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Fall from High Rock	By : mistressarachnia Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Morrowind Views: 4940 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The Elder Scrolls universe belongs to Bethesda. Alyssa Elbert belongs to me. I make no money from writing about her adventures.

Chapter List
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Chapter
12: Nchuleftingth
When Alyssa awoke the next morning,
Hulgar was snoring loudly on the floor.� He apparently hadn�t quite made it to
the couch, and was instead situated immediately below it.� She smiled.� The
room was much nicer than she expected, although it did have a bit more of an
aura of romance than she really felt comfortable with at the moment.�
Translucent silk screens partitioned off the huge ornate bed draped in
luxurious fabrics that she slept alone in.� Candlelight played across the intricate
tapestries lining the walls, depicting men and women in various stages of
romantic encounters.� The deep red couch was as ornate as the rest of the
furniture, and next to it was a dark table with carved swirls and a softly
burning candle.� She could just make out the title of the book sitting on the
table, The Lusty Argonian Maid.� The scent of floral perfume was
omnipresent, but light enough to be pleasant without being overpowering.� She
inhaled deeply as she stretched.� She could hear the faintest sound of soft
music, barely audible thanks to Hulgar�s loud snoring.
Just then she noted a vase of coda
flowers at her dark bedside table and a glowing pink ring.� Examining it, she
noticed that the inscription indicated that it was a ring of night vision.�
With it she could see in the dark, at least to some degree, giving her a
definite advantage in dark tunnels or under the open night sky.� Smiling, she
thanked her omnipresent guardian admirer � whoever he was.� However, the ring
and flowers hadn�t been there when she had gone to sleep the night before.�
This meant that someone had entered her room while she slept.� In Ald�ruhn, the
gifts had always arrived while she was out, and� that was Ald�ruhn.� Someone
was following her.� But who?� And why?
Quickly she roused Hulgar,
informing him of the events of the previous night, and her mysterious gifts.�
Yawning, he shrugged.
�Ah well, don�t complain too much,
this person obviously wants to help you, not hurt you.� Strange though,� he
replied, clutching his head.
�I shouldn�t have drunk so much
last night.� I�m sorry, m�lady, it won�t happen again,� he promised, stumbling
to get his things together.� Alyssa smiled.� She was eager to be on her way.
~*~
The Molag Amur region was more
barren than Alyssa had expected, given the lush gardens of Suran nearby.� Rocky
crags covered the dry grey landscape.� The sky was clear, but the eerie noises
of the wind searing through the narrow mountainous passageways and the bubbling
earth below made Alyssa�s skin crawl.� She had turned several jagged corners
only to gasp as the heat from a hidden lava flow suddenly rose up from the
ground.� The bubbling red lava pools created a menacing glow to the dark
landscape.� Giant black beetles seemed to crawl up out of nowhere to attack her.�
They were easy enough to dispatch, especially with Hulgar alongside.� One
strike of his ax split the unfortunate insects in two, without Alyssa needing
to do so much as draw a breath to utter a spell.� Hulgar informed her that they
were called black shalks and that their resin had certain alchemical
properties, although he couldn�t remember exactly what.� Alyssa cringed at the
crunch they made when she touched them to scrape the husks, but with Hulgar�s
help found that the resin was easy enough to collect.� She could ask Anarenen
about it when she returned.� She was not surprised to learn that cliff racers
also chose to inhabit the rocky crags.� They appeared to be a slightly
different species than the ones she was used to in the ashlands, with darker fur
and shorter spines, but they were no friendlier.� Alyssa�s spells took care of
most of the beasts from a distance, but the ones who got close enough fell
swiftly to Hulgar�s huge enchanted ax.� She wondered vaguely if the plumes she
collected from the winged terrors would have the same alchemical properties as
those she collected from the ashlands.� She would have to test them out when
she returned home to Ald�ruhn.
