The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 75: Valgroom

Chapter LXXV: Valgroom
“We stand at the tomb of Hoofnoraak, who has been dead for many generations. I fear, however, that her return may be at hand.”

We left Pegasor immediately, before the Blackwings could hunt us down. We left through a different gate than we had entered the city, just to be safe, and made it far from the gate before the city itself was locked down. We followed the same path back as we had used to get to Pegasor, though this time we had to hide ourselves from Blackwing patrols from time to time.

We reached Sunhorn by early morning and went around the city in order to avoid the Blackwings swarming over it. We headed to the western edge of the island Sunhorn was built on before crossing the ice, this time angling ourselves to reach Horizon closer to Windhorn. No Blackwings spotted us while we crossed the sea, or they didn’t attack us at least.

When we reached Windhorn, we warned Jarl Stormcloud about the impending attack on Whitetrot. He agreed to send additional Stormcloud troops to garrison the town as soon as he could round them up. Many members of his army had returned to their homes after Seclusion was taken, assuming the war to be over. He also agreed to send some of his precious catapults, in case an air fleet showed up for the attack. We didn’t tell him where we’d gotten our confidential information, and he didn’t ask.

After that, we returned to Whitetrot ourselves. Stratus had made it clear the attack was to take place while I was in the city, and I didn’t want to jeopardize the city’s safety by returning. But, most of our heavy gear was still in Breezehome, and we needed an expert on ancient earth pony ruins to help us find where the remaining Elements were hidden; we needed Faniar.

After resting up for the night, we set out for Valgroom, which was in the far south of the Karth, west of Grishnakh. We were greeted by the typical set of stone stairs leading up to a pair of large stone doors. However, the ruin was not as abandoned as I would’ve liked. Tents were pitched at the top of the stairs, dark tents marked with the symbol of the Blackwings.

“What do you suppose they’re doing here?” Steadfast said contemptuously as we peered at them through a set of bushes.

“Looking for the Elements, just like us,” I said, “Except they have a head start. Still, if they’re still here, then they must not have it yet, which means we’ve got a chance to find it before them.”

“What’s the plan?” Mephalda asked, fitting an arrow to her bow.

“We can’t get at the ruin or the Element while these Blackwings are still here,” I said, “They’ve got to be taken out.”

“On it,” Mephalda said, flying up to the arches over the stairway, staying out of sight of the Blackwing sentries.

Mystic cast the magic blocking spell on me and herself before we moved on. Once more, the buzz came back as we passed under the arches, but I wasn’t crushed beneath the dark magic. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Blackwing sentries drop to the ground, shot by Mephalda. Two more suffered the same fate before we made it to the top of the stairs.

We parted ways, spreading out through the mostly empty camp. The first Blackwing I ran into was sitting behind an alchemy lab, brewing up goodness knows what. He drew his sword as he spotted me, but I jumped at him, grabbing the alchemy lab with my forelegs and tipping it over at him. Broken bits of glass stuck in his body and strange chemicals burned his flesh as the alchemy equipment shattered.

With Dawnbreaker, I knocked his sword to the ground. As I swung for his neck, he blocked with the blades concealed in his wings. Ignoring his injuries, he pressed his attack, spinning around and slicing at me with his wing-blades. I pulled out my Changeling axe and swung it through one of his wings, tearing off the feathers and the mechanism holding his blades. While I held off his other wing with Dawnbreaker, I swung my Changeling axe into his neck.

Another Blackwing had heard our scuffling and the destruction of the alchemy lab, and emerged from between two of the tents. I blocked her sword with Dawnbreaker as she forced me back. I blasted her with fire, blistering the side of her body and destroying one of her wings beyond repair.

I ducked as she sent blades flying at me from her wings. As she tried to throw more at me, I used Dawnbreaker as a temporary shield. She swung her sword down at my head, and I blasted her with a paralysis spell. She fell onto my blade as she lost consciousness, impaling herself on the Draconequus sword.

Behind me, a cluster of tents caught fire as Mystic torched the Blackwings attacking her. She strode through the ashes, having eliminated the rest of the attackers. The camp was now completely empty, its inhabitants killed either by Mephalda’s bow, Steadfast’s hammer, my blades, or Mystic’s magic. We checked the tents anyway to make sure there were no Blackwings hiding, and our search came up blank.

