177 Chapter XL: Augur

The two of us sit in companionable silence for a good while, enjoying our drinks and battling with our thoughts. Well, one of us was anyway...

And just as said person was taking another sip of his drink I fired off a question "So, how does it feel to share a position with Dagoth Ur?"

The ensuing explosion of beverage bursting through the Archmage's nose and mouth followed by a fit of coughing and glaring was most definitively worth my patience. Truly, a spit-take for the ages!

Savos summoned a handkerchief to clean himself up, all the while giving me an unamused stare "Really Reyvin?" He asks with exasperation, his voice hoarse from the potent burn of his drink.

I smirk "What, did you think I wasn't going to be a vicious little shit after all that?"

The old Mer looks just as likely to pout as he is to sigh, but he settles on grumbling to himself instead. Finally, he seems to settle down and takes a long breath through his nose before nodding "Yes I was indeed rather foolish."

"Foolish he says" I scoff "Seriously, I know things might have felt awkward but is that enough to shut yourself off for Divines know how long just because you were scared?"

His shoulders slump "All I've ever done with my family is fail them..."

I roll my eyes "By Mephala's chitinous cunt my mother was right when she said all you do is mope!" I exclaim and feel a gentle wave of amusement coming from my patron.

Savos blinks and then chuckles ruefully "I guess that I do" His chuckle turns self-deprecating "Doing something for so long becomes routine, no matter who is doing it."

"What a finely crafted excuse that is." I drawl "Just self-deprecating enough to allow you to stagnate while feeling like you are 'punishing' yourself like some depressed teenager lacking a strong parental figure."

He twitches lightly "Must you be so blunt?"

"Yes" I nod without a hint of hesitation and before he can respond I go on "From what little I have learned just now I know that if I do not slap you with the truth all you will do is slink back into your metaphorical cave and wait for death like a little bitch."

The way he looks away with guilt on his face does him no favors.

"So I am going to sit here and resume with said slapping until you see sense and stop behaving like a Divines damned man-child." I finish my tirade, outwardly calm but inwardly fuming at the old elf's cowardice.

He sighs tiredly "You are right of course... What do you propose then?"

"We will have time to go through the long list of reasons one should not be stuck in the past later" I wave him off, much to his relief "What we must discuss now is what I was about to report just before I was suddenly faced with my dead mother."

Savos holds back a wince and asks "And what exactly were you about to report?"

"You see while I was... innocently strolling through the ancient city of Saarthal" Even in this situation he gives me a dubious look but I go on without a care "And much to my great surprise I came upon a hidden passage!" The dubious look turns dry "And who could have guessed that at the end of said passage awaited an ancient artifact of great power, power enough to threaten the very world itself!"

His dry glare may as well have turned Skyrim into a desert if it held any actual power "Reyvin, what in oblivion did you find down there?"

I smirk cheekily "Have you ever heard of the Eye of Magnus?"

The creasing of his brow informs me that he has no concrete knowledge but the sudden stillness of the hand holding his bottle tells me he can guess the gravity of such a name.

And so I begin spinning the tale "Well, you see..."

*One explanation and four bottles later*

"So..." Savos drawls, his previous discomfort mostly forgotten due to good old alcohol poisoning "A conduit to the very sun and source of all magic was just... sitting there? With no one able to find it... for thousands of years?!"

I nod approvingly "That seems to be the case."

"How?!" He clutches his head.

"How the hell am I supposed to know that?" I shrug "It just is how it is."

He deadpans "You are far less excited than you should be about this."

"I am the picture of composure and grace under fire" I drawl.

Savos rolls his eyes "So, I am guessing you have already come up with a plan?"

"The outline of one" I answer with a smirk "Though we might as well visit a certain Augur just in case."

Savos' eyebrows rise "Why would you even need him, aren't you capable of clairvoyance?"

"I am" I agree easily "I just want to make sure there aren't any... leaks."

And so, followed by a very confused Savos, I left for the college Midden. The halls below the college were mostly in use for the less socially acceptable practices of certain magi, the necromancers, and the like. We even passed by Phineas and Marwyn dissecting a failed Falmer subject and a bandit and comparing their internal organs.

Soon, after dispatching a bunch of ice wraiths that had made the cold halls their home, we stood before an old wooden doorway, almost completely frozen over yet with clear signs of recently being opened.

"Who could have..." Savos mutters.

I shrug and push the door open "We are just about to find out."

As we enter the old chamber we are both almost blinded by the massive blob of floating Magicka, the Augur of Dunlain regarded us with unseen eyes as we approached yet the orb would remain silent as long as we did not speak.

