from drowning, I doubted her face would have attracted a big crowd to her dancing.

,,Thought you were smart, didn’t you?! How dare you play with my hormones like that! That’s just mean!” Another arrow reminded me that the dancer wasn’t the only one who had been trying to kill me. There was an archer around somewhere, but I was unable to see him.

That left me with little options. I dodged like crazy to make myself a harder target and started preparing my spell. When another arrow bounced of a rock near me, I figured out the general direction it had came from and fired.

The fireball wasn’t very powerful, but it was designed to explode in a radius as wide as possible. The moment it hit the ground, it expanded and hit my invisible assailant. The view of flames burning on invisible armour was enough for me. I fired a paralysis bolt at the archer and rushed in with my sword. One swing later, and the archer lacked the upper part of the head. It turned out to be quite a deadly wound.

As my heart calmed down, my brains started working again and I realized how I’d been fooled. Their plan was simple, but very effective. One beautiful dancer to get any male victim of his guard and into a pond that was the perfect place for an ambush, preferably without armour. Add an archer concealed by a powerful Chameleon spell and you had a killing team. Too bad for them they really needed the element of surprise. Without it, they never stood a chance.

This encounter had been a serious blow to my ego, but it also explained to me once more that looks aren’t everything. My embarrassment was softened by the lovely Amulet of Shadows which was a nice souvenir indeed with its powerful Chameleon enchantment.

After taking everything I needed and ditching the two robbers in their pond, I wandered on.

[Taillus]

*sigh* curse that pond. I lost my very first character to that pond. Poor little breton didn't even see it coming. Rest in peace Calypso!

[Tellie]

I can say the same Taillus, but it was even worse forme...my first character who I named Mannfred ( and imperial ), was in level 53, and after going out there, i found the ring, but got stuck in some plants...after a little time, my big dont-mess-with-me character was dead by some f****** camper,who was about invinsible... R.I.P mannfred, I'll never forget you...

This post has been edited by Telendil Delvanni: Mar 8 2006, 07:51 PM

[jack cloudy]

The pond got me too. I just couldn't withstand the temptation of an easy quest (Not even a Slaughterfish in the pond!) and so fell for it. I only noticed the guy during my death animation. But I took revenge after reloading by simply forgetting about the ring and instead walking behind mister invisible's back and hitting him first. He (or she, I never remember those things) was dead soon enough. Without the invisible archer, miss dancer-who-lost-her-ring is easy.
Anyway, an update.



The ruins were just past a cliff which I crossed with the help of two steel bridges. The place looked like a fortress, but the only defence on the outside came in the form of a Nix-Hound which I quickly dealt with. I also admired a device that looked like a gigantic crossbow before heading inside.

Once inside, I was immediately on my guard. The small vibrations that moved through the walls and floor were similar to the ones I felt in the ruins near Balmora, but there was something else, a ticking sound like small spears being thrust at the floor.

I descended down the stairs and saw that the corridor soon reached a chamber with multiple exits, giving me several directions to head in, as well as giving an enemy the chance to sneak up on my back. This was also where the ticking had its source.

A small ball of Dwemer steel ran towards me on thin steel legs. I had encountered my first Centurion. This one looked like a Spider Centurion. It wasn’t too big and although the Dwemer steel formed a good barrier to my sword, I felled it in two massive chops.

,,Well, if this is the best these Dwemer had, no wonder they disappeared.” I laughed and kicked the wreckage to see if it still showed any signs of movement. Bad move, the noise I made attracted the attention of another Dwemer artefact. I was notified of its appearance by the big rumbling sound it made as it rolled over the steel floor. I spun towards the sound and saw a giant steel sphere coming at me.

With a quick dash to the left, I managed to avoid the big Sphere and stay away from its crushing weight. With its element of surprise gone, I thought I could easily take it with my sword. That thought evaporated when the sphere opened and a steel figure popped out, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. A Sphere Centurion, this was just great.

