8:13 AM, Middas, 25th of First Seed, 4E 210

 

Cyrenius’ eyes would slowly open up as he found himself still shackled atop a large chunk of the sandstone wall within the prison. The sunlight barely managed to pierce through a relatively small hole. That’s when he suddenly remembered that a sinkhole had claimed the prison. He would struggle to move his arms.

Of course… the former legionnaire thought to himself. His surroundings were pitch black. He was trapped in the darkness, and uncertain whether or not his cellmates - or the Alik’r commander - had survived the fall. Abruptly, a small area would illuminate as a magical spark of Candlelight hovered above the head of the Breton sorceress, Aurianna.

“Aurianna?” Cyrenius weakly called out her name within the darkness. The Breton sorceress felt an expression of shock, having believed she was the only one who had survived the great fall. She would quickly rush over towards the still-shackled Imperial man. The cuff and the chain were still secure around her throat, but the chain was no longer anchored to the sandstone floor, allowing her free - but somewhat restrained - movement, as the chain would weigh upon her neck as it dragged against the flooring. She’d waste no time freeing Cyrenius of his shackles, allowing the Imperial to stand up. His ability to walk properly had been a bit flawed, due to the motion from the fall affecting his already-dazed head, though he didn’t have any trouble regaining his balance and footing.

“What about Ajul?” Cyrenius asked. The Argonian pirate was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the Alik’r commander, Jaffir. 

“Ajul!?” The Breton woman called out.

“Ajul! Say something if you’re alive!” Cyrenius shouted out. The two began to inspect the area, using the sorceress’ overhead Candlelight to illuminate their general vicinity. The sorceress would proceed by launching multiple Magelight spells into the darkness. Still, no trace of-

“Look!” Cyrenius pointed out. “The shackles that were restraining Ajul… but… they’re open… and there’s no sign of him anywhere.”

“That’s because… I have Ajul-Jei right here!” The deep-voiced Redguard berserker would blurt out from the darkness. Cyrenius and Aurianna would turn their gaze towards the origin of the voice, noticing a pair of slightly-glowing amber eyes in the darkness. The weakened Ajul-Jei was pushed into the vicinity of the Candlelight’s luminosity, before Jaffir struck out from the darkness, forcefully pressing the curved, steel blades of his dual scimitars to the scaled throat of the Argonian.

“Before you two awakened, I popped a night eye potion and dealt with your scaleback friend here. And, now you get to watch me execute him before your very eyes! His reward money is meaningless now, considering none of us are getting out of this place. But, I still get the satisfaction of being the one to have killed the captain of the Seaserpent Buccaneers!”

Aurianna’s expression would transfer from an expression of fear, to an expression of rage. “So, he was right all along! You are corrupt! Honor is meaningless to you!”

“Listen, girl…” the Alik’r commander started, “the meaning of a job is to get paid. It doesn’t matter whether or not the actions or the sense in which you do so. Do the job, you get paid for doing it. But, since money is now ultimately meaningless to me down here… I’ll just go right ahead and kill Ajul-Jei, and you two will be ne-”

The Argonian would retaliate, elbowing Jaffir right in the groin, forcing the Redguard to recoil back in pain, dropping his scimitars and holding his crotch region. The Argonian would then swiftly swipe the scimitars off the ground, brandishing them against the Alik’r commander.

“That was something you know all too well, Jaffir. A dirty trick.” Ajul-Jei spat.

“Gods damn you…” Jaffir would usher out, still wincing in pain. Ajul-Jei would huff deeply, before tossing one of the scimitars back to Jaffir.

“Gods damn us both. Have one of your weapons back. I’m giving you a chance to show your honor. Fight me in the old-fashioned way. Man-to-man combat.”

Jaffir would tilt his head slightly upwards at the scimitar, before looking up towards Ajul-Jei, teeth-bearing and brow furling. The Alik’r commander would swipe the scimitar off the sand-covered floor, pointing it towards the Argonian as he rested the hilt against his stomach. “Fine then, we’ll do it the ‘honorable’ way!”

“As we should. Breton girl, provide us with a bit of Magelight. Then, both of you look for an escape.” Ajul-Jei would address Cyrenius and Aurianna as he prepared for combat against Jaffir.