We left the camp and pushed open the doors to Valgroom. Immediately within the ruin was a large entry hall with a host of dead Draugr and two living Blackwings. They drew their blades as they saw us enter. Mephalda shot arrows into one of them, crippling her legs and wings with the deadly shafts. Steadfast crushed her into the ground with his warhammer as she approached him.

The other carried some kind of charm that projected a ward around her, and Mystic’s magical attacks were useless. I got in close, using Dawnbreaker to block the Blackwing’s strike as she tried to cut me apart with a battleaxe. I drew the Blade of Hoofingar as well and swung it up into the Blackwing’s chest. I dug my blade in until it pierced her heart and she fell to the ground, her mouth releasing the battleaxe.

The Blackwings dealt with, we continued on deeper into Valgroom, passing by statues of the ruin’s Dragon Priest, a mare whose face was covered by her mask/Element and who wielded a powerful staff. The following hallways were clear of Blackwings, until we reached the banquet hall. Around the table in the center of the room sat several of the pegasus agents, dead Draugr piled around them.

“I’m just saying that there’s really no reason for us to have to stay here,” one of them said as we listened in, “Nopony’s going to enter this ruin, not with our camp in the way, and no Draugr are going to come up here.”

“Orders are orders,” another replied, “We’re supposed to keep this hall secured in case things go south, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

“I still say we’re chasing legends,” the third Blackwing said, “I mean, have either of you ever seen an Element of Harmony?”

“Can’t say I have,” the first replied, “If they get the one here, it’ll be the first. Not that I think they’ll do so. Those Draugr puzzle doors are impossible to open without the proper key.”

“Don’t we have it?” the third pony asked.

“I don’t think so,” the first replied, “Otherwise they’d be back up with the Element already.”

“They’re trying to break through the door,” the second added, “If they can’t get that staff to work, then black powder is next.”

“Do you think that’ll work?” the first Blackwing asked skeptically.

“At breaking the door, no,” the second replied, “At breaking everything around it so they don’t have to use the door, probably.”

While they’d been talking, they hadn’t been paying attention to the stone balcony set above them. Soon the four of us were in position and ready to take them out. Mephalda struck first, shooting an arrow through the third pony’s head. Mystic’s lightning strike came next, electrocuting the first Blackwing. As she jerked around in her armor, Steadfast emerged from one of the lower hallways and crushed her armor in with his warhammer.

<<FO~KRAH!!>> I Shouted, sending a line of ice flying down the table and freezing the second Blackwing. Steadfast finished him off as well, striking his frozen body with his warhammer.

We moved on deeper into Valgroom, leaving the bodies of the Blackwings where they lay. The hallways were completely empty, the Draugr slaughtered by the pegasi as they had passed through the keep. We followed the trail of carnage until we reached the doors that led out of the fortress and into the city of Valgroom, already propped open for us.

As we stared through the gap, once more a subterranean city greeted us. Within the expansive cavern, the ancient earth ponies had built themselves a large town in dedication to whatever Dragon Priest ruled this place. At the far end of the cavern we could see the temple rearing up. That was where we were headed. It was also where the Dragon Priest, Element of Harmony, and most likely a troop of Blackwings were also located.

As we descended into the city we found that it was still filled with Draugr. Apparently the Blackwings hadn’t wasted time passing through Valgroom city, and had just flown across to the temple, where they knew their prize awaited. We, however, were land-bound, except for Mephalda, and were forced to sneak through the city in order to reach the temple.

However, sneaking through Valgroom proved to be much harder than it had been in the previous ruins. The entire town was stirred up, no doubt by the troop of pegasi that had flown overhead. Draugr soldiers marched down the streets, displacing the peaceable townsponies.

We watched from behind a pillar as a column marched down the first street past the keep. We waited until they had passed before moving on. It was tough to dodge the patrols of Draugr once we entered the streets. It seemed like around every corner a new group was lurking, and we were forced to duck inside of empty buildings more than once. The upside was, with them divided into so many patrols, we wouldn’t have to face a whole Draugr army . . . hopefully.

We were about a third of the way through the town when we spotted another troop of the Draugr soldiers looking for trouble. We quickly jumped into a shop (at least I assumed it was a shop) that bordered the street. This time, however, it wasn’t empty. The Draugr within was very upset that we’d barged in and didn’t intend to buy anything. Its excited speech in Draconic drew the soldiers right to us.