Alyssa stifled a gasp as she
rounded another narrow rocky corridor.� Ahead of her lay a deep pool of
bubbling lava surrounded by the carcasses of cliff racers and huge black shalks.�
But what startled her most was a huge flaming beast near the edges of the pool,
his skin smoldering with fire as he lumbered idly towards the pair.
�It�s a flame atronach, isn�t it?�
asked Alyssa quietly.� Thankfully, the creature seemed unaware of their
presence.
�Aye, that it is,� replied Hulgar
quietly, �It�s best to leave the daedra alone whenever possible, but mind you,
if that thing gets too close he�ll feel the sharp of my ax before he knows what
hit him.� Hurry, let�s be on our way.�� Alyssa nodded in agreement, hurrying to
follow him but unable to tear her eyes from the flaming daedra before her.� The
being appeared to be made of pure fire, however that was possible.
It was evening by the time the pair
came to a great cliff.� As Alyssa looked down her eyes filled with awe.� Was
this Nchuleftingth?� Rusted redish-brown
metalic spires shot up out of the ground, ending in large bulbous pointed metal
tips. Below she could see a pipe-lined grey-brown bridge leading to a round
metal door with strange markings above it.� The wind blowing through caused the
metalic spires to groan as though straining against the forces of nature
itself.� The strench of rust attested to the age of the ruins.� They saw no
signs of life anywhere.� Nchuleftingth, like all ancient dwarven ruins, had
been abandoned long ago for reasons unknown to anyone.
Alyssa and Hulgar hurried down the cliff towards the door.� The bridge
creaked and groaned under their weight.� Hulgar pulled open the door with a
crash.� The protest it made at being opened was so great that Alyssa feared it
would fall off.� But the door was a sturdy construct.� It held.� They entered
the ruin as the door creaked shut behind them and allowed their eyes to adjust
to the light.� The room was strangely warm and the buzz of machinery filled
Alyssa�s ears.
�Edwinna?� asked a male voice.
�No,� said Alyssa, still waiting for her eyes to adjust, �I�m Alyssa,
Edwinna�s younger sister.� I�m here to collect your excavation report and find
out why it was late.�
�Oh dear.� I�m afraid I don�t quite know where it is.� We�ve come to a
bit of a stand-still in our excavation efforts you see.� The Dunmer
archaeologist we brought with us, Anes Vendu, disappeared last week.� He was
writing the report and thought he�d stumbled onto something great,� the worried
voice continued.� Alyssa blinked.� She could now see that the voice belonged to
a bearded older Imperial man with short blondish grey hair. �Next to him sat a
young Imperial girl, looking up from a book she was reading.
�I�m so sorry.� I�m Senilias Cadiusus and this is my daughter Pania.�
We�ve excavated the entire upper level of the ruin and found relatively little
of interest.� The last of the centurian spiders was dismantled for research
some two weeks ago so it�s perfectly safe to explore but� I can feel the buzz
of machenery all around me and I just know there is more to the ruin than we
are finding.� There is a puzzle room called the �Test of Pattern� just down the
hall which I believe holds the secret to unlocking the lower levels, only the
secret to the puzzle was lost long ago.� I believe that Anes discovered the
secret to the room but I can�t prove it.� I can�t prove anything until I find
him and ask him myself.� Unfortunately, the puzzle room is heavily trapped, so
we have to proceed very carefully.�� The Imperial girl snorted, glaring up at
her father.
�Well, I think he just ran off with all the dwemer coins and artifacts
he could carry and headed straight for the nearest market.� Those things fetch
a good price you know.� I don�t think there are any �secret lower levels.��
We�ve been here for months and haven�t found a thing.� I�m bored.� We should
just go home,� said Pania.� Senilias sighed.
�My daughter does not, unfortunately, share my interest in research.� I
foolishly thought that bringing her along on this excavation to see the ruins
firsthand would inspire her to take a more active interest in the subject, but
alas it has done the opposite,� he explained.