For a few moments, we traded blows. Though my sword had both greater reach and power, my advantage was nullified by the Centurion’s shield and fast movements. I backed of just long enough to throw a fireball in its path only to find out about the Centurion’s great resistance to heat. No surprise really, it did had hot steam coming out of it all the time after all.

Parrying and avoiding as much as I could, I was slowly backed into a corner by the thing. If it wasn’t so damn fast it would be scrap metal by now. That gave me an idea.
I backed of as far as I could till I ended with my back against the wall before trying another spell.

The different elements used in the school of destruction are supposedly all the same and not any more difficult to conjure than an other element. Fire still felt easier though, so the bolt of ice that emanated from my hand couldn’t compete with my usual fireballs. It was still effective, in that it cooled down whatever powered the Centurion and froze the hot steam into snow.

With most of its speed gone, I finally found a chance to parry one of its attacks and bring my sword up through the joint that connected its shield arm with its body. The arm separated and dropped to the floor. With its shield removed and heavily slowed down from the cooling, the Sphere Centurion proved no match.

I explored the corridor the Sphere Centurion had come from to find it empty. Good, one less place for enemies to creep up on me. I took the other corridor and ascended a flight of stairs. What I encountered may have been a Dwemer long ago, now it was nothing more but a slightly more lethal ghost. Still no match for the silver of my sword and I easily ran through it.

Sounds of ticking legs notified me of several Spider Centurions headed my way. They were not very dangerous on their own, but in large numbers they could be a threat. I dealt with them in the same way as the Sphere Centurion. Some ice to slow them down followed by a good hit from my sword.

I saw one last Centurion at the far end of the last room. It was one of the Sphere type. I’d just expended my Magicka reserves, so this battle would have to be won by trickery, not force.

,,Hey, lump of rust! Over here! Come and get me if you can!” I sprinted back to the previous room as fast as I could and waited near the center. The Centurion came rolling towards me at full speed, intend on running me over and then crush me with its weight. I had other plans and waited till it was nearly on top of me before jumping away. The Centurion reacted too late and plunged in the pit filled with lava that was right in the center of the room. No matter how heat resistant it was, it couldn’t handle this much heat and soon melted away.

I came out of the ruins not only with the tube, but also with what appeared to be the left bracer, left Pauldron and Cuirass of a Dwemer suit of armour. I was planning to explore more Dwemer ruins someday in the hope of finding a full set. As for now, nothing but the boring trip back to Gnisis awaited me.

[Tellie]

great jacky, really great...:toungue: it was funny how you felt being fooled by miss-dancing.queen, a major blow to your ego, I laughed a long time after that.

As always you write great and in a very funny stile, I love it, so please give us more now...NOW.

[Taillus]

Great update Cloudy. Dwemer ruins are so fun! Keep up the good work!

[jchamber]

lol, 'if this is the best the dwemer had'.....hahahaha I have missed a bit and I am sorry but I am reading again....I read really slow so I can't keep up with your updates....I am busy with school, I am almost in finals week and am begining to feel it already.

[mplantinga]

Great updates. The use of ice on the centurions was brilliant; at the very least, the explanation you gave would work in the real world. I always thought some of the Morrowind natural laws defied rational explanation. Perhaps that is to be expected from a world with so much magic. Regardless, keep up the great work.

[jack cloudy]

Thank you, thank you. If anyone wanted an update, time to rejoice.



And after the boring trip to Gnisis came the boring trip to Ald’rhun. The weather was simply horrible, but I suppose that was normal here. Still, I hated ash storms. No doubt cleaners were very popular here, seeing as I left a big pile of ash in the hall upon entering. Edwinna didn’t are though, as her happiness was bordering on the insane upon seeing the tube.

,,This is an excellent specimen, thank you. I’ll take care of it. Now, Luper Alkad, I have another mission for you if you are interested.”
Another one, where do they get these? On the other hand, I should get out of here before the cleaner showed up.
,,Sure, if I can put my stuff in a chest till I come pick it up. What do you want me to do?” I asked.

