With the Thalmor taken out, and Za'kera was sure of that, the group took a few moments to gather all of the loot that was in the area, collecting some coins, a few gems, two or three enchanted pieces of equipment, and, more importantly, the map that detailed where the source of Stalhrim that Ancarion wanted to harvest for the Numidium, which she pocketed once she found it. After that she let the others continue cleaning up the area, Amaryllis finding some coin pouches before spotting a small floating section of ice and flew over to it, where she returned a few seconds later and picked up the Nordic Pickaxe, as she must have found some additional pieces of Stalhrim and decided to take it. Za'kera wasn't sure what they would do with the enchanted ice, as most of them were carrying weapons that were far stronger than it, or at least she was sure of that, but at the very least it gave her friend something to do while they waited for the others to finish clearing the area, while she also found that Ma'jera sunk the ship once they were done with it. What surprised her was that the Thalmor really weren't equipped to handle this mission, as they had more than enough supplies for those they had seen, some material to turn the nearby shack into a temporary base, and a few weapons and armor in case something needed to be replaced, but in the end she guessed it really didn't matter.
Once they were done checking out the area, and everyone was sure of that, they started to head down the coast as they headed back to Raven Rock, as there was no need to return to the Skaal Village right now, rather she was planning on getting some rest before tackling whatever the next day had for them. While they did that, however, the group passed by a pair of what she assumed were pirates, one a warrior and one a mage based on their clothing, who seemed to be in the middle of digging up part of the coast, no doubt looking for something important, a piece of treasure most likely. They were smarter than some of their previous enemies, as they noticed the group and their odd powers and decided to steer clear of them, so they didn't have to waste their strength on them, but they did talk to each other while the group walked by, giving Za'kera an idea of what they were up to. It appeared that the pirates were talking about Haknir and a map to his treasure, though it seemed to lead to an argument of some kind between the pair, so for now the group decided not to get involved and focused on heading to Raven Rock, figuring that the pirates were about to get in a fight and that they had no reason to get involved in it.
When they got back to Raven Rock the group discovered that it was definitely past the last hour that most people were up, so Za'kera headed into Severin Manor, where she let out a sigh as she realized they still had two beds and four people, not counting Ma'jera, but the Demiprince surprised them by conjuring a few more beds so everyone could rest, which they did without delay, as they had a long day and some rest was required.
Morning arrived in due time and the group sat around the upper level of Severin Manor, where they ate breakfast, the food taken from the Thalmor since Za'kera had forgotten to restock their own food supplies, though everything was fresh and they couldn't complain. In addition to that Amaryllis headed outside and did some light shopping, getting supplies so they would have more food for later, since she had no idea how long they would be staying on Solstheim, though while she did that both she and Wind, who had a list of things they should pick up, heard about Mogrul's death and that what Za'kera had done in the mine was leading to it being reopened. Such a thing told them that Raven Rock was going to be back on the map at some point in the near future, since it seemed to be an ebony mine down there, and they had to thank the group for their efforts, causing both of them to rub the backs of their heads as some of the Dark Elves thanked them for their hard work. It was nice to see such a thing, as back in Skyrim you had to join the Companions or become a Thane of a Hold for the locals to learn your name or listen to your deeds, and based on what both of them were feeling it looked like the guards were happy to have them around, even though they usually didn't like outsiders, meaning their presence on Solstheim had been good for the people who called it home.
Once they were done shopping, which didn't take too long since there wasn't too much else for them to buy, Amaryllis and Wind returned to their new manor and found that Za'kera and Ma'jera were discussing something near the enchanting part of the house, with Lydia keeping an eye on the front door, in case attackers showed up, and the talk stopped once the pair returned to Za'kera's side.
"It's time that we tackle another Black Book, and Ma'jera agrees that we can tackle two of them, the one we recovered in the chamber near Zahkriisos' coffin and Neloth's," Za'kera said, something that Amaryllis knew had been coming for some time, as so far they had only tackled the trials that were in one of the seven Black Books, the one that had been resting in Nchardak's reading room, and she knew that it was only a matter of time until they bothered to do the others, "once we finish those two books we can return to the Skaal Village and track down Baldor... but we need to find the other tombs of the remaining Dragon Priests, since they should have the rest of the Black Books near their final resting places."
