Hybridtale-The Return of the Dragons

Chapter 13: The Golden Ruins

The trio went back down to High Hrothgar to the Greybeards to ask where they could find an Elder Scroll. "Such blasphemies are the calling of mages, not followers of the Way. Take your question to the College of Winterhold in Sterling. They may be able to help you," Master Arngeir answered.

"Well, that at least gets a lead somewhere, thanks," Develyn stated.

"Don't mention it Dovahkiin," Master Arngeir responded.

***

The trio were in the Eastern Colorado Plains near Sterling. It wouldn't be long before the found the college, a person would halt their access, but Develyn would quickly explain that he is the Dragonborn and that Asriel and Andy are his close friends that seek a strong form of magic. The person would soon let them through and the would find the library in no time.

A librarian would be sitting around with not very many students inside, after all it was still summer and most of the students were back home with their families. The librarian wouldn't be happy with their presence, but Develyn would shut that up after he started getting annoyed.

"Can you stop your rambling and tell where an Elder Scroll is?" Develyn asked in an agitated tone.

"Oh, an Elder Scroll? Why didn't you say so? Well, there isn't one lying around and there certainly isn't a chance I would give it to you if there was one lying around here," The librarian stated, which left Develyn in an extremely provocative state.

"Can you find us something about them?" Asriel asked.

"Well, I can at least help you out with that," The librarian answered. The librarian would soon give the trio two books about the Elder Scrolls, they were puzzled one when they read one however because the language was in an odd script that Asriel can technically understand.

"Uhh, was this how the book was written cause this is in Daedric script," Asriel asked.

"Septimus Signus, specialist in the lore of the Elder Scrolls, he hasn't appeared here in ages. He's off in Cheyenne obsessed with the Dwemer," The librarian answered.

"The Dwemer? You mean the ancient Deep Elves that randomly disappeared way before the Human Reformation?" Develyn asked. (A/N: The Dwemer, or Deep Elves, were an ancient race in Tamriel that thrived in the Underground, they disappeared in 1E 700, for reasons unknown)

"Yes, well I'm assuming you seek out Septimus Signus up in Cheyenne, hmm?" The librarian stated.

"Yeah, we better get going, thanks for trying to help us," Develyn stated.

***

Daylight was starting to fade as the trio reached Cheyenne, Wyoming and they would eventually reach reached the Signus Outpost.

The trio would soon go inside of the outpost, Septimus looked to be in his early 90s with his health showing no signs of a mad decline. The trio would give out information about the Elder Scrolls. Septimus gave them a boring lecture which almost made Andy fall asleep standing up.

"Can you tell where one is before we all end up crashing due to boredom?" Develyn asked.

"There is one in Blackreach near the Denver Metropolis area, take these, they might help on your travels," Septimus answered.

"Thanks, let's go gentlemen," Develyn stated. Andy was just about to drift off when Develyn gave the call to get going.

***

The trio would soon reach the Dwarven ruin of Aftland, relatively close to Blackreach. There were a few camps set up outside the ruins. This gives the trio intel that they weren't going at this alone and they were going to fight through it.

Aftland looked like any other Dwarven ruin, forsaken. It wouldn't be long before the trio could get intel of life when they saw blood spatter. They soon heard arguing a bit after ward.

"Hold, I don't want them seeing us," Develyn whispered. The arguing soon died down afterward and the trio pressed on. After being halted by a door that was barred off, the trio took another path. The trio were amazed to realized that the Dwemer machinery was still at work. The machinery was soon disassembled by them.

"It's like they never left," Asriel stated. The trio soon reached an icy part of the ruins, there lies a person experiencing drug withdrawal, Andy took notice and killed him immediately as soon as the person started to walk close to trio with a cross look on his face. The trio continued on, destroying the remaining machinery.

They reached the next zone of Aftland soon enough. The forsaken part of the ruins was starting to teem with another form of life, the Falmer. Develyn soon got note of this when he saw it's armor, dull and black. Some people actually got this far before they were killed by the Falmer. They would soon go on ahead and slip through, after destroying a few more Dwarven machinery, they would soon defeat the first Falmer when Develyn laid a crossbow bolt to it.

"Those poor things, why did my kind do this to them?" Develyn asked.

"Why are they like this, blind and unpeaceful?" Asriel asked.

"Imagine if your kind got banished to the Underground with no barrier, completely isolated for ten thousand years. During that time frame imagine you trusted the Dwemer even though they didn't like your presence, so they made you drink the toxic mulch they call flora that renders you blind," Develyn explained.

"That's awful, I'm assuming there was a war with them too," Asriel asked.

"There was, a big one as well, after their leader, Snow Prince, died, they had no choice but to seek protection from the Dwemer, but you know how that turned out," Develyn answered.

It wouldn't be long before the trio reached another room filled with Falmer, which would ensue in a battle. The trio would end up winning the fight, mostly thanks to Develyn's shouts and telekinesis. They would continue on until they stumbled another body of another deceased adventurer.

"Someone has been unmerciful, that's the fifth one," Andy stated.

"Probably the Falmer," Develyn stated. The trio would soon kill off more enemies before the ventured into the next zone of Aftland.

The last zone was pretty small and it wouldn't be long before the trio awakened a large piece of machinery, the Dwarven Centurion.

"Holy Toledo!" Asriel exclaimed as the golden figure awakened. The trio would deal blow to it until it fell with a loud clang. The trio soon stumbled on two adventurers from the failed expedition which they would fight each other over it. When things got physical, Develyn took matters into his own hands and broke it up by killing both of them.

"There are other ways to solve conflicts other than violence," Develyn muttered.

The trio soon stepped through the door and they soon stepped the Underground Society of Blackreach, or just Blackreach. Blackreach was a large, eerie, and vast cavern filled with Dwarven structures which are all considered forsaken (A/N: Definition of forsaken is abandoned or deserted). The Dwarven machinery and Falmer were still present however. The trio followed a path killing anything in their path, after taking a few turns, they stumbled upon the Tower of Mzark, the place where the Elder Scroll lies.

"I think were in for another puzzle boys," Asriel stated as the trio were blown away with a large sphere with multiple lenses surrounding it. The trio did some scampering, upon them were the skeletal remains of a fallen adventurer. He stated that he died when the puzzle wasn't solved correctly. Also a very important was deciphered. The light through the knowledge through the machine rests on the cube. The trio headed up to the pedestal where they needed to solve the puzzle. Asriel volunteered himself to solve the puzzle. He would place the Blank Lexicon on the pedestal and two buttons emerged from the right of the pedestal. Asriel proceeded to press the second button four times in a row. This opened up the Lexicon. He would soon press the third button twice to make the lenses focus. This led to the last button opening, which Asriel would press, making the Lexicon filled with knowledge and the pathway to the Elder Scroll is clear.

Asriel grabbed the Inscribed Lexicon and Develyn would eventually grab the Elder Scroll. The trio would soon eventually leave the forsaken ruins of Aftland and Blackreach all together and would proceed back to the summit of Mount Elbert.