Aurianna would slightly nod, before casting two bolts of Magelight at the combatants’ general direction. “Come on, Cyrenius! Let’s look around!”

 

As the Imperial and the Breton scrambled away from the site of the duel, Cyrenius would inquire, “how does the Argonian know there’s an exit?”

“He doesn’t. But, there’s an odd sense about this area. The sinkhole… it doesn’t seem like it was just a natural occurrence. The floor feels… flat.”

The two would pause as Aurianna stopped to inspect the ground. She’d dust off a bit of sand, to uncover a peculiar layer of flooring.

“What the…” Cyrenius murmured upon seeing the flooring beneath the sand.

“This… this is Dwarven architecture…” Aurianna would remark.

“Dwarven?” Cyrenius inquired. “So, you mean to tell me that the prison was conveniently built upon a buried Dwemer ruin in the middle of the Alik’r desert? And that a fortunate cave-in brought us here?”
“It seems as so…” Aurianna stated. “But, if this is the site of a ruin… that means there has to be a way out!” The Breton sorceress exclaimed.

 

Ajul-Jei and Jaffir would strike at each other, clashing scimitars together with such precision. As the blades tickled one another, Jaffir would speak in a tense, aggressive tone. “You realize that regardless of whoever wins this battle, nobody is going to survive within this damnable pit.”
“You lack faith!” Ajul-Jei responded, before the two assailants shoved each other back, before once more engaging in a clash of steel, sparks flying from the union of the blades.

“Might as well give up. It’s pointless!”

“Could say the same to you, you bastard!” The Argonian spat, releasing with a burst of energy towards his opponent. In a quick flash, Jaffir would pull three small, grey spheres from his garb, then smashed them against the floor, causing them to burst with large clouds of smoke. Ajul-Jei would recoil back, coughing from the sudden outburst of smoke. Jaffir would use the Argonians’ disoriented state to his advantage, striking forward in order to land the killing blow. However, the Argonian would catch wind of this tactic, grappling the Alik’r commander and throwing him back, before slashing him in the side, through the cloth in his cuirass. Jaffir would wince in pain, grumbling.
“Gah! Oh, you bastard… you’ll pay for that!” He’d shout, before shifting around, charging like a bull, slashing wildly to the point of severely pressuring the Argonian pirate. Ajul-Jei would struggle to hold back the attacks, his energy draining like a keg with a large hole. Sure enough, the scimitar would be sent flying from the hands of the Argonian pirate, landing against the sandy floor.

“Very well then…” Ajul-Lei stated, before shifting around and getting onto his knees, raising his hands into the air. “You have defeated me. Now finish the deed and kill me.”

“Oh, with pleasure…” Jaffir would state as he lifted the scimitar. “When your soul is damned to Oblivion, say hello to Dagon for me.” Jaffir would grin widely, striking downwards with his scimitar.

Abruptly, a large bolt of arcane lightning would strike the Alik’r commander back, stunning him. Aurianna would lower her hand as she saw her lightning bolt had struck its target. Ajul-Jei would look over at the Alik’r, who was attempting to regain his footing from the sudden bolt of electricity. Ajul-Jei would take the stalling time to his advantage, quickly swiping the scimitar from the ground. Jaffir would grumble, looking over towards the source of the bolt. He’d grumble at the Breton sorceress, before turning back towards his Argonian assailant. Before Jaffir could properly react, Ajul-Jei would slash with such power that the Alik’r commander would be sent to the ground, his scimitar sliding from his grasp. The Argonian pirate captain would pin himself atop the Alik’r commander, holding the blade behind his shoulder in order to prepare for the final slash.

“You’ve lost.” The Argonian bluntly stated, before slicing with potent speed, slashing through the throat of the Alik’r commander, causing a spurt of blood to splatter against the sandy floor.

 

Aurianna’s eyes would widen upon seeing Ajul-Jei slay the Alik’r commander that she had been caught into a short trance, shortly forgetting about the task at hand.

“Aurianna?” Cyrenius asked.