As the Draugr captain stepped through the door, Mystic blasted it with fire, sending the flames billowing out through the door and into the street, knocking the other Draugr back. Before they could recover, we ran for the shop’s back door. Mephalda brought up the rear and shot a few arrows into the pursuing Draugr before we exited the building.

We found ourselves in a narrow alleyway that had no exit in sight. It twisted back and forth, however, so there was probably a way out in the distance, or at least another shop we could duck through. A whistle sounded from behind us, as well as shouted orders in Draconic.

We took off, galloping down the alleyway while Mephalda flew overhead, providing cover fire. I don’t know how they did it, but the Draugr soon caught up to us. I rapidly spun around, taking the first by surprise as I slashed Dawnbreaker through its chest.

Another of the zombies swung a warhammer at me, and I used my sword to block, holding off the attack. A second Draugr came at me with a sword while I was busy blocking the first, aiming its blade toward my neck. Steadfast crushed the Draugr before it could reach me, and I used my fire spell to force the one wielding the warhammer to back off. As it batted at the flames covering its body, I swung Dawnbreaker through its neck, decapitating it.

<<ZUN~JOT!!>> I Shouted at a Draugr with a battleaxe that charged toward me.

Its weapon went flying from its grip, and I stabbed it in the chest with Dawnbreaker, the force of its charge driving the blade through its armor and into its heart. As I threw the Draugr off my blade, I turned to face a Draugr with a pike trying to stab me. The pointed end of its weapon struck my armor, but glanced off, and the blade sliced at the gap connecting my gauntlets to my cuirass, hitting just right and drawing blood.

I held my foreleg up to try and lessen the pain while I swung Dawnbreaker around at the Draugr, knocking the pike to the side. I shot lightning at the zombie, but it skittered over an invisible shield that made my enemy immune to magic. I drew the Blade of Hoofingar and used it to knock the pike away again, holding it where it couldn’t strike me. Dawnbreaker cut through the air, slicing the Draugr’s head off.

I spun around, my ebony sword whistling through the air as I did so, and struck a Draugr’s armor. The blade cut through, but not enough to reach the Draugr’s flesh, and it spun its greatsword around at me. I blocked with Dawnbreaker, using the Blade of Hoofingar to hack at the armor. Eventually my blade cut through, and I dug it into the Draugr’s flesh, doing substantial internal damage. Another swipe stabbed my blade through the Draugr’s heart and lungs. It dropped its sword as it coughed up ichor and fell to the ground.

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>> I Shouted at a Draugr with a staff that was trying to chip away at Mystic’s ward with blasts of fire.

The Draugr went flying through the air, slamming against the stone rear of a building. Before it could rise, Mystic blasted it with lightning, immobilizing it. An arrow from Mephalda finished it off, shooting through its head and into the ground. I drank down a healing potion to repair my foreleg now that no Draugr remained standing around us.

We took off before more Draugr could show up, weaving through the alleyway and inadvertently getting farther from the temple. At last the alley’s exit came in sight, but it was blocked by more Draugr soldiers, who were beginning to advance toward us.

<<YOL~TOOR!!>> I Shouted, and sent a blast of dragon fire rolling through the alleyway, wiping out the first few Draugr.

The captain was struck by an arrow from Mephalda and ducked down behind its troops, covering its face with an armored foreleg. The rest of the Draugr surged forward, closing the distance with us. Two on the edge were taken out as Steadfast swung his hammer into one, whose body then struck the other, sending them both rolling to the side. Mystic shot a blast of magic into the crowd, thinning them out further before they reached us.

Dawnbreaker flew up in front of me as I blocked the sword of a Draugr soldier. I noticed that the star set into the hilt was beginning to glow brighter, the sword feeding off the undead it killed. Soon it would be ready to wipe them all out. I threw the Draugr’s sword away and impaled it with the blade, comforted by the fact that Dawnbreaker was nearly ready to wipe out all the undead around it.

I charged the remaining Draugr, swinging Dawnbreaker through the neck of one before it knew what was happening. My Draconequus blade met the war axe of another Draugr, and I fought to spin it out of the zombie’s grip. Failing, I swung it around at the Draugr’s side.

It surprised me, swinging its war axe around toward my neck instead of blocking. Dawnbreaker sliced through the Draugr’s armor and cut through its flesh, but I wasn’t able to block in time as the zombie’s blade came at me. I ducked down so that the blade hit my helmet instead of my neck. As the axe hit the side of my helmet, I found myself knocked to the ground, a ringing in my ears.

I shot fire at the Draugr before it could finish me off, and rose, retrieving Dawnbreaker from the Draugr’s side. I’d wounded it badly, both with my sword strike and the fire that had scorched its rotting flesh. I swung Dawnbreaker around as hard as I could, knocking the war axe from the Draugr’s mouth and shaving a bit of the flesh off its face at the same time. My sword came back up, slicing through its jaw and into its neck, killing it for good.

More Draugr poured in from the street, overwhelming us. I ignored the lesser zombies and headed straight for the captain, hoping they’d scatter if they lost their leadership. The Draugr captain drew a battleaxe, and stopped Dawnbreaker as I swung at its neck. Twisting its weapon around, the Draugr pushed me back.

I shot lightning at the captain, but the bolts seemed to diffuse over its (probably) enchanted armor. I drew my Changeling axe to supplement Dawnbreaker as the Draugr reached me, swinging its battleaxe down at me. I blocked with both my blades, forcing the battleaxe back. The Draugr swung its weapon at me again, this time at my side. I hooked the Changeling axe around the blade and forced it up and away from me. I stabbed Dawnbreaker at it, striking it just above where its chest armor ended.

The sword began to glow, the star in the hilt projecting energy. In a flash of light, all the Draugr around us were consumed, their screams silenced by the intense energy of my Draconequus weapon. As the light faded, all that was left of our foes were piles of slightly glowing ash surrounding us.

After patching ourselves up, we left the alleyway, heading toward the center of town. Hopefully we’d thinned the Draugr’s numbers enough that they wouldn’t tangle with us anymore, but I wasn’t holding my breath. Within the center of the city was a large building, so large in fact that I wondered if Valgroom had two Dragon Priest temples.

The runes inscribed on the structure didn’t change as we watched, however, remaining Draconic, so I concluded that this was simply another building important to the ancient earth ponies. Chutes lined the side of the building that bordered Valgroom’s square, leading into the structure. Whenever a Draugr would pass by, they threw something they had on them, usually some coins, into the chutes. Intrigued, we entered the building.

Just inside was a small room that seemed almost to be the entrance to a shop. However, two Draugr soldiers waited behind the counter instead of shopkeepers. As they spotted us, one exclaimed something in Draconic and ran through the door behind it. The other drew a sword and approached us. Arrows soon filled its head, shot by Mephalda, and it fell to the ground.

We leapt over the stone counter and entered the back room, pursuing the other Draugr. It was nowhere to be seen, but the room itself was a sight to behold. Vast piles of riches filled the chamber, with more falling in from time to time, brought here by the chutes outside.

In the middle of the room was a small stand with an ornately carved dragon claw made of sapphire sitting atop it. The Blackwings up in the keep had mentioned that they didn’t yet have they key to open the Dragon Priest’s crypt. Perhaps this Sapphire Claw was the key they didn’t yet have.

As I pulled the Claw from its stand, Mephalda suddenly tackled me to the ground. Arrows flew from hidden points on the walls, bombarding the area around the stand. Somepony didn’t want this Claw to leave the building, which made it even more likely that it would open the Dragon Priest’s Crypt and get us closer to the Element of Harmony.

As we left the treasure filled building, we found ourselves facing a troop of Draugr that the missing soldier had gathered to stop us. I stuck the Sapphire Claw in my saddlebags and drew Dawnbreaker as the Draugr began to charge toward us.

<<<FO~KRAH~DIIN!!!>>> I Shouted, freezing the first few lines of Draugr.

Mephalda began firing arrows like mad into the crowd, and Steadfast charged forward, blazing a path through with his warhammer. Mystic sent a wall of flame out at the Draugr, roasting many before they could reach us. I charged up my horn and sent a lightning blast at one of the nearest Draugr, causing the bolt to arc to other nearby zombies, forming a shocking spiderweb as it spread out through the Draugr.

The Draugr captain watched with horror as its troops were destroyed and drew a staff, sending a blast of lightning at me. I dodged the blast, running forward through the waves of Draugr, swinging Dawnbreaker around as I did so.

I was forced to stop in my charge as a Draugr with a greatsword swung at me. I ducked down, avoiding the blade, and swung Dawnbreaker at the Draugr’s forelegs, slicing its hooves off. As it fell to the ground, I jumped over it, stabbing my Draconequus sword into its back for good measure.

I jumped to the side, dodging another blast of lightning before I reached the Draugr captain. It swung out at me with its staff, trying to strike me in the head with the gem at the tip. I ducked down and swung Dawnbreaker up as I did so. My blade met the staff, and it began to crack and pop as the sword cut through it. Magical energy went blasting out from the broken magical weapon, throwing both me and the Draugr captain back.

It rose swiftly, running toward me with the broken staff held out in front of it. I knocked the staff aside with Dawnbreaker, but it continued on, finding a slight gap in my armor and exploiting it. The jagged end of the staff stuck in my flesh, forcing me to drop Dawnbreaker as I was overcome with pain.

The Draugr captain left the staff in me and drew a greatsword, preparing to finish me off. Lightning suddenly ripped the greatsword from its mouth. More blasts struck its armor, burning through it and tearing the Draugr beneath apart. Its body fell to the side, scorched and broken. Mystic ran up to me and carefully removed the broken staff before casting a healing spell on me.

“Thanks,” I said as she helped me up.

Another Draugr came charging toward us, but fell to the ground as an arrow from Mephalda found its way through its head. We left the square, stepping over the piles of Draugr bodies. No more of the Draugr soldiers stopped us on our way to the temple, either because they were too afraid, or because there were none left.

We ascended the stairs to the temple, the buzzing at the base of my horn becoming stronger. Another statue of the mare we’d seen earlier reared up here, her hooves outstretched and her mask gone. As had happened before, the runes above the door to the temple began to shift until they were readable, and we knew who our adversary was.

TEMPLE OF THE PRIESTESS HOOFNORAAK
AND THE DISCIPLES OF CHARITY

We entered the temple, prepared to deal with Hoofnoraak in order to get whatever Element of Harmony she possessed. Dead disciples and pegasi within the sanctuary reminded us that there were still Blackwings here. We would have to move quietly and strike swiftly if we were to take them by surprise.

Before we headed down to the crypt, however, I examined the Draconic inscription on the wall at the back of the temple. As I’d hoped, one of the words began to glow with blue fire, and I learned everything the dragon’s knew of life. I could sense it all around me, and I began to remember, experiencing the life of the dragon I’d killed at Windhorn in order to understand how to use my knowledge to my advantage.

<LAAS!> I Shouted, though my voice came out as a whisper.

I could suddenly see all life around me. Mephalda, Mystic, and Steadfast were all burning like bright torches, their life visible to me. I could also see the Blackwings in the crypt below, and I counted six before the Shout wore off and my vision returned to normal.

“That was weird,” I told my friends, “I could see your lifeforce, and the lifeforce of the Blackwings beneath us.”

“How many?” Mystic asked, obviously amazed at the incredible power of Shouts.

“Six,” I replied, “They’re trying to open the crypt.”

“Well, I don’t think they can without that Claw we found,” Steadfast said, “But we’d better stop them just in case.”

I agreed, and we headed down under the temple, staying out of sight of the Blackwings. As we came within view of them, we hid behind a stone that had fallen from the ceiling. The Blackwings were indeed trying to open the Dragon Priest’s crypt, blasting at the circular puzzle door with a powerful staff. They didn’t seem to be having much luck without the Sapphire Claw.

Mephalda drew back her bow, and at the moment she released her arrow, both Mystic and me sent ice spikes shooting down at the Blackwings. Three of them fell immediately as they were hit, halving the number of highly trained pegasi we had to fight. The Blackwing that had been working on the door turned away from it, shooting pure magic from the staff she held and destroying the rock we were hiding behind.

I galloped forward, Steadfast at my side. One of the remaining Blackwings swung a battleaxe at me, and I blocked with Dawnbreaker. As she tried to get at me with her wing-blades, Steadfast used his warhammer to crush her wings against her body. She pulled back with her battleaxe and swung at him.

