Legends of Skyrim: The Stylite Storm (BOOK TWO)

VI - Revealing the Unseen

Stumbling on her feet a little, Kasaah burst out of the Hall of the Elements before stopping in front of Mirabelle. The Breton was a touch alarmed at the sudden appearance, but smiled pleasantly as she recognised the Argonian. "Kasaah," she smiled, moving over to make room for her friend, "What brings you to me today?"
"Do you know anything about the Staff of Magnus?" Kasaah asked, sitting beside her.
"Well now that's an odd question," Mirabelle answered hesitantly, "Why in the world would you be asking?"
"It may be connected to the Eye of Magnus." she tilted her head back towards the Hall of the Elements.
"The 'Eye of Magnus'?" she tilted her head before scoffing, "Kasaah, I can appreciate that this... thing, this Orb... it's very impressive. Very unique, and definitely worth studying. But let's not jump to any conclusions, or assign it importance beyond what we're certain of."
The Agnonian looked to her feet, embarrassed. "Sorry..." she whispered, "But the Augur referred to it like that, not me."
"... The Augur?" Mirabelle sighed, her hand gently brushing over her temples, "Just what have you gotten yourself involved in?"
She then turned to Kasaah and held her cheek, tilting her head to face her. "Whatever is going on, whatever you're up to..." she pleaded, "Please be careful."
Holding her hand, Kasaah looked into Mirabelle's eyes. "So," her beauty did not distract her, however, "The Staff of Magnus?"
Though she looked disappointed, Mirabelle explained, "It's said to be very powerful. Has the capacity to store an incredible amount of Magical power, as the story goes. But it's more myth than anything at this point.

"I've no doubt that it actually exists," she looked towards the gates, "But no one has seen it in, what, decades? Longer? I'm not sure. The only time I've heard it mentioned was when those Synod characters showed up some years ago looking for it."
"Synod?" Kasaah's ears perked up.
"Mages based out of Cyrodiil," Mirabelle stretched as a cold wind blew between the two, "They fancy themselves the Imperial Authority on magic these last few hundred years. My understanding is that all they really do is make noise in an attempt to curry favour from the Emperor. Lots of politics, little Magic. I was quite surprised to find them on our doorstep. They seemed amiable enough, but their line of questioning made me... uneasy. It became clear they're trying to hoard powerful artefacts, looking to consolidate power."
"So no one here knows the Staff's location?" Kasaah asked, allowing a little frustration to slip through.
"The Synod seemed convinced it was somewhere in Skyrim," Mirabelle gently took Kasaah's hand, "They inquired about the ruins of Mzulft, but that's all I remember. It sounded like they were heading there, though they were rather secretive about why."
She stood before turning against the wind. "I suppose if you're intent on looking for the Staff," Mirabelle told Kasaah, "There's a chance they might be in Mzulft yet. Just don't expect them to be cooperative."
Before she walked away, Kasaah quickly stood, rushed to her, and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you." she nodded before rushing to her room.
Mirabelle stood frozen for a few seconds, before holding her cheek. It felt warm, and not just because she was blushing. As she watched the Argonian leave the College and walk out of Winterhold, she found herself smiling. It wasn't a common occurrence, and she had forgotten how pleasant it felt.

Mzulft was a large Dwarven ruin southeast of Windhelm. It was the location of one of the Oculories in Skyrim, and this feature in particular made it a target of a secret project conducted by the Synod. However, the locals weren't too happy, and had decimated the Mages' numbers. Mzulft had three main structures: a wall with an extending archway, the Dwarven Storeroom, and the main entrance to the ruins between them. Pushing open the bronze door,Kasaah found herself in a small antechamber, at the back of the room a gate was blocking of a door. Slouched over on the floor to the side, just beneath a lever, was a Mage, presumably a Synod. He didn't move as Kasaah approached him, and she couldn't hear his breathing. Suddenly, he wheezed out a shagged breath and coughed, sending the Argonian back in a jump. He coughed loudly again, blood dribbling from his lips. "Crystal..." he gasped, "Gone... Find... Paratus... in Oculory..."
A key slipped from his pocket as his hand thumped against the stone bricks. Taking it, Kasaah gently closed the Mage's eyes before pulling the lever. The gate rose slowly, and she walked towards the door. She tried the key, and after some resistance, it turned, and the door opened. The right wall of the following corridor seemed to have collapsed partially; earth and plants intruded into the typical Dwemer architecture. Kasaah, not noticing her footing, almost tripped over the body of another Synod researcher. She froze suddenly and crouched, recognising the silhouette of something that just crossed the hallway up ahead. It was not uncommon for Dwemer ruins to be inhabited by these twisted beings, but Kasaah had hoped that this was one of the exceptions. She hesitated to even breathe too loudly, for even the tiniest noise would expose her position to potentially hundreds still sleeping. She picked up her robe so it wouldn't drag along the stone bricks, and turned the corner.