“Yeah, that’s me… oh, right!” Aurianna would snap back into reality. She’d quickly scan around her surroundings for the Imperial, having a hard time perceiving his position in the limited luminosity.

“I’m… right here?”

Aurianna would look over towards the source of Cyrenius’ voice, immediately spotting him in the dimming luminosity.

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine. Maybe cast a bit more light? Perhaps we’ll find some walls, or even better, a passageway out?”

“Sure thing.”

The Breton sorceress would shift her direction towards Cyrenius, luminous sparks of Magelight producing within her hands. She’d place her hands close together, fusing the Magelight into a larger, luminous white ball. Aurianna thrusted her arms forward, opening her hands, and launching the fused ball of Magelight towards the shroud of darkness that resided beyond the limited reach of the luminosity.

“Oh my…” The Breton and the Imperial would express simultaneously, in utter shock.

 

Ajul-Jei would finally regain his breath from the duel that had previously commenced. He’d look over towards the Breton woman and the Imperial man, then back at the lifeless Alik’r brute beneath him. He’d take in a deep breath, then exhale the stinging, harsh air that resided in his lungs from the stamina he had spent during his battle. His mind would still feel dazed, his head slightly spinning, due to the after-effects of the beating he had received. Still, he’d manage to rise to his feet, before looking back over towards his cellmates, who both seemed to have their attention set on a specific region of the Dwemerian-esque wall.

 

Residing against the wall was a small, bright teal button, surrounded by a casing of brass-like Dwemer metal. The button gleamed brightly as the luminous Magelight gleamed upon it.

“Should… should we press it?” Cyrenius asked the Breton mage.

“If we were in any other scenario, I’d probably say ‘no’, but I don’t think we have any other valid option. Let’s just hope pressing this button leads to a secret passageway out of here…”

Cyrenius would nod, approaching the button as Ajul-Jei caught up with them.

“That’s an oddly-placed button…” The Argonian pirate would blurt out, slightly alarming Aurianna, causing the sorceress to slightly jump.

“Oh! You scared me!”

“Sorry ‘bout that. Just had to catch up… I’m out of breath from that fight.”

“I could tell. But, thankfully it was you who came out on top, and not that corrupt Alik’r.”

Ajul-Jei slightly smiled. “Of course. Though, I feel like I should elaborate on the details of that story later down the road. We should focus on the task at hand.”

Aurianna nodded. “I thoroughly agr-”

 

Click.

 

The Imperial ex-legionnaire had pressed the button, still seeming nervous due to his expression and posture. He’d inspect his surroundings, expecting the worst to occur. However, nothing happened. The button didn’t activate any mechanism or trap.

“Well, that was a dud…” Aurianna stated with discouragement.

“I guess that means we’re left to rot in here, or search for an alternative…” Cyrenius added on.

“Wait…” Ajul-Jei seemed alert, as if he had detected something of note. “Did you hear that? Listen…”

Aurianna and Cyrenius would remain silent, as they focused on the ambient audio within the general area. Sure enough, a muffled, yet deep rumbling could be heard, as if it were emanating from the wall.

“Yeah… I’m certain I hear something… as if it’s resonating within the wall?” Aurianna said, breaking the silence.

“Perhaps pressing the button actually did activate something?” Cyrenius questioned.

Sure enough, the telltale grinding of stone gave away the result of a portion of the stone wall lowering beside where the button resided. Inside the opening remained a square-shaped room plastered with Dwarven technology.

“Well, that’s the most pointless Dwarven mechanism I’ve ever seen…” Ajul-Jei disgruntledly expressed, crossing his arms.

“No… the Dwarves always had a reason behind their tech. Perhaps we should investigate?”

“Best way to find out.” Cyrenius responded to the seemingly-intelligent Breton sorceress, before cautiously stepping inside. Aurianna and Ajul would follow behind him. The odd room was filled with diamond-shaped orifices, with curved pipes atop each corner of the room’s ceiling, forming arcs that attached from the room’s wall to the ceiling. However, what stuck out most of all was another button upon a cylindrical brass pedestal residing beside the exit of the room.

“I…” Aurianna started, being striked with realization as if it were a sudden bolt of lightning. “I understand now! This is a specialized type of Dwarven elevator, powered by a button, which activates the steam in order to carry it up or down!”