,,I want you to check up on the exploration team I sent to the Nehuleftingh ruins. It is somewhat north from mount Kand. I suggest you travel to Suran and then head north-east into the Molag Amur region. They’re supposed to send me a report every month, but this month’s report is taking ages to arrive. Please find out what’s going on and bring that report back to me.”

I dropped my loot in the small room they’d given me to use. After that, I transported to Balmora where I had my equipment repaired at the local blacksmith. Some potions from Ajira and I was ready to go. I took a Siltstrider to Vivec and then continued on to Suran. From there, I entered the Molag Amur region.

This place was just the way I had always imagined Oblivion would be. Ash storms hit me every hour and there were plenty of Cliff racers which I slayed as well as a couple of Kagouti who I avoided. Finally, I made it to the familiar sight of Dwemer ruins and entered, grateful for the protection against the storm.

Though I was worried for a moment, it turned out there were no Centurions here. Not on the upper floor at least. I met with the leader of the expedition who explained things to me. Apparently, their guide had found an entrance to the lower levels. The leader mentioned something called passwall but I was already gone.

If the guide made it down below, he could be in danger. Finding him as soon as possible was the only thing I could do. I feared he would be death by now. I took quite some time to get here. I moved into a room filled with Dwemer machines. This was were the guide disappeared. There were several cranks. I pulled them.

,,Hey, what are you doing?! We haven’t researched them yet!” The expedition’s leader complained.
,,I’m going to find your guide. That’s what you should’ve done several days ago. Now shut up and let me clean up your mess.” I responded and walked through the door that had opened.

I found the guide soon enough. He was dead. Two Spider Centurions were at his side. I must say I’m quite impressed with how he defeated them using his dagger but the wound that killed him wasn’t caused by the spiders. It was caused by a sphere.

This time around, I knew the trick behind battling Centurions and I didn’t hesitate to use it. Every single piece of moving metal would receive a good bolt of ice. Only after ridding the ruins of every single Centurion, did I return to the guide.

He had the report with him, so I took it. Now that that was done, I figured I could satisfy my own curiosity. He was also carrying an ancient book. I couldn’t read it, but I clearly saw that it was written in two different languages. Maybe someone could use it to translate Dwemer runes?

I re-emerged on the upper levels a few hours later, carrying some more armour pieces, a Dwemer War Axe, the report and the strange book. The leader started complaining about my artefact theft, but I ignored that.

,,Look, you’ve simply allowed that man to die so don’t expect me or anyone else to listen to you. Besides, I am under direct orders from Edwinna, not yours. So feel free to try to stop me if you dare. And finally, get the hell out of my way before I kick you in the face.” I told him and pushed him aside. Once outside, I cast my recall spell and transported back to Edwinna.

[mplantinga]

So Luper is getting a bit snitty. Why does everyone writing stories about mages make them into bullies? Still, it is clear that Luper learned his lessons well, and the centurions didn't pose any problem for him this time. I wonder how Edwinna will respond to Luper's treatment of Senilius?

Thanks for another interesting update.

[Agent Griff]

I must say, this story is great! At first, I thought of your character as an arrogant b@stard but now I think more highly of him. I liked how you developed the relationship with Caius, at first you were pretty hostile with one another but now they seem like friends. I am now officialy a fan of your works. Great job and I also wish you luck in continuing them. And thanks for posting so much in my own fan fiction. Cheers!

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Mar 10 2006, 08:38 AM

[Taillus]

Cloudy and Griff both I root for you guys and will always support your works because you joined here just about the same time as me. I have been following the Oasis story from the very beginning and I love it. I always look forward to reading it and I love the attitude he gives. Takes no guff from no one! keep it up and keep showing those Centurions who's boss!

[jack cloudy]

Thank you. Hey everyone, please update your stories soon. I have yet to see a story here that I don't like.

Ok, an update. I manipulated the plot a bit from what you get in game.