"Righty then" I chirp cheerfully "Dear ole' augury boy I have come to you with a question!"

Savos sighs at my irreverence but doesn't comment.

The orb shifts around invisibly before a raspy voice emanates from it "Ask... your... question..."

'Oh god please don't you dare continue speaking that slowly' I mentally grouse before speaking "You see we have found a rather interesting orb of great power, that isn't you by the way, and we need something to control it to make sure it doesn't blow up half the world. Would you kindly tell us where to seek such a thing?"

The augur regards me with mechanical eyes before rasping out once more, this time a bit more swiftly "Your efforts are in vain, the consequences of your deeds have already begun, and you may not find what you seek in time."

Oh great, a defective model "And what is it that I seek oh great blob of doom?" I quip.

Evidently unamused by my question the Augur merely answers "You seek that which all who wield magic seek, knowledge."

"What glorious insight" I drawl, and to my side hear Savos holding back a snicker.

Undeterred it continues "You shall find this: Knowledge will corrupt. It will destroy. It will consume. You seek meaning, and shelter in Knowledge. You will not find it. The Thalmor sought the same thing, and it shall lead to his end as it has so many others."

'Got you!' "This Thalmor" I begin, hiding my frothing rage "He sought your counsel as well?"

The augur hums "He did indeed, though he asked very different questions than yourself."

"Right..." I drawl "And what exactly do we need to make sure the world doesn't end up completely wrecked by my 'foolish knowledge-seeking hubris'?" I ask with great sarcasm.

The dispassionate rasp begins once more "You, wish to know more about the Eye of Magnus. You wish to avoid the disaster of which you are not yet aware. To see through Magnus' Eye without being blinded, you require his staff. Events now spiral quickly towards the inevitable center, so you must act with haste."

"Cheers for that mate!" I exclaim and before anything else can happen I summon the Ebony Blade in my right hand while grasping Azura's Star in my left "TIID!" I shout out and time slows down, giving me just enough time to ram Mephala's dagger into what I perceive as the creature's core.

An unearthly shriek escapes the ghost thing as I rend the last vestiges of its life force from it and then proceed to unravel it completely with the help of Azura's Star.

Time returns to its natural flow just in time for me to hear Savos exclaim "What in oblivion are you doing?!"

I turn to him with a shrug "Fucker gave out information to Ancano while he knew damn well what his plans were" My eyes narrowed and I let out a rage-filled growl "I do not abide traitors."

The Archmage lets out a long sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose "Reyvin he could have been the center of the college's wards for all you know."

I give him a half-lidded stare "Do I look like a complete idiot to you?"

He chuckles and shakes his head "No, I guess you do not."

"You guess?" I scoff "In any case, let us get out of this place, the stink of traitor is still in the air and it disgusts me."

I do not wait for him to respond and leave immediately, heading straight to my mansion followed by a helpless Savos.

------

My guards greet me eagerly as Savos and I enter my home, yet as I open the door to the dining room I am met with an exasperating sight.

Once again I see Davos and Edrassa playing a game of chess, all the while an amused Nightshade watches over them while stuffing herself with food.

How she is not even slightly overweight by this point I will never know...

"G'day boss." Davos greets me without looking away from the board.

Edrassa stills for a moment but then glares at Davos as if he was trying to distract her by lying about my presence.

The Falmer merely nods and returns to her food.

"I see the two of you are at it again." I say in lieu of greeting "Who is winning?"

Edrassa yelps in surprise and once again glares at Davos, poor man.

Said Mer chuckles "Princess hasn't beaten me once."

"Just you wait old man I will crush you soon enough" She growls.

"Right..." I shake my head "Well in any case I've come to inform you lot that me and Gramps here are going to be traveling somewhere for a couple of days, do make sure nothing burns down while I am away."

They both nod, still too ensnared by their game to truly compute my words.

As I turn to leave I hear Savos ask "And where exactly are we going?"

"Labyrinthian" I blurt.

The Archmage stills completely "Reyvin... no."

I turn to him with my most vicious smile "Reyvin yes!"

(General POV)

As the grandfather and grandson pair leave the mansion of house Dagoth the hand of Davos suddenly stills just as he is about to defeat his opponent once again.

"Afraid to lose old man?" Edrassa mocks.

"Hold on a second" Davos waves her off and looks at Nightshade "Didn't boss just call the fucking Archmage gramps?"

Nightshade nods eagerly, still clutching her bag of street horker.

Edrassa's face turns from light grey to white.

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