“So, you’re saying this mechanism can either lead us to freedom, or take us deeper into the abyss, considering there’s only a singular button that navigates this whole thing?” Ajul-Jei inquired.

“Precisely. Only one way to find out-” the woman stated before slapping her small, smoothly-textured hand upon the teal button. Upon pressing the button, the stone wall would immediately shoot upwards, once more closing the door. The soft, continuous hiss of steam resonated within each of the elevator’s pipes. Of course, this sudden occurrence would cause the ever-skittish Aurianna to recoil back, a shocked squeak leaving her mouth as she stumbled back into the others, who caught her before she could fall onto her back.

“Th-thanks…” Aurianna expressed coyly, her face flushing pink from embarrassment.

“No problem…” Cyrenius responded. Ajul would only usher a small grunt, a peculiar sensation emanating within his stomach.

“Might wanna… hang on to the-”

Abruptly, the Dwemer elevator would shoot downwards at intense speeds as the steam within the pipes hissed furiously. Aurianna would scream as the elevator roared downwards, the wall in front of them resembling an extremely fast grindstone wheel as they went deeper and deeper downwards. After a few minutes of furious speeds, the elevator would start to slow, the wall in front of them slowing with it, before it collided with the bottom, causing the denizens within it to stumble.

“Talk about motion sickness…” The dizzy Aurianna blurted out after the elevator completely ceased movement. Once more, the portion of the wall in front of them would slide downwards, revealing a large, Dwemerian hallway leading to a grand set of brass doors. The hallway was decorated with sets of smooth tablets that were plastered on each wall, with what seemed like etched text upon each tablet. The environment of the hall seemed relatively gloomy, with the air containing a dark blue hue that gave an eerie, yet mystical sensation.

“Wow…” Cyrenius expressed in awe. “I’ve heard about tales of the glorious sights within Dwemer ruins… but I didn’t expect to ever experience anything such as the likes of this…”

“Neither have I. Though, I’m sure this is a first for all of us. You know, falling into a sinkhole while within prison and discovering potentially uncharted Dwemer ruins.” Ajul-Jei added on. “What about you, Breton girl?”

Aurianna remained silent for a bit, her mouth slightly agape as she stepped out into the hallway. “I’ve ventured into plenty of Dwarven ruins before. But this? This ruin carries a certain aura about it… I feel something grand resides behind those doors. We’ve yet to find out, though…”

“It seems like we’ve gone from prisoners trying to find a way out to ruin raiders in the span of a… falling elevator.” Ajul-Jei stated, making a joke.

“We are still prisoners seeking our freedom. Don’t get us wrong on that, Ajul.” Aurianna stated, looking over her shoulder at the Argonian. “Come, follow me. We aren’t gonna escape any quicker if we don’t move.”

“You’re right on that, Aurianna.” Cyrenius stated, before making his way out of the elevator towards the Breton sorceress.

“Please, just refer to me as ‘Auri’.”

“As you wish.”

The prisoners would make their way down the hall, where Aurianna would inspect the first tablet plastered upon the ancient wall.

“As expected, the text is etched in Dwemerian. However, I may be able to translate some things if I’m given some time.”

“How would that help us? That’s just more standing around!” Ajul-Jei exclaimed, with some frustration in his tone.

“Being frustrated won’t help us either, Ajul.” Cyrenius stated to the Argonian. “We can’t form tensions between ourselves now, even over the simplest of things. We’re in this together. We need to work together. Once we escape? Then we can choose how to continue.”

“Thank you, Cyren.” Aurianna expressed her gratitude to the Imperial.

“You-... you have a point. Very well, then.”

Aurianna nodded. “Thank you. Anyways, I believe that decoding this text might provide us some clues on how to escape. It’s our best bet, even if it’d be by chance that it states how we escape. Now, give me a few minutes? I need to focus. Maybe search for anything around here that’d help us?”

Cyrenius and Ajul would nod in response to the Breton woman, curiosity sparking within each of their minds. The two would part from her temporarily, walking down the ancient stone hall.

“Sure is chilly down here…” Cyrenius stated.