I swung Dawnbreaker at her side, but she used her wing-blades to block. I heard the head Blackwing’s staff charging up, and grabbed the one Steadfast and I were fighting with a foreleg. As the staff fired, I pushed the Blackwing in the way of the blast, and she was consumed by the intense magic.

Mephalda was busy fighting the other Blackwing with her blades, and Mystic was assisting her, getting in spells wherever she could. I picked myself off the ground and headed for the Blackwing with the staff. She began to charge it up, preparing to fire at me as I approached. After all, I had no chance of dodging it now.

<<ZUN~JOT!!>> I Shouted, and the staff fell from the Blackwing’s mouth, sending its deadly blast of magic up at her instead.

With the Blackwings taken care of, I approached the puzzle door and lined up the rings so that they matched the markings on the Sapphire Claw. The door slid smoothly open now, working perfectly despite the Blackwings’ best efforts to break it. Once the door was open we stepped through.

I was forced to duck down immediately as a blast of ice shot over my head. It appeared that Hoofnoraak was already awake. The Dragon Priest hovered in the center of the room, her dragon staff floating in her sickly green magic. I rolled to the side as another blast of ice came at me, freezing the floor instead.

I sent a blast of fire at Hoofnoraak, forcing her to levitate away from me. I got to my hooves and charged, Dawnbreaker held in my magic. I leapt into the air, launching myself off Hoofnoraak’s broken casket. My sword swept through the air, slicing through the string holding the dragon amulet around the Dragon Priest’s neck. Her magic faded and she began to fall from the sky.

<<<FO~KRAH~DIIN!!!>>> Hoofnoraak Shouted, and ice formed around my body, freezing me solid.

I watched in horror as I plummeted toward the ground, about to shatter. Mephalda snatched me out of the air before that could happen and flew me away from the fight, gently setting me down. Mystic approached a moment later, as Mephalda shot arrows at Hoofnoraak, her and Steadfast keeping the Dragon Priest at bay.

Warmth returned to my body as Mystic thawed the ice around me. I stretched a bit before drawing the Blade of Hoofingar and charging in toward Hoofnoraak. She was confined to the ground now and was trying to freeze Steadfast with her staff. I grabbed Dawnbreaker from where it had fallen as I ran, and leapt at the Dragon Priest. I landed on her back, but she swiftly bucked me off, sending me sliding across the stone floor.

<<<FO~KRAH~DIIN!!!>>> she Shouted, trying to freeze me again.

<<YOL~TOOR!!>> I Shouted back, nullifying her ice with my fire.

She jumped through the mist formed by our meeting Shouts and swung her staff at my head. I was thrown to the side as it struck me and was sent rolling across the floor. As Hoofnoraak prepared to blast me with ice from her staff, it was suddenly blasted from her grasp. She drew a sword as Mystic approached, lightning still leaping from her horn at the Draugr. Hoofnoraak held up her Draugr sword, blocking and redirecting the lightning so that Mystic was forced to retreat.

I swung Dawnbreaker around as I stood up, taking a good portion of Hoofnoraak’s rotten hindlegs off. Steadfast swung his Changeling warhammer around, striking the Dragon Priest in the back of the head as she turned to face me. Her ancient skull collapsed, and the light in her eyes died as her head was turned to pulp.

Catching my breath after the fight, I rolled Hoornoraak over and removed the remaining amulet from around her neck. A triangular gem hung from the string, the green that must’ve once been dazzling now faded and dark. I threw it around my neck with the other three, our mission completed. Only two more were left to find before we confronted Alduin.

Level Up
Health: 350 Stamina: 340 Magicka: 350
New Perk: Armor of the Gods [Smithing] -- You know have the ability to repair any set of armor, including Draconequus.
Element of Harmony acquired
Word of Power learned: LAAS -- Life; Aura Whisper – Your voice is not a Shout, but a whisper, revealing the life forces of any and all.
New Quest: The Final Two -- Find the remaining two Elements of Harmony.

Comments

[Constellation]

Stupid impatient Blackwings, didn't even check for the claw in the city/town/village of undead. I really liked the fight in the town, this one seemed better then the rest all did, but I'm not sure what I liked more about it. Anyway, glade to see the next element. Things are really going to start going faster I assume, as this is seemingly drawing to a close. I guess I'll go read the next chapter, and see what happens next!