"Okay, so which one will we tackle first?" Wind asked, though as the words left her mouth she set down the supplies that she had been carrying before arming herself with her staff, because based on what she was seeing right now it looked like Za'kera was ready to head into one of the Black Books, to tackle the obstacles inside it before heading into the other one, since her mentor was saving Miraak's book until the others were done.
"The Winds of Change, then you'll head into The Hidden Twilight," Ma'jera replied, where two tomes floated down to the area that Za'kera and Wind were standing in, all while a barrier surrounded the three of them, leaving Amaryllis and Lydia to hold down the fort while they were in Apocrypha, where they knew that after this they would have to track down the rest of the Black Books.
The pair said nothing as they nodded their heads and Ma'jera levitated the first of the two books over to Za'kera, who took hold of it and opened it without delay, allowing them to disappear from where they had been standing before reappearing in Apocrypha, yet another part of it that was different from the others, though this one seemed to be more like an island, a small one at that. As Ma'jera floated away from them the pair discovered that they were already on a walkway, which had to be the start of this area, and there were tendrils lurking in parts of the water, so Za'kera drew her blades as Wind waited for a few seconds, as once she was ready to go they rushed forward without wasting time. Sure enough they found that the tendrils tried to lash out at them, to which both Za'kera and Wind avoided the black masses that came out of the water and headed up the stairs that rested at the end of the walkway, where a Seeker happened to be floating and Wind quickly lashed out with a larger ball of fire. She informed her companion that it was the Incinerate spell, the expert level version of the fire spells, so it was more powerful than the Fireball spell, though her target shrieked before disappearing like the rest of the Seekers they had faced so far, meaning the two of them could move forward with ease.
While they did that Wind found a few more books in the area that the Seeker had been in, one being called Deathbrand, to which she opened it for a moment and found that it was about Haknir, who the pirates mentioned, to which she figured she would look at it later or give it to Amaryllis to read while she and Lydia waited for them to finish their mission.
With the book in hand the pair continued deeper into this part of Apocrypha, reaching an area with four pedestals that were around a small pool of water, to which they ignored it and approached one of the eyestalk devices they had seen in the last book they fought their way through, which opened the door in front of it when they activated it. Such a thing let Za'kera and Wind enter a small passageway of sorts, which allowed them to access two tables with some soul gems on top of them, though they also found another eyestalk device and it opened a door they had walked by, where Za'kera swung her blades at a Seeker that was on the other side, pushing it back in a matter of seconds. Beyond the second Seeker they found a tunnel that happened to be rather short and brought them to yet another eyestalk device, where both of them took a moment and glanced through the door to see what was on the other side, as it seemed strange to have next to no resistance, save for two Seekers. What Wind quickly discovered was that they were at the end of the Black Book, as she could see the larger tome that represented the end in front of them, meaning one last obstacle stood in their way and that lead to her activating the device so they could enter the wide open chamber.
Sure enough a Lurker emerged from the water that was in the middle of the end chamber, as it had a pool of water that was between two platforms, though Wind gathered her power and lashed out at it as Za'kera rushed forward, swinging her blades at it while avoiding the incoming fist swing and the flames. Za'kera had to admit that Wind had gotten stronger, no doubt due to breaking one of her Burdens and liberating part of her power, and it made her wonder what would happen when all of them were taken care of, but she refocused on the fight as she sliced into the Lurker's leg. As the beast fell she moved out of the way as two more Incinerates rushed through the air and slammed right into their foe's chest, knocking it into the wall behind it, before they waited for a few moments, to be sure it was dead, and once they were sure of that they started searching the area. What they discovered was that there was one eyestalk device off on the right side of the area, which brought out a staircase leading to the larger book, and over in the other side of the chamber a second one unlocked the door so they could enter the area in question, leading to Wind staying back as she searched the containers for any new books to add to her collection. Za'kera, on the other hand, approached the massive book and watched as it opened, where it turned to the middle page and three powers made themselves known to her, one allowed her to gain more knowledge if she read certain books, another revealed that none of her attacks would hurt her companions, and the third seemed to be related to the opposite gender, as in dealing more damage and getting better deals.