�Literature father.� I like studying literature.� No one but you wants
to hear about a bunch of stuffy dirty old Dwemer ruins, but everyone wants to
hear the beauty of poetry.� Why can�t I study what I love and you stick to your
own interests?� she complained with a pout, �Besides, sonnets don�t suddenly
come to life and try to kill you like these stupid spider automatons around
here do.�
�We�ll talk about this later dear, right now we have guests,� he looked
at Alyssa pleadingly, �If you could help us find Anes, it would be of great
assistance to all of us.�
�I�ll try�� said Alyssa doubtfully.� She looked up at Hulgar, who
shrugged.
�So where is this puzzle room?� asked Hulgar.
�Just down the hall, through the double doors.� You can�t mistake it.�
The hum of mechanical energy is all around.� I�m sure it leads somewhere,�
Senilias said.
�Alright then, we�ll see what we can do,� said Hulgar, starting down
the halls.� Alyssa hurried to follow him.
The corridors were brown and musty, filled with a buzzing electrical
light.� Circular lighting fictures lined the walls, illuninating the halls with
an eerie orange glow.� Alyssa gasped as she spied a heap of golden bronze metal
on the floor, with legs sticking out at odd angles.� A dismantled centurian
spider, for sure.� She nudged it with her foot, wondering at the springs and
cogs that held it together.� Many round double doors lined the halls, some of
them containing the reminants of broken down metal bedframes and huge metal
barrels.� The ruins made Alyssa more than curious.� She could see why Edwinna
found them so engrossing.� Whatever had happened to the dwarves to cause them
to disappear off the face of the earth, leaving all of these strange buzzing
machines and eerie underground mechanical cities behind?
They neared the end of the hallway and entered a large buzzing room.�
Huge cogs spun in the center and the ground vibrated beneath them.� Wheels spun
and levers churned.� Alyssa stood in amazement.� �This must be the puzzle
room,� she thought.� She took a step forward.� Just then an arrow buzzed past
her head, nearly impaling her as Hulgar grabbed her and pulled her back.� She
had little time to react.� Her heart was beating heavily in her chest as she
spied the arrow stuck in the wall next to her.
�Careful, the place is trapped.� Anything could be a trap in here,�
whispered Hulgar.� Alyssa nodded.
�But anything could also be the key to the puzzle, right?� she asked.
�Aye.� But if you ask me, we should leave that bit of intellectual curiousity
for the professionals.� You and I could get in over our heads sooner than not.�
�But� Hulgar, I need to do this.� I can�t go back to Edwinna empty
handed.� I just can�t.� If my first mission is a failure, she�ll never let me
forget it,� Alyssa pleaded.
�I understand completely.� I�ll do what I can to help.� But tread
lightly, mind you,� he cautioned.� Alyssa nodded as she advanced further into
the room, careful not to touch anything and avoiding the strange markings on
the floor and walls for fear that they could be traps.� A strange heat welled
up from the center of the room.� Alyssa could feel a faint breeze rising from
below.� She could see why Senilias believed there were lower levels.� She could
feel them.� But how in Oblivion did one reach them?� She studied each detail of
the walls and cogs looking for a clue.� Along one wall she noticed three
cranks.� Surely turning them did something.� Perhaps turning them in a specific
pattern?� Senilias had called this room the �Test of Pattern� after all. �But
in which order should they be turned?� She continued scrutinizing the room for
clues.� She wasn�t even sure if the cranks were the proper key.� She wished
Edwinna were here to help.� Suddenly a clash sounded like the opening of a door
and a gush of warm air swelled up to meet her.