“Tell me about it.” The Argonian pirate replied. The silence would drag on for a short period of time, before the Imperial once more broke it.

“You never really gave us a lot of information about yourself. I hope you don’t mind my asking to share your tale?”

“Hm. I suppose you’ve proven to be quite trustworthy thus far. I’m hoping you won’t disappoint me and betray my trust later on. Fair enough. Where to start?”

“You’re a pirate, correct?”
“Aye...” Ajul stated, before turning his gaze ahead of himself. “I was the captain of the Seaserpent Buccaneers. A relatively infamous band of pirates, as you should already know. We were well known for our exploits across the Eltheric Ocean, ranging from the Azurian Sea all the way to the Sea of Ghosts. We’d raid a variety of vessels, from merchant ships all the way to Imperial man o’ wars. However, we weren’t simply just greedy scallywags in it for the gold and the treasure. We would donate a fair share of our spoils to communities in need wherever we could access. And yes, it was true that my crew and I were present at Stros M’Kai during the Dominion’s siege of the island. We were heading to a port within the Iliac Bay in order to receive repairs from the battle that my beloved galleon, the ‘Queen Slaughterfish’, had endured. That’s when we were attacked by a fleet of Alik’r. My crew and I fought valiantly, slaying many of the warriors as my galleon slowly began to sink into the waters below. That’s when Jaffir, damn his soul, made his way towards me, even killing some of his own men in order to knock me out. And, you know the rest of the story from there.”

The two were now leaning against a wall, having not discovered anything more of use within the hall. 

“What about you? You never really specified your story.” Ajul brought up.

“Oh? I haven’t? Huh. Well, then again, I don’t think any of us really had the chance to share any information about our pasts. Anyways, I suppose I shall.” Cyrenius would pause to clear his throat. “I was born in the Imperial City, as part of the generic commonwealth. Just after the Great War. My entire life as a commoner, even when I was a kid, I felt as if every move or action was under the eyes of the Thalmor. I joined the Legion at the age of 19, near the end of the century. Never really experienced anything interesting. Never got sent to Skyrim in order to fight against the rebellion. Not that I really cared for it. I was just hoping for the second chance against the Dominion. Hearing stories from my father, who was also in the Legion during the Great War, I wanted vengeance against the High Elves. My brothers-in-arms were with me on this, though we kept our plots and talks about how we’d overthrow the Dominion secretive. We didn’t feel that we had anything to worry about, up until recently, when apparently a Thalmor spy planted within the Legion had caught wind of our discussions. Sure enough, the Dominion were on our trail, forcing us to abandon the Legion and go on the run. While on the run, I illegally crossed the border into Hammerfell, where I was caught by a posse of Alik’r warriors, who knocked me out. Then I ended up in that prison, and you know the rest.”

“Well, I guess we’re still seen as criminals - in our own ways.” Ajul-Jei chuckled.

“It would seem so.” Cyrenius snickered slightly alongside the Argonian. “I suppose we should check up on our lady friend.”

“Good idea. Let’s see if her unusual knowledge about the Dwemer can somehow help us get out of here.”

Cyrenius and Ajul-Jei detached their backs from the stone wall, making way back to the young Breton sorceress.

“Any luck?” Cyrenius asked.

“Well, I think I’ve got a solid understanding of what this first tablet translates to…”

“Go on. Share with us.”

“‘Within the depths of the gaping jaws, resides our fiery tomb’.” Aurianna recited. “It’s cryptic, to say the least.”

“Doesn’t assist us whatsoever in helping us find a way out.” Ajul-Jei stated with more disgruntlement in his tone.

“It’s one of four. Hopefully the other tablets provide more information.” Cyrenius chimed in. 

“Well, onto the next tablet down the line, I suppose. Convenient how they’re all positioned in a zigzag formation…”

The Breton sorceress would shift her direction, moving towards the second tablet, which was in a corresponding angle from the first tablet. Cyrenius and Ajul would follow behind her.

“Hey, Auri?” Cyrenius asked. “How come you happen to conveniently know so much about the Dwemer and their technology?”

