Honor of the Dragonborn

The Next Black Book

After cleansing the rest of the All-Maker Stones, and killing several more lurkers, they were on their way to find Neloth, the dunmer wizard that they'd met at the Earth Stone. Storn had suggested they ask him about this black book that Krinna found in Miraak's temple. It was a bizarre, dark thing... not something the Skaal wanted to deal with.

The other-worldly mushroom towers were just beginning to come into view when movement caught Vilkas's eye. He instinctively drew Wuuthrad as something glowing orange and red came scurrying over the ash drifts. Suddenly a flaming spider the size of fox jumped at his face. With a startled yell he jumped backwards and smashed it out of the air with his axe, and it exploded in a bright burst of flames that burned his face. Two more ran forward about to lunge as well but Krinna impaled them with ice spikes before they could leave the ground.
"Ysmir's beard!" Vilkas swore catching his breath. He kicked the still glowing pieces of the spider he'd smashed and watched them tumble down the ash covered hill. "...We should probably not bring Farkas out here..." he added, looking up as Krinna poked at the charred remains of one of the other spiders.
"Yeah..." Krinna nodded uncomfortably, "I think I prefer frostbite spiders over these things... They're bigger, but they usually don't jump at your face..."
"Aye, or explode," Vilkas agreed.
"Oh, speaking of your face..." Krinna grimaced as she reached out her hand glowing with gold magic. Vilkas winced for a moment when she touched the side of his face where the skin was raw and burned. Krinna's healing magic swirled around him and his burns soothed and then vanished.
"Thanks love," he smiled.
"Of course," she replied lovingly. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "You did need to shave..." she added slowly, caressing each side of his face. "...you don't anymore..."
Vilkas chuckled at that and reached up to take her hand in his own. He kissed her hand before bringing it down from his face.
"Let's get going love," he said with a smirk, "now you've got me thinking of how nice a proper bath is going to be when we finally get out of all this ash."
"Ooh... a bath sounds lovely," Krinna agreed.
***
They reached the bizarre mushroom buildings and the apprentice outside directed them to the center mushroom. When they opened the door Krinna thought at first they must have the wrong one. The door opened into a tiny chamber with swirling wisps of light leading up to a walkway high overhead.
"What in Oblivion are we supposed to do with this?" Krinna asked walking around looking at the walls for a door.
"It looks like you just— ack!"
"Vilkas!" Krinna turned with a start to see Vilkas floating in the wispy light straight up to the walkway above.
Krinna reached into the light and was suddenly thrust into the air and launched up to the platform as well. The sudden movement was nauseating.
"I don't like this place," Vilkas grumbled under his breath when Krinna landed beside him.

They found Neloth and he was fortunately interested in helping them find another black book... he apparently knew the location of one but hadn't been able to retrieve it alone.
He led them to the dwarven ruin of Nchardak and Krinna was more convinced that he accounted for the part of her vision that showed annoyance as the primary emotion... the man was utterly self-absorbed, condescending, and rude. But he was definitely a powerful wizard, and his help would definitely be useful, so Krinna did her best not to irritate him. She could tell Vilkas was as annoyed as she was, but he made no complaints as they followed Neloth down to the flooded ruins. Though, Krinna did see Vilkas roll his eyes as Neloth condescendingly explained how the ancient dwemer cubes worked in the old ruins with the water pumps.
Even more irritating was Neloth's insistence that Krinna and Vilkas do most of the work. He pointed and directed condescendingly and let Krinna pick up and move the cubes.
Vilkas was definitely more help with the puzzles than Neloth was, but Neloth was at least helpful at throwing spells at the various Dwemer constructs that periodically popped out and attacked.
They eventually found all the cubes they needed, but unfortunately removing them from where they were allowed the water to flood the ruins even more.
"This is not what I meant when I said I wanted a bath," Vilkas grumbled as they swam back to the main boiler room. If Krinna hadn't been so irritated at trying to swim in heavy armor she would have giggled at that.
Finally, waterlogged, tired, and annoyed, they got the five cubes placed so the sealed chambers opened, allowing them access to another Black Book...
"Please... be my guest. You deserve the first look," Neloth offered with what Krinna was pretty sure was mock generousity. "Besides," he added, "it could be very dangerous. These books are known to drive many people insane."
Krinna heard Vilkas tense and she paused before touching the book. She looked back at Vilkas who was clearly looking uncomfortable with this idea.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Neloth continued. "Well, you could have your mind sucked dry by Hermaeus Mora... but that's supposed to be very rare..."
"What?" Krinna asked looking to the wizard in irritation.
"Don't worry, I'll take careful notes of what happens to you," Neloth replied eagerly.
"You're about to be taking careful notes of my axe in your skull," Vilkas growled.
"Temper," Neloth chided, "is that any way to speak to a master wizard of the House Telvani?"
"It's how I speak to anyone irritating my wife," Vilkas replied dryly.
"Touching," Neloth said in a condescending tone as he rolled his eyes.
"Shut up," Krinna grumbled. Then she turned to Vilkas. "I've got to..."
"I know love," he sighed, "but that doesn't mean I like it."
She gave him a quick kiss before turning back to the Black Book. She picked it up and opened it.
"Oh good. Be sure to say hello to Hermaeus Mora for me if you see him," she heard Neloth say as the black-green tentacles shot out of the pages at her.
"That can't be good for you..." she heard Vilkas say uncomfortably as her vision went dark.