�Oops, I wasn�t paying attention there for a minute.� No harm done
though.� What happened?� asked Hulgar, who had leaned against the crank
furthest from the entrance.� Cautiously, he and Alyssa tip-toed around the huge
mass of cranks in the middle room.� Alyssa let out a gasp.� One of the walls
had opened up revealing stairs leading down, the brown corridors lit with the
same circular electrical orange lighting on the walls.� But there was another
source of light and heat that Alyssa could sense.� They cautiously decended the
stairs and came to another large room.� In the center of this room was a lava
pit and Alyssa could just make out� She let out a gasp as she spied the fallen
body of a Dunmer man.� Before she could think, a strange clunking sound filled
her ears.� She turned to face a huge golden automaton, steam spilling from its
body, its arms raised to crush her.� Just then Hulgar�s ax caught the robot,
throwing it off balance.� The two stood locked, and Alyssa hurried to get out
of the way.� A steam centurion, she reasoned.� She braced herself to cast a
frost spell.� The thing smashed down hard on Hulgar�s armor, knocking him
back.� But he regained his balance and swung hard at the creature�s torso,
denting the metal and causing a series of springs and cogs to fall.� The thing
raised its arms again to smash down, just as Alyssa unleashed a stream of
chilling ice from her fingertips.� The centurian staggered back and Hulgar
issued one final blow as the creature fell into a heap of metal at his feet
with a loud crash.� He laughed.
�We�re apparently better at this whole excavation thing than the
professionals,� he said with a grin, �Months of searching and studying couldn�t
do what old Hulgar could by accident in only a few minutes.� And take a look at
that guy.� He obviously wasn�t as prepared for danger as he should have been
down in these ruins,� he motioned to the body of the Dunmer.
�Is that� Anes?� asked Alyssa quietly.
�Only one way to find out.� Here, help me sort through his pockets and
we�ll see if we can�t find a clue.� Gah, this guy smells terrible.� He must�ve
been dead some time before we arrived.� The clothes are stuck fast to his
rotting body,� he said, �Hey, here�s something.� It looks like paper, is it the
report?�� He handed it to Alyssa, who took it cautiously.
�You can�t tell?� she asked as she unfolded it.� It was indeed the
letter she needed.
�Naw.� I can�t read.� Never needed to,� he said simply.
�Poor Anes.� What a horrible
death.� He was so close to making a great discovery too,� she mused as she
looked over the report.� Edwinna should be pleased at least.
�Ha!� This doesn�t look like such a
great discovery to me - just some more barrels, shelves, and chests sitting
around a lava pit with strange machinery.� I wonder why they chose to build
around a lava pit.�
�There's a book here on this
shelf.� I can�t read it.� It must be written in Dwemeris.� Edwinna might want
it though� I should bring it back to her,� she mused, examining the contents of
a shelf nearby.� A flash of white light caught her eye and she heard the fizzle
of what sounded like crumbling metal.� She turned and let out a gasp.� Hulgar
was bent over a chest, completely naked.
�Damn it!� he shouted, �Why would
anyone trap a chest with a disintegrate armor spell?� That was some good bonemold
armor too!�
�Why� weren�t you wearing clothes
under your armor?� asked Alyssa suspiciously as she averted her eyes, trying to
see if there was any forging equipment in the room.
�Hmm.� I always forget something in
Suran,� he cursed under his breath, �No matter!� When we get back to the city
I�ll stop by the smith�s shop and pick up some equipment to repair it.� It
should take no time at all.�� Alyssa sighed.
�You are going to go all the way
back to Suran naked?� she asked incredulously.
�Well, I don�t see any other
choice.� Do you?� That guy�s clothes down there are rotted to his body, and
besides, he isn�t as large as I am.� They would never fit,� Hulgar complained.�
Alyssa laughed.
�How about if I just go ask Senilias
if he has something you can borrow?� While I�m at it, I might as well ask him
to come down here and help us sort through the rest of those chests.� I don�t
want to risk springing another trap.� But the Dwemer were good with metal � I�m
sure there�s some forging equipment somewhere around here that you can use to
repair your armor,� she offered.
�Alright,� he nodded in agreement,
�Good idea.� Let�s go see what he has to say then.�� Alyssa hurried to follow
him up the stairs, trying to avoid looking at his hairy backside.� He seemed
perfectly at ease being completely naked; although she wasn�t so sure she was
completely at ease with it herself.� And she wasn�t so sure that Senilias was
going to think� or Pania.