In the end she picked the second power, as it would allow her to fight without harming her friends and companions, when she used a Shout or something, though with that done she turned her head and watched as Wind leapt into the air not a few seconds later, heading right to where a dark blue version of her rested.
Wind knew what this was, it was her Despair manifested, where it rained large icicles down on her, intending on freezing her and beating her into submission, though she summoned her magic as she steeled herself for the battle that was about to take place, sending Thunderbolts straight at her foe's attacks, causing a collision that shattered them and scattered the pieces as the pair moved. Fortunately it didn't look like Despair was targeting Za'kera, as when she got close to her target the Burden turned her head and focused on her, to which Wind smiled a little as she waved a hand and a bolt of lightning struck her in the chest, causing Despair to cough for a moment as she realized that Wind wasn't playing around. While she thought that Doubt had fallen easily, given the battle they had been in, she was taking these fights seriously and knew that if she made a misstep it would cause some serious damage to her in the end, as there was a chance her Burdens might be luring her into a false sense of security and would attack her if she lowered her guard. Despair lashed out at her a couple of seconds later with a spike of ice, where she moved out of the way and let lightning dance around her, breaking the ice in the process, before she loosed a larger Incinerate into her foe's chest, knocking her foe backwards before she was able to so anything to her.
Despair continued to try and hit her with her spells, flinging massive chunks of ice through the air, though Wind made her way through all of the gaps that were in front of her and lashed out, blasting her Burden again and again before she had a chance to do anything, causing Despair to explode in a violent display that shook the air for a time, allowing her to sigh as she returned to Za'kera's side.
With that done Ma'jera flew down to them and wrapped another barrier around the two of them as Za'kera opened the book so they could return to Solstheim, reappearing in Severin Manor not a few seconds later, causing Amaryllis to nod her head as she noticed them return for a few seconds. She informed them that nothing was going on in Raven Rock, as Lydia was staying upstairs to intercept anyone who might enter the manor while they were gone, and so far no one had come looking for them, so they had been holding down the fort while they were in Apocrypha. After that Wind pulled out the book she had picked up in the Winds of Change and handed it to Amaryllis, who raised an eyebrow and opened it for a moment, finding out why she had been given it in a matter of seconds, to which she sat back in her chair and read it as the pair waited for Ma'jera to make her move. The Demiprince in question took the Black Book away from them and quickly replaced it with the second one, The Hidden Twilight, before reapplying her barrier, to which Za'kera let out a sigh as she opened the tome, allowing the magic to wash over her, Wind, and Ma'jera once more before transporting them to the next part of Apocrypha that they would be moving through, so they could hunt down the next tome and the Burden that had to be lurking in this place.
This time they appeared in an area that had a raised pedestal in front of them, sort of like where they appeared in when they used Miraak's Black Book, though what was a surprise to the pair was that the only thing to do was to activate the eyestalk device on the other side of the platform and open the door behind it. Such a thing opened the way for the pair to walk up to a glowing book, which happened to be one of the chapter books they had seen before, and since there wasn't much for them to do in this area they activated it and moved to the next part of this Black Book, even though they planned on keeping their guards up in case this was an attempt to distract them. Where they appeared this time around was what looked like a winding passage, as it moved forward, turned to the left, and then back to the right a few moments later, only to cut back to the left and bring them to an open chamber, even if they had to walk around a wall to reach it. In the middle of it floated two more Seekers, who were also in the middle of studying their books and turned around when they found the pair walking towards them, but Wind stepped up as her magic wrapped around her, throwing an Incinerate at one of her targets while forming a more powerful ice spike, an Icy Spear, that was thrown at the second one.
Za'kera was glad to have Wind as an ally, as with her mentor's training she was far stronger than the other apprentices she had seen, in fact she was likely on the level of the expert level mages, and with her rising level of power, which knocked out both Seekers in seconds, she had a feeling that the Thalmor would regret the day they decided to put their plan in motion, once they encountered her anyway.