Edwinna was happy with the report and immediately suggested that I looked up on an expedition she sent to a ruin near Dagon Fel. Wow, she really was into this Dwemer thing. I told her I would leave in the morning and took a nap.

The man with the golden mask had come back to haunt me in my dreams.
,,There are many rooms in the house of the Master. Be easy, for from the hands of your enemies I have delivered you.” He said.
I could see myself lying on a table like a corpse. Fortunately, I awoke soon enough.
These dreams were beginning to take their toll on me. I needed two whole minutes to calm down.

But duty called and I forced myself to get up and ready. I would need a ship to reach Dagon Fel. I would take a breakfast consisting of some scrib jelly and Kwama cuttle once on board to save time. My best bet to find a ship was Vivec, so I had myself transported there.

,,Hi there, Luper Alkad! Just the person I need! I could use a favour!” Trebonius shouted across the hall mere seconds after I arrived. What was it this time? And could he lower his voice a bit, it was giving me a headache.

,,What’s the matter, Archmage?” I asked as I donned the face of Imperial spy again. With a bit of luck I could get him out of my way in just a few moments.
,,I need someone to find out what happened to the dwarves. I’m sure it will be an easy job for a lad like you.” He leant over and started whispering.

,,By the way, was the information I sent you of any use? I sent you ten letters, but never got an answer.” What, he actually did that? Great, now I had my own spy network!
,,I couldn’t answer cause it would draw attention to you. We don’t want an assassin near your bed, do we?” I whispered back and watched with satisfaction how he went pale.
,,Right, Archmage. I’ll get to it as soon as I finish my current studies. Now if you excuse me, I have a boat to catch.” I spoke in a louder voice and left the hall.

The boat wasn’t too big and I decided to hire myself out as an extra hand instead of paying for the ride as a passenger. I grew up on a boat, so making a bit of money during the trip would be easy.

I arrived in Dagon Fel a couple of days later. The place was quite a bit bigger than I expected, seeing as it is the farthest away from the mainland. I walked into a place called “the end of the world” for a quick drink before setting of for the ruins.

The place was crowded. There were Imperials, Nords, Khajitt, Dark Elves and even two Orcs. The Orcs were particularly loud and I could easily eavesdrop on their conversation from the other side of the room.

,,Another good find today, my friend! Many Dwarven artefacts! Let us drink on it!” One of them boomed and raised a big bottle of flin.
,,A good find indeed. Now what are we going to do with those mages that stumbled in the other day?” Mages? Where they talking about Edwinna’s expedition?
,,They interfered with our business. I believe we’ll kill them and send their heads to the guild as a message. But first, let’s drink!”

I left the tavern before the bartender could bring me my drink. I did leave a few coins on the tap. There was no time to lose. With those two Orcs drinking like that, they’d probably pass out and wait till morning before returning to the ruins. That meant I had one night to find the ruins, infiltrate them and make my way past an unknown number of enemies whose capabilities I didn’t knew to save the expedition. That wasn’t a lot of time and there were too many things I didn't know for comfort.

I spoke to the nearest guard to ask where I could find the ruins.
,,Ay, Redguard. Are you sure that would be a good idea? The Centurions have all been reduced to scrap by now, but there is a vicious band of Orcs there. They’ll kill you.” He must have seen my determined expression, for he stopped trying to make me forget about it.

,,But if you really must, the ruins are just to the southwest of here. You’ll have to move around the mountains. Be careful of Kagouti and Cliffracers. After an hour worth of walking, you should see the door past a bridge.” I thanked him and rushed of.

He said that the ruins were close to the village. I didn’t had time for a long walk, so I would just have to climb and levitate over the mountains. I did so and slid down the last ridge leading to the bridge barely half an hour later.

A rat stood guard. The moment it noticed me, it came at me and tried to bite me with unimaginable fury. My sword made a huge wound in its back that should’ve severed its spine, but it didn’t seem to bother the monster at all. My next hit severed the head and the rat finally accepted death.

