57: Ald'Ruhn

The first party of soldiers departed from Ghostgate shortly after the storm had fully subsided. They would ensure that Dagoth Ur was safe to inhabit and clear the way for the injured in the second party. I knew they would have no trouble clