//------------------------------// // 34: The Eye and Ancano // Story: Sombra visits Skyrim // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Raika and her friends climbed out of the ruins of Labyrinthian and eventually dropped to the ground, where they were greeted by a pair of white furred trolls. Luna, not wanting anything to interfere with her friends rest, spun her battleaxe around her body and brought it down hard on the troll closest to her, cleanly cutting it in half. As if reading her mind Shadow, still holding his two handed sword in one hand, approached the other troll and lopped its head clean off of its body. Once the enemies were dealt with Raika spotted an area where they might be able to rest, a small domed area that two people could easily defend until their friends were rested. Trixie felt the hum of magical energies all around the dome and wondered how she could have missed it when they had arrived earlier that day. As they walked in she noticed a body resting before a broken pedestal that had once held eight busts, most of which were scattered across the floor or just broken. The body, long since dead at this point, was mainly just bones, but what Trixie found interesting was the wooden mask sitting right next to it. There was some strange magic dancing about it, something that made her want to reach out, grab the mask from its resting place, and see what was so special about it. "We should be safe from most of the beasts now," Luna remarked, keeping her eyes on the opening to their hiding place, "We'll rest for an hour and then summon a gateway back to the College, so get what rest you guys can." Twilight, not as tired as Trixie and Sombra, decided to stay near the iron door, so she would watch everyone else and make sure that Sombra didn't try anything funny. Sombra, on the other hand, leaned against one of the walls and closed his eyes, allowing his body to drift off to sleep so he could regain what magical energy he could. Raika pulled out her bow and kept her quiver close, keeping an eye out for any Thalmor agents that might have followed the other one to their location. Luna and Shadow stayed near the door, keeping their eyes peeled for anything, be it another troll or a Thalmor agent, that might threaten them in any way. Trixie, still curious about the mask, picked it off the floor and turned it over in her hands, before she pulled off Nahkriin's mask and placed the wooden one over her face. At first nothing happened, making her wonder if she had imagined the tug of magic she had felt, but then everything started to fade right before her eyes. The next thing she knew the entire dome area was reconstructed, as if she had been taken back in time to when the Labyrinthain had been first constructed during the time of the Dragon Priests. The pedestal she had seen earlier had been completely rebuilt, only now all eight busts were back where they belonged and a dragon head stared down at her. At first she wondered what the busts could represent, but then she noticed that there were eight of them and eight Dragon Priests, linking the two of them together. On the left side of the dragon's head she withdrew Volsung's mask and placed it at the furthest bust, followed by placing Vokun's mask on the bust above it. Then she pulled out Otar and Morokei, placing Otar's on the one above Vokun and then Morokei on the one closest to the dragon's head. Trixie moved to the right side of the dragon's head, placing Krosis' mask on the furthest bust and then followed it with Hevnoraak's mask. She then placed Rahgot's right next to the dragon's head and stared at the final bust, holding Nahkriin before her before sliding it right into place. At first nothing happened, leaving Trixie to wonder if there had been any point to placing all eight of the masks on their respective busts, but then the dragon's head opened up and revealed a NINTH Dragon Priest mask. The design was similar in shape to the previous eight masks, but the one thing she noticed that struck her as odd was the pair of small tusks that the mask had. She suspected that the mask had to have been made of pure gold, but just by looking at it she didn't think the mask was going to be very heavy. She reached out to touch the mask and her hand laid on it for a minute, though she only stalled in case there was a trap that would have been sprung when the mask was touched. Once she was sure that there weren't any traps attached to the mask she gently pulled it off of its bust and waited, wondering if the wooden mask's magic would cancel once she had it. When nothing happened Trixie gently grabbed the other eight masks, that she had painstakingly collected, and stashed all but the golden one in her robe. The domed area still stood around her, making her wonder what was keeping her tied to this distant past, before she remembered the mask that she still wore. Without wasting a second Trixie gripped the wooden mask and tore it off, allowing the darkness to claim her once more. ------------------------------ "Everyone saw that right?" Twilight asked, having seen Trixie vanish before their eyes, "One minute Trixie was standing in front of the pedestal and the next she was gone." "There must be some ancient and powerful magic in this place," Luna commented, despite the fact that she hadn't felt anything strange since they had been there, "Remain calm dear Twilight, I'm sure that Trixie will be back soon." Twilight didn't feel any type of magic lingering in the air around them, so she definitely ruled out an accidental rift opening and swallowing Trixie whole. It also wasn't Sombra's doing, as all the stallion was doing was sleeping against the wall and ignoring everything that was going on around him. All she could think of was the wooden mask she had spotted before Trixie put it on, wondering if that had been the cause of Trixie's disappearance. Then, as if attuned to her thoughts, Trixie appeared before them, the wooden mask in her left hand with a golden mask in her right hand. "Where did you go Trixie?" Twilight asked, shocked to have seen her just vanish and reappear like that, "And what is that?" "I went into the past, I think," Trixie replied, shaking her head as she stashed the wooden mask in her robe, "This, however, appears to be a Ninth Dragon Priest mask, hidden in the forgotten past of the Labyrinthian and guarded by eight busts that require the masks I acquired. From what I can tell this mask is named Konahrik, or Warlord in the Dragon Tongue." "I was wondering about that," Raika said, recalling something from earlier, "When we reached Vokun and Volsung you started to converse with them, though all three of you were speaking in the Dragon Tongue. When and how did you learn how to speak like the dragon do?" "I think it might have been the masks," Trixie answered, staring down at the golden mask, "as if each one of them gave me a piece of their knowledge. I guess the Dragon Tongue was scattered across most of them and I just spoke it without really thinking about it." "So you have a legendary Dragon Priest mask," Raika said, counting the artifacts that she was collecting, "a powerful staff wielded by one of the most powerful mages in all of Tamriel's history, and a powerful sword wielded by someone called Starswirl the Bearded. Ancano doesn't have anything on you at this point." "Wait, that sword belongs to Starswirl?!" Twilight exclaimed, surprised that such a weapon had been found in Skyrim. Sombra, having spent some time resting, got onto his feet and faced the group. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him, each wondering if he had recovered enough strength to summon a gateway so they could save the College. Sombra sighed and remained silent for a moment, but then extended his hand just a bit and a gateway sprung up against the wall behind him. He beckoned for them to enter the mass of shadows and Luna was the first one to enter, choosing to attack any enemies that might be on the other side and save them some time. Everyone else eventually piled into the gateway, though Sombra made sure that there was nothing else around them before following them through. ------------------------------ Raika stepped out of the shadows and stared up at the barrier that surrounded the College of Winterhold, seeing dozens of spells flying at it and blasting whatever creatures came out of it. Luna was already in the air, her battleaxe swinging through the air as it cut through several flying enemies without much effort. Trixie drew out the Staff of Magnus in her left hand and the Magistrate in her right hand, walking up to the part of the bridge that the mages were still defending. All of them were still standing there, so it told Trixie that they were intending to defend the town until they could break through the barrier. "Tolfdir, how are things going?" Trixie asked the senior mage, noticing how exhausted all the mages were at this point. "Not good," Tolfdir replied, a fireball forming in his hand before he threw it right at a creature that tried to circle under the bridge, "We're all running low on energy and I'm afraid that the moment we do these creatures are going to surge into the town and finish Winterhold off. I hope..." Tolfdir didn't get to finish as the barrier rumbled and another giant snake creature came out of it, but this one was even larger than the first one had been and coiled around the bridge until its head was directly in front of them. Trixie took it as a sign that Ancano's power had grown since they had left and that it was a matter of time until he harnessed the power of the Eye to destroy