With the Seekers taken care of the pair took a moment to search the area, Za'kera focused on the task of moving forward while Wind continued to gather more books for later, as she wanted to see what else was resting in Hermaeus Mora's odd realm, before they regrouped at the ramp that seemed to head deeper into Apocrypha. It brought them to an upper area, which could see the opening that brought them to the section the Seekers had been in, before she tapped a new eyestalk device and it activated a moving walkway in front of them, one that happened to stop at a higher level and forced them to wait for it to be at a proper height before jumping forward. It was easy to move forward, as they didn't have to wait for too long to move on the walkway, so they moved across a pair of platforms and used another walkway to reach the next part of this particular Black Book, finding two paths at the end of the walkway, one that ended and one that lead to a glowing tome. The pair wasted no time in clearing out the section that ended and accessed the tome a few seconds later, bringing them to a short walkway that lead out to another chamber with no ceiling, though since there was no way forward Wind summoned her magic and blasted a Seeker with an Icy Spear as Za'kera found an eyestalk device that moved some steps out for them to use so they could reach the middle of the area.
That brought them to a new chamber that had a structure with locked doors in their way, meaning they had to track down a number of eyestalk devices to move forward, where they found a Lurker wandering around and Za'kera lashed out at it, cutting into it's legs before it even had a chance to realize it had company, before she moved out of the way. The reason was due to Wind blasting their foe in the chest with a burst of wind magic, which tore into it's chest, knocking it down like all of the others they had faced so far, though once that was done she found a set of stairs that lead up to one of the next few eyestalk devices that needed to be activated. Once Za'kera activated it they found that the first door opened and they headed inside the structure, bringing them to another locked door and another set of stairs, where the latter lead Wind to another device that unlocked the door, which allowed them to access a passage that had a single Seeker in it and ended in a wall that extended outward, becoming a new path for the pair to use. This time around Za'kera cut down the Seeker with only a few moves, allowing Wind to find a book on two people called the 'Guardian' and the 'Traitor', making her wonder if it was tied to Miraak or one of the other Dragon Priests in some manner, to which she pocketed it before they moved into the new passage.
It ended in an area that contained two glowing tomes, the left leading to a small chamber and the right heading to an area that had a path leading outward, so they took the right when Wind told Za'kera about them, finding that it brought them to two more books, the right bringing them to a circular platform with an eyestalk device and a lone Seeker. As such Wind let loose a blast of lightning that made their foe retreat, allowing her companion to activate the device and it raised a pair of walkways in the distance to form a bridge for them to use to get closer to the end goal, to which they returned to the last pair of books and used the left one. Sure enough that brought them to an area that was the start of one of the walkways, to which Za'kera cut down a Seeker that appeared in front of her as Wind stepped forward, finding an area that had a pair of pools that some Lurkers could use to ambush them, and as soon as they entered it two Lurkers emerged, giving each of them a foe to face. As such Za'kera lashed out at her foe before it could hit her, though she had to avoid the punch that was coming at her, as the Lurker wanted her dead, while at the same time Wind froze her foe's feet to the ground before roasting it's chest with a burst of flames, allowing her to kill it as her companion finished hers off as well, allowing them to activate an eyestalk device to move forward.
It brought them to the final tome of the Black Book, where Wind found a red version of her silently shouting at something that was off in the distance, to which Za'kera opened the large tome and looked at the powers, one that summoned a field of tentacles to poison enemies, another to freeze a target between realms for a time, and one to restore her power to full, to which she took the last one. With that done Wind focused on her other Burden and noticed that it didn't seem to care that they were there, to which she shook her head and gathered a bit of lightning around her left hand, where she thrust it forward and drove her hand through her Burden's chest, allowing her to crush it with ease, making her wonder if whatever anger she had felt had been enough to cause the manifestation to pause. In the end, however, there wasn't anything else for them to do, to which Ma'jera returned to where they were standing and allowed them to return to Severin Manor, as it was time for the pair to rest for a short period of time before dealing with whatever else the island might throw at them, before they found the other three Black Books.