Aurianna would remain silent for a moment, before responding. “I… hm. I don’t think you’re going to believe me for this, but I was the last of Calcelmo’s apprentices, before his death…”

“Calcelmo? You mean that one scholar mastermind from Markarth?” Cyrenius questioned.

“Yes. That Calcelmo. The one and only.”

“Explains a lot. Never knew he had passed, though? Thought Altmer could live for hundreds of years?”

“On rare occasions, do they die of natural causes. Calcelmo had contracted a long-term lung illness after accidentally excavating into a pocket of poisonous gases within a section of the Nchuand-Zel ruins. This was before he had chosen me to be his final apprentice, alongside his nephew Aicantar. He lasted quite a while, but no potions or magic were able to cure him. He continued on his research for a few years, with some assistance from yours truly,” she’d pause as they arrived at the second tablet. The young Breton woman would place her hand upon it, inspecting the engraved symbols once more. “He taught me how to translate a good portion of the Dwemerian and Falmer languages, and even allowed me to assist him on a dictionary for both languages respectively. However, before we could finish and publicize it, he had passed.” Aurianna finished, with a trace of sorrow in her tone.

“How come you weren’t able to finish it?” Ajul inquired.

“A variety of events, to say the least…” Aurianna replied. “I’d rather not elaborate on the specifics of those events right now. I’d prefer to focus on translating this next set of text. Give me a bit of space, will you?”

“Sure thing.” Cyrenius responded, before once more, the Imperial and the Argonian would break off from her and continue their discussions.

“So. What about your early life?” Cyrenius inquired.

“Well, if you want to know, I’d be advised. This is one of those generic ‘bad parents’ and ‘orphan’ stories.”

“Well, regardless, I’d like to hear it.”

“If you say so.” Ajul-Jei stated, taking a breath before continuing on. “I was born in Lilmoth, shortly after the Great War. My father was a drug dealer and my mother was a prostitute. Of course, they weren’t a couple. And neither of them wanted to be parents, so they gave my egg away to a local orphanage. I was expected to die before I could hatch, but they managed to resuscitate my viability at a hatching pool in time. I was born a little smaller than the average Saxhleel, but I had survived. I remained at the orphanage up until the young age of five, before I ran away. Nearly died in the wilds due to starvation and dehydration, until I was discovered by a group of my fellow Saxhleel, who turned out to be pirates. Thought they were going to kill me, but the captain took me as his own son, as he was once a father himself until his previous son was killed by a Swamp Leviathan. I was raised as a pirate, learning and embracing the brutality of a swashbuckler’s life from a ripe age. Lived on the sea until my teenage years, when my adoptive father was slain during a battle with an Imperial galleon. Our frigate was completely demolished, doomed to sink to the bottom of the sea. I washed up on a small, uncharted island, along with two crewmates. I’ll spare you that story for another time, but to put it shortly, I was the only survivor. I returned to Black Marsh for a couple of years, doing brigand work, but decided that it wasn’t for me. That’s when some of my bandit egg-brothers and I, who shared a mutual dream, robbed our own boss blind, and used the money to purchase ourselves a large galleon. And thus, that’s how the pirate band known as the Seaserpent Buccaneers were born.”

“What’s the story behind the name?”

“Nothing, really. I just thought it was clever, considering we were just a band of reptiles taking to the sea. What? Were you expecting a tale about a sea serpent?”

“Well, I’m gonna be honest with you. I was quite hoping there would be.” Cyrenius chuckled.

“Putting it like that, I actually have seen a few sea serpents within my seafaring time. They’re generally peaceful and timid, despite what old legends say about them.”

“So I would’ve assumed.” Cyrenius snickered subtly.

“Alright gentlemen,” Aurianna announced from the background, “I’ve deciphered the second tablet! I think, at least.”

The two would exchange glances. “I guess we should get back to it, then?”

“We don’t really have any other option.” Ajul chimed on. The Imperial and the Argonian would shift their direction back towards the Breton sorceress, who seemed slightly more ecstatic than previously.

“Well, what’s it say?” Cyrenius addressed.

“‘In the chamber of the infernal heart, we take our stand as an entire people.’” Aurianna recited.