�Wait!� said Alyssa, �I, um, don�t
really think that Senelias is going to appreciate you showing up completely
naked with his young daughter right there with him� Why don�t you wait here and
I�ll bring him back?�
�Oh.� Alright.� Whatever works best
� I�d just like to get my armor repaired so we can be on our way,� he said
simply.� As Alyssa hurried to pass him, he leaned against the wall.� Another
flash of light sounded and Alyssa turned around in surprise.
�Damn it all!� he cried.� Alyssa
blinked and tried to keep her eyes at his bearded face and away from his
heavily muscled, heavily scarred, hairy physique.
�What now?� she asked.
�I can�t move!� I�m paralyzed,
can�t you see that?� Use one of your spells to fix it!� he fumed through
clenched teeth.� Alyssa looked confused.
�I�m sorry, but I don�t *know* any
spells to cure paralyzation!� I�ve never needed one!� I�ll ask Senilias about
that too, I�m sure he knows.� He�s been studying Dwemer ruins � and Dwemer
traps � for so long that I�m sure he�s seen this before,� she promised.
�Hurry up then!� The thought of
spending all of eternity in this blasted ruin is most depressing,� he
complained.� Alyssa scrambled to obey.� She raced down the hall and found Senilias.�
Breathlessly she told him all that had happened.� He nodded, his face grim.
�I�m very sorry to hear about Anes.�
It was as I suspected though.� Your friend Hulgar sprung a Dwemer jink trap.�
I�ve tripped a few of those myself over the years.� I can undo it with no
trouble at all, but it will take a while to recuperate him and repair the armor.�
I suggest you head back to Suran without him.� If you could solve the mystery
of the �Test of Pattern� so quickly when it eluded us for months, I�m sure you
can make it back to Suran safely.� Disarming a steam centurion is no easy feat
either.� Edwinna is going to want those notes, and I don�t need her to think
that her little sister is missing and in danger too.� That would really cause a
panic.� You�d best get back as soon as possible so she doesn�t worry.� Thanks
to your help, you can tell her that we�re on our way to a ground breaking
discovery � with any luck we should have the excavation completed in just a few
more weeks!� he smiled, his eyes still grim.� Alyssa nodded.� She didn�t see
any other choice herself.� She hoped Hulgar would be alright, but somehow she
knew that he would.
~*~
Alyssa had lost track of time in
the ruins.� She had forgotten that it was still dark outside.� �Better for
traveling unnoticed,� she reasoned.� Silently, she thanked her anonymous gift
giver for the ring of night vision.� As she slipped it on and the world grew
brighter, like she was coming out of a dark tunnel.� She hoped that the
creatures out here did not have as good a view as she did.� She hurried on the
trail back to Suran.� Daylight should break soon and she wanted to be home in
Ald�ruhn by the following nightfall.� Traveling alone had a different feel to
it, but she felt confident that she could make it.� She slipped through the
shadows with ease, only fighting with the rare cliff racer or black shalk that
noticed her presence.� The journey should be quick.
Just as she was gaining confidence,
she turned a corner around a rocky outcrop and her jaw dropped.� She was near a
bubbling lava pool.� Face to face with her was a huge flame atronach, who
raised his hands to attack.� She stumbled back to get away, but fell.� She felt
her hands grow cold as she sent forth the strongest frost spell she could
muster, but it was not enough.� She was fatigued from her journey and her
strength had begun to leave her.� She cried out as the wounded atronach grabbed
her, searing her flesh.� She screamed as she tried to concentrate all of her
energy into summoning help.� A clanfear appeared and attacked the beast,
causing it to release its fiery grip on Alyssa.� With shaking hands, she
reached down to grab a potion to heal her burnt flesh.� Just then a second
flame atronach appeared and sent forth a volley of fire at the clanfear, who
went up in smoke.� The two atronachs were joined by a third, who moved in on
Alyssa.� Heat washed over her and her vision went red as she lost
consciousness.
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Fall from High Rock