I stood over the corpse, having completely forgotten about my rescue mission for the moment. Blight, the rat was blighted by the disease that increased your strength as well as making you mad with bloodlust. Wasn’t that disease supposed to be contained by this thing the Dark Elves call the ghostfence? What was going on here?

[Taillus]

Uh oh. Those cursed blight creatures managing to escape the fence. Great update and like always I will be awaiting the next one.

[mplantinga]

An interesting development. Those orcs in Mzuleft always did a number on me; I hope that our mage friend fares okay.

[Tellie]

Great as always, no remember to be carefull down in tose ruins, I have been killed more than once down there. I do hope that our mage friend can conjure up andother amazing plan and make it out of there more than less in one piece.

[Agent Griff]

Wonderful update. I love how you handle the Trebonius problem in such original fashion. You are a very creative writer I must say that and you also breath life into your characters in a manner that I pure and simply can't. Your character is much more laid back and informal as oposed to my character which is quite the oposite, a serious guy but he ain't as serious as some of his fellow knights.

[jack cloudy]

Thank you all for the compliments. At first I tried to come up with an ubercomplex plan, but I settled for something a little simpler.





Whatever was the case, I had more important things to deal with. Steeling myself for what was inevitably going to be a slaughter, I head inside.

An Orc was standing right at the bottom of the stairs, and immediately noticed me.
,,Redguard! What are you doing here?! Speak from where you stand!” He shouted in an aggressive tone. Sure, if he wanted me to talk I would give him something. Maybe I could even get them to all leave.

,,Hello there, Orc friend! I am a Pilgrim who arrived in Dagon Fel two hours ago. One of your people requested my help. He has ran into a small problem with the guards and been imprisoned. He would like you to go and rescue him.”
The Orc frowned and I could almost hear him thinking.
,,What does a Pilgrim do with a sword?” He finally asked.

,,My pilgrimage takes me through the dangerous Molag Amur region. It would be unwise to go unprotected. But please hurry to Dagon Fel, for your friend will be executed by morning.”
Now I hoped he would run out of the door.
,,I must ask our leader first. Stay there and don’t move, Pilgrim.” The Orc replied and moved to a door, the wrong door. Great, the time of talking was over.

I ran up behind his back and swung my Claymore at it and only managed to blunt my blade. That’s what I hated about Orcish armour. It was so though my sword simply bounced of it!

,,Coward! I’ll feast on your bones!” The Orc screamed in rage and took out his axe. Luckily, his bloodlust made him a bit clumsy and I danced around his blows till his axe finally came in contact with the wall. The impact with the wall was hard enough to make him drop it and I took advantage of the situation by attacking the only part of his body that wasn’t protected, his head. It rolled over the ground a moment later.

Orcish armour. The stories that Orcs are some of the finest armorers in Tamriel weren’t exaggerated. It was much stronger than Bonemold yet the difference in weight was small. If I made it out of here alive I would take some of it with me to use.

But if all the Orcs were armoured like this, I wouldn’t stand much of a chance in contest of swords and axes. I would be better if I had a small advantage, such as being invisible.
I took the amulet of shadows out of my pocket and hung it around my neck. I then moved to one of the round Dwemer doors with one hand on the amulet and knocked.
,,What is it?!” One Orc shouted very annoyed. The moment he opened the door, I activated the amulet and melted in with my surroundings.

,,What is all that noise good fo……AARGH! Where are you, intruder?! Show yourself, coward!” He growled when he saw what happened to his friend. He then started to run through the room while swinging at the air. Fool, I just needed to wait near the wall for him to pass after which I cleaved his head in two. Two Orcs down, an unknown number remaining.

I had no idea how long the amulet’s charge would last, I’d forgotten to ask the previous owner about that detail. It was time to move on. The last Orc left the door open so I could go through it without making any unnecessary noise. There were two doors I could chose from, I picked the upper one.