everything. The snake opened its mouth to attack them, but before it could get close to them Shadow leapt onto its mouth and drove his giant sword through the mouth. Before the snake could even back up Shadow swung the sword and bits of the snake flew into the air, telling Trixie that he had slain the beast within seconds. "I have the Staff of Magnus," Trixie told him, turning towards the barrier and pointing the Staff right at it, "Now I only hope that it is as powerful as everyone thinks it is." Trixie threw a bolt of magic out of the Staff and let it connect with the barrier, waiting for a few moments and wondering if they had wasted time getting something that couldn't help them. Then the barrier began to buckle, collapsing on itself as all the creatures around them collapsed into piles of dust and opening the way into the College. She had no way of knowing how long it would take before the barrier rebuilt itself, but she intended to be on the other side of it before it came back up. "Guys, hang out here and make sure the town stays safe in case the barrier comes back," Trixie said, taking a moment to pull Konahrik out of her robe and slip it on, "I'm heading in." Trixie ran across the bridge, somehow sensing that Tolfdir was following her, and reached the main gates within seconds, giving her a few seconds to make sure there weren't any creatures running around before making for the Hall of the Elements. The moment she reached the giant door she pushed it open and found the area where the Eye of Magnus had been left, spotting Ancano connecting to it with some magic. Trixie stepped into the area, allowing Ancano to spot her and smirk while Tolfdir stood back and watched the two of them. "You might as well stop Ancano," Trixie spoke, stepping closer to the Thalmor agent, "I have all the means to stop you from destroying the rest of Winterhold and Windhelm." "You cannot stop me you fool," Ancano exclaimed, his magic forcing the Eye to begin to open, "With the power of the Eye of Magnus the Thalmor can crush the Stormcloak rebellion and then slaughter anyone who declares their resistance to our might. With the power that the Eye contains we will assert our power over the rest of Tamriel and no one will be able to stand against us ever again." Trixie eyed the Eye and then stared at the Staff, arching her arm back and throwing a bolt of green magic right at it, allowing it to course over the Eye. For a moment nothing happened, but then the opened sections of the Eye began to close, returning it to what it had looked like when Trixie had originally found it. Ancano growled and threw a bolt of lightning at her, but Trixie stood there and let the Staff snatch the magic out of the air, making it disappear completely. Trixie, on the other hand, approached her enemy and cut into his back with the Magistrate, cutting through the magical armor that was surrounding him. Ancano stumbled before rolling away from her, bringing up his hand and blasting her right in the face with a fireball, thinking that the attack would harm her enough to defeat her. Trixie stepped out of the flames and raised her sword, prepared to strike the elf down where he stood, when Ancano blasted the Eye with another blast of magic. The Eye opened up again, only this time it opened further than it had done before and revealed the magic power course that existed inside of it. Trixie, annoyed now, turned the Staff on the Eye and released a stream of magic at it, forcing the Eye to bend to her will and close before anything dangerous happened. Ancano slipped to the other side of the room and charged up a spell that would tear through any enchantment that was protecting Trixie from damage. Once the Eye closed and Trixie turned on him he released the spell, allowing it to course through the air before blasting her right in the chest, knocking her into the wall. It reminded Trixie of her duel with Morokei earlier, but where Morokei had died instantly Trixie got up and stared right at the elf that was ruining everything. Instead of falling to her enemy Trixie gripped both of her weapons and drew closer to the elf, feeling her wound heal the closer that she got to him. "What black magic is this?" Ancano asked, feeling his life force being sapped from him as Trixie approached him, "What have you done to me?" "I bring you your end," Trixie said, raising the Magistrate as she stared at the elf, "Any last words?" "The Thalmor shall be the end of you!" Ancano exclaimed, getting onto his feet and rushing Trixie so he could reach the Eye. Trixie, seeing the trick coming, spun around and brought the sword into Ancano's chest, stopping him in his tracks and severing his connection to the Eye. As Ancano's body went limb Trixie pulled the sword out and sheathed it, beckoning for Tolfdir to join her by the