“So, another pointless translation? I guess we’ve no need to decode the other tablets.” Ajul-Jei added, once more crossing his arms in disappointment.

“Not entirely pointless,” Aurianna corrected, “it’s sharing some type of story. As I’ve stated before, I’m not certain whether or not my translations are entirely accurate, but… if so… we may be learning about how the Dwemer disappeared!” Aurianna exclaimed, her excitement levels apparent to the others.

“If I were a scholar bookworm and not a prisoner escapee, perhaps I’d be a bit more enthusiastic about this entire discovery. But, each to their own, I suppose.” Ajul-Jei said, unamused.

“Well, we don’t have a lot of time to squabble about this. Perhaps we should see where those doors lead?” 

“It’ll do us better than waiting around translating pointless tablet engravings.” Ajul added on.

“Suit yourself. I’ll proceed to decode the text.”

“Very well, then.”

Once more, Ajul and Cyrenius would leave Aurianna to her translating duties, heading towards the grand, brass doors that towered within the hall, proceeding their personal discussions onwards.

“Alright, gentlemen! It seems as if I’ve managed to decipher the third tablet.” Aurianna announced to her companions, who were mindlessly traversing the length of the hall.

“Great. Another useless tablet decoded. One more to go. By the Nine, this is consuming precious time…” Ajul-Jei muttered.

“I suppose we should take a look around the end of the hall. Maybe have a shot at opening that giant door?” Cyrenius addressed.

“Sounds good to me.” Ajul replied.

“Let’s check up on Auri first. Perhaps this time she’s decoded something useful?”

“I doubt it.”

The two would quickly pace towards the Breton sorceress in order to be enlightened with the knowledge she had received from deciphering the third tablet. If it could really be called “knowledge”.

“So, what’s it say?” The Imperial inquired.

“‘As the Scroll foretold our inevitable demise, the Tools shall carry out our destruction.’ That’s interesting. It’s as if they’re referring to an Elder Scroll. Not only that, but also the Tools of Kagrenac to add onto that!”

“That’s… actually quite interesting.” Cyrenius stated, with traces of intrigue lingering within his tone.

“Interesting? Maybe. But helpful? Of course not. Come on, Cyren. Let’s just get that door open already. Having her decipher these tablets is a waste of time…” The Argonian grumbled.

“I… oh, very well.”

“While you two are doing that, I’ll-”

“Yes, yes. You’ll decipher the last tablet and proceed to not be useful in this situation.” Ajul interrupted the sorceress.

“Wow. Okay… that was uncalled for and kinda hurtful.” Aurianna coyly responded. Ajul and Cyrenius proceeded towards the gigantic set of engraved brass doors, which towered over them like they were ants, while Aurianna began to ponder away at the fourth engraved tablet.

“So… should we try to open them by force?” Ajul questioned the former legionnaire.

“No… even if we were to force all our weight upon these doors, it doesn’t look like they’d budge.”

“I suppose you’re right. But, there has to be a way to open the door somehow?”

“Perhaps there’s a hidden button or lever around here somewhere?”

“Only way to find out is to investigate.”

Cyrenius nodded, before peering around his vicinity, searching for any out-of-place stone or any hidden mechanism to open the behemoth doorway. However, he couldn’t spot anything that looked out of place nor beneficial to the purpose of opening the doors.

Ajul-Jei would find himself having just as much luck as his Imperial friend. It’d seem like a miracle of the Divines or perhaps assistance from Nocturnal would be the only way to get through the door.

No… Ajul-Jei thought. There has to be something.

Meanwhile, Aurianna had just finished translating the engravings on the final ancient stone tablet.

“‘Our souls shall return to the stars from whence they arrived, and from the stars shall our souls be once again.’” Aurianna silently recited the translation to herself. “Hey, guys! I’ve decoded the last tablet!”

“Save it, woman! We’d rather focus on finding a way to open this damn door!” Ajul-Jei announced from the distance.