I knocked on the door and waited. Another Orc came through and I put one of my daggers in his throat. Normally I’m more of a sword person, but daggers were very effective for close-quarters surprise attacks. He dropped without a sound. The next room was empty. I was beginning to believe that there was one Orc in each room. If I could surprise them all like this, I might stand a chance.

A big cylinder in the center of the room drew my attention. There was a big piece missing on one side, like a door. The cylinder was hollow and the floor was missing. I crept closer and looked down.

The cylinder descended downward into a pit of lava. On the bottom, there was another hole in the wall, as well as an Orc standing near the pit gazing upwards. At least he didn’t see me.

That was, till my Chameleon spell suddenly dissipated. I noticed that I’d been spotted by the surprised look on his face. For a few seconds, the Orc just stared at me before reacting. Then, he took a step backwards, no doubt intending to rush up through the corridors to fight me. I reacted quicker though, and pulled him into the lava with a bit of Telekinesis.
,,And for tonight’s diner, fried Orc.” I muttered in mild amusement.

A Slowfall spell allowed me to descend through the cylinder and land in the lower room without ffalling into the lava myself. I figured that people would be more intent on looking towards the door for an approaching attacker than the cylinder. The room turned out to be empty. One Orc in each room seemed to be the rule here.

Opening the door revealed the corridor I had passed through earlier. Fine by me. I went back to the entrance and took the last remaining door, after activating my amulet.

Another Orc, he never even saw me coming before his head was separated. There were some shelves in this room, but my attention was drawn to the door on the other side. I could here voices coming from behind it, mostly pleas for mercy. It looked like I had found the mages, and they were guarded.

Slowly, I eased the heavy door open and slipped through after activating the amulet. The Orcs were too busy torturing their prisoners to even notice. Orcs, there were two of them this time. One of them looked like a mage and the other like a warrior. Now I could only kill one before the other would notice something was wrong. Which was the most dangerous, the mage or the warrior?

I allowed fate to decide for me, with a bit of help.

I picked up one Dwemer cup and threw it at the warrior’s back when the two Orcs had their back turned to each other.

,,Ow! Why did you do that?!” The Orc grumbled as he turned to the mage. In no time at all, a heated argument was started that ended with the Orc taking his axe and being electrocuted by the mage.

Ok, one left. At this time, the amulet decided to stop working again and the mage spotted me.
,,You! Coward, you make us fight amongst ourselves! When my brothers come here, you are dead!” Even being a mage, the Orc could still make a lot of noise that would’ve warned the other Orcs, if they were still alive.

,,What, are we feeling cheated? Sorry, but your brothers are all headless. I took care of that. As for you, you may live if you leave now. The mage guild does not tolerate people who imprison their members.” I responded and raised my sword. The blood and blunted edges showed the truth behind my words.

,,You want me to flee as a coward with no honour? NEVER!” The Mage screamed and started hurling spells at me. I ducked the first few and then cast a shield spell to protect myself. As the first bolts impacted with the magical shield, I charged the mage and ran my sword through the chest followed by a dagger in the back of the skull. Both wounds were lethal and the fight was now over giving me plenty of time to free the mages.

After freeing the mages, I posted the whole group near the entrance while placing two of them outside as a lookout for when the two Orcs from the tavern returned. All the mages had at least some skill in the school of Destruction and the fireworks when those Orcs entered the ruins would be impressive.

I took the time to collect a full set of Orcish armour minus the helmet and used their tools to fix up my sword. After that, I collected anything I found of interest, including another Dwemer book and what looked like the blueprints for something. Finally, I put the heads of every dead Orc in a big bag. After saying goodbye, I levitated over the mountains again. I’d reached Dagon Fel in no time at all.

The guard who had given me the directions to the ruins took the bag reluctantly.
,,May I ask what’s in it?” He said in the official tone of a guard on patrol.
,,Just some food for the Slaughterfish. If you excuse me, I’ll be going now. Goodbye.” I answered and recalled home.