Eye of Magnus so they could plan how to stop it. Not a moment later a figure appeared out of thin air in front of the Eye, dressed up in yellow robe that Trixie had never seen before and walked over to them. "Congratulations mage," the mage, for that was the only thing he could be, said, "I'd like to say that the world is ready for the power of the Eye of Magnus, but, as Ancano here demonstrated, the world isn't ready. Now that Ancano has been defeated my associates and I will take the Eye someplace where it can be held until a time when the world will be ready for it. You are now the Archmage my friend." As the mage finished speaking two more mages appeared out of thin air, approaching the Eye and standing on either side of it, letting their friend join them in front of it. The three of them let the magic surround them before they vanished as quickly as they had appeared, taking the Eye of Magnus with them. Trixie thought it was weird, seeing the Eye, the focus of the College's interests, vanish into thin air and taken to someplace they would never find. Then one detail caught her interest that she had chosen to ignore for a brief moment. "Tolfdir, what did he mean by me being the Archmage?" Trixie asked, turning to face the senior mage, "What happened to Savos Aren and Mirabelle Ervine? I haven't seen either of them since I returned from my quest with the Dragonborn." "Savos Aren died when Ancano first activated the Eye," Tolfdir replied, shaking his head as he pulled out the robes that the Archmage had worn, "and Mirabelle died when we were forced to leave the College, defending our retreat when the creatures first came out of the Eye. I do have to agree with the Psijic though, you deserve the position of Archmage now." Trixie stared at the robes for a moment before sighing, stashing the Staff in her robe before taking the robes and a key, one she assumed went to the Archmage's quarters. Since joining the College she never aspired to raise high in the school, knowing that one day her time would come to return to her home in Equestria. Now she was standing there, rising from the position of a mere Apprentice to the rank of the Archmage, something she would have never expected. "Very well," Trixie said, glancing over to Tolfdir for a moment, "I assume that you are taking over for Mirabelle for the moment?" "Yes," Tolfdir replied, turning towards the doors, "I will assume the day to day functions of the College while you tend to whatever quest is still running its course. I wish you luck in your endeavors." ------------------------------ Trixie walked across the bridge and spotted her friends, each of which looked happy to see that the College had returned to normal after she had run into the building. When she had walked out of the Hall of the Elements she had been praised by several of the senior mages and even her fellow apprentices, just surprising her by how fast the word had spread. The barrier was gone, the creatures were destroyed, and the dust they had left behind had been taken away by the wind that had followed. The College of Winterhold was back to normal for now, until some upstart like Ancano returned to do harm to everyone around them. "I continue to be impressed Trixie," Luna remarked, sheathing her battleaxe and gripping Trixie in a hug, "First you defeat the last of the Dragon Priests and now you've defeated Ancano and saved the lives of so many people. Tell me, what reward did you get from such a feat?" "I'm, well..." Trixie started, unsure of what everyone else would think, "seeing how Archmage Savos Aren was slain by Ancano I have been named the new Archmage of the College of Winterhold." "Then congratulations Trixie," Twilight said, realizing just how much weight the title carried in Skyrim, "unfortunately, I have to return to Equestria and continue my friendship studies. Hopefully Celestia and I can have a conversation when I return, because I have so many questions I need to ask her. I will see you all again one day." Luna tapped Twilight's shoulder and the mare vanished in a flash of light, leaving them with one less member of their group for the moment. Raika was surprised that Twilight had done that, but seeing how she was an alicorn she figure that she could pull off some impressive feats of magic. "So, what now?" Raika asked, knowing how tired they were all feeling. "We get a good nights sleep," Trixie said, beckoning for them to follow her back to the College, "then we'll ask Urag where our Moth Priest went. With any luck we'll be further along in our mission against the vampires before noon tomorrow." Raika smiled, sleep sounded good and knew that they all needed it after all the fighting they had done that day. She was glad that she didn't have make a camp once again and looked forward to the bed that awaited her.