“Very well, then…” The sorceress silently muttered to herself. She’d find herself in a temporary trance, in an attempt to decode what the story behind the inscriptions on the tablet actually meant. What story they represented. Did she really just uncover a cryptic, yet groundbreaking secret? Her mind couldn’t exactly fathom the greatness, nor the excitement brought on by what she had learnt. Oh, how much Calcelmo would’ve loved to see these ruins! Perhaps-

And that’s when she noticed something peculiar about the tablet, bringing her back from her trance of being overwhelmed in a heartbeat. The tablet stuck out a lot more than the previous three tablets did. To untrained eyes, it would’ve barely been noticeable, but to an intelligent and attentive mind such as herself, it almost stuck out like a sore thumb upon closer inspection. Aurianna would slightly inhale, before placing her hands upon the tablet in an attempt to push it back. Nothing. 

Maybe it’s like a case? Aurianna asked herself within her own mind. She’d lower her hands, clutching onto the bottom of the tablet as if it were a case. Aurianna would start to lift and pull, feeling the tablet slightly move, before an internal force suddenly halted the tablet’s progress. 

Locked. Of course.

 

Within the doorframe, Cyrenius would notice a peculiar glint, reminiscent to that of the bright cyan glow produced by the buttons found within the elevator and in the entrance to the ruin. He’d slowly kneel down, getting height-level with the button. 

“Well… let’s see what this does…” Cyrenius said to himself, before pressing the button with his index finger pointed outwards.

 

Abruptly, the tablet would flip upwards, causing the ever-skittish Breton sorceress to jump back and usher out a soft squeak. She blocked her face with her arms in a defensive manner, only to realize that the tablet had opened. She’d slowly uncover her face, looking towards the now-opened tablet case. Inside, there was another button. A bit larger, but adorned the bright cyan Aetherium crystal aesthetic of the Dwemer. She’d look over towards Cyrenius and Ajul-Jei, to see them both looking in her direction. Cyrenius was positioned down on his knee, with his arm slightly stretched outward as if he were pressing something. She’d figure that the Imperial had found a button that activated the mechanism that opened up the fourth tablet. She’d inspect the button, before pushing her right arm out and placing her hand upon the button. She’d take a deep breath, hoping that it wasn’t a clever trap designed by the Dwarves in order to imbue hope, yet only end up proving deceitful.

“No going back now…” she uttered to herself, before pushing the large button forward. She looked towards the doors, then down at Cyrenius and Ajul, who simultaneously began to slowly back up away from them. Sure enough, the doors began to slightly creak open, emitting a deep, low-frequency screech that echoed throughout the hall, like some sort of metal warhorn. As the doors opened, the three could make out a gargantuan construct, though it was difficult to make out what it was due to the darkness that lingered beyond the doors, further into the heart of the ruins. Aurianna’s eyes widened into shock when she finally realized what the gargantuan construct behind the doors actually was. A Dwemer Centurion. But not like any Centurion she had seen before. This one was the size of a tower, its enormous size putting the normal Steam Centurion to complete shame. Its weaponry also seemed a lot different than any other Centurion’s. It had the traditional warhammer as a right hand, except the head of the hammer seemed almost segmented, as if it could extend outwards or be folded inwards of itself. However, it was the left hand that intrigued her more. It was almost shaped like a normal hand, which was extremely rare to see in the architecture of Dwarven animunculi. However, the fingers had a somewhat rounded shape to them, with the tips being pointy and sharp. They almost looked as if they were detachable. Aurianna thanked Stendarr that this behemoth had remained dormant, even with their intrusion of the ruins.

Ajul-Jei and Cyrenius had backed up to the point they had almost passed Aurianna.

“What is that thing?” Cyrenius inquired with a sharp, fearful whisper.

“It’s a Dwarven Centurion, but… a lot bigger than any I’ve ever seen. And by a lot bigger, I mean a lot bigger…” Aurianna responded in a whisper, bearing almost as much shock as her companions. 

“Is it activated?” Ajul-Jei asked.

“No. It appears to be dormant right now, but we can’t be too-”

 

Abruptly, the eyes of the Metal Titan would flash to life with the same, crystalline cyan hue of aetherium. Its arms rattled as it activated, large clouds of steam spewing from its shoulders as it positioned itself, deploying an extendable warhammer from its right hand, and clenching its left hand into a fist.

 

“...carefuuuul…”