Krinna found herself  in a dimension similar to the one she'd met Miraak in. The air had a dark green tint. It reminded Krinna a bit of the Soul Cairn, but it was green and sickly looking instead of purple and dark. Pages of books flew and swirled through the air, and large platforms moved in the distance.
It took Krinna a few minutes before she figured out that poking the bizarre plant-like thing on the platform she was standing on would activate the platforms to move, allowing her to jump to a new moving platform. She hated the moving platforms, it didn't take long before the movement was making her queasy. She started to move toward the edge, thinking she might throw up over the side, but a pair of tentacles suddenly shot out of the black-green liquid and she only barely managed to jump out of the way.
"Oh I hate this place," Krinna grumbled, forcing herself to move forward.
***
"How fascinating..." Neloth mused, poking curiously at Krinna's frozen spectral form.
"Don't do that," Vilkas growled as the wizard's hand passed through Krinna's forehead.
"Calm down watchdog," Neloth rolled his eyes. "If she's harmed, it will be by whatever she finds in there, nothing out here can touch her."
Vilkas just growled in response and went back to pacing nervously and waiting. Here he was again, back to the thing he hated most... the thing that scared him most... waiting and wondering if Krinna would come back to him. Several times he paced deliberately between his wife and the wizard, preventing him from poking at her again.
"Well you certainly are her loyal follower, aren't you?" Neloth grumbled.
"I'm her husband," Vilkas replied irritatedly, "I wouldn't expect you to understand."
"Oh I understand your foolish sentiments perfectly well," Neloth responded with an almost bored looking wave of his hand, "I've just never seen any value in them."
Now it was Vilkas's turn to roll his eyes. The damn wizard clearly understood nothing about love of any kind, and Vilkas knew better than to try and explain it to him. As it was it was the best he could do to not punch the infuriating man in the face.
"I mean really," Neloth continued, "what's the point of getting emotional attachments to another mortal being when life is so fragile? She could literally be stripped away from you at any moment," he gestured with a smirk to Krinna's form. "Some people go completely insane when they read the black books."
The wizard was clearly trying to get a rise out of him. Vilkas just grunted angrily. He'd just have to trust that his wife was skilled enough and smart enough to come back to him, he told himself... and not punch Neloth in the face in the meantime...

Three hours passed. Vilkas just paced. Thankfully Neloth gave up trying to pester him and just leaned against the wall looking bored out of his mind.
Suddenly the book snapped shut and Krinna had physical form again.
"What happened? What did you see?" Neloth asked eagerly. "Different people have very different experiences when reading these books."
Krinna shook her head and didn't answer immediately, Vilkas put a hand on her shoulder and looked her over in concern. She looked a little paler than usual.
"What's wrong love? What happened?" Vilkas asked gently.
"I'm fine," Krinna sighed, shaking her head, "that place just makes me queasy." Then, turning to Neloth she answered, "I talked to Hermaeus Mora."
"You're still acting surprisingly sane, too," he replied, sounding almost disappointed. "What did he have to say? He must have wanted something from you."
"I learned the second Word of the Bend Will Shout," Krinna shrugged.
"No wonder the Dwemer were so interested in that book. It was indeed one that Miraak used to advance his power as Dragonborn," Neloth said thoughtfully. "But I assume there's some bad news?" Neloth prodded hopefully, making Vilkas even more tempted to punch the man. "It would be unlike Hermaeus Mora to allow anyone to gain such knowledge without exacting a price."
"He wants the 'secrets of the Skaal' in exchange for teaching me the third Word," Krinna replied grumpily.
"Hmph," the wizard snorted. "What secrets could they have worth keeping from old Mora? Sounds like a bargain to me," he grumbled. "Hermaeus Mora learns some fascinating new ways to skin a horker and you become the second most powerful Dragonborn that ever lived."
Vilkas was about to protest at the suggestion that his wife would only be the second most powerful Dragonborn, but then he quickly realized Neloth probably meant she'd be second only to Tiber Septim, not Miraak.
"Well that gives me a lot to think about," Neloth said a moment later, "I need to get back to Tel Mithryn. I have some ideas about how to locate more of these Black Books..."
"Good," Krinna sighed. "I guess we're going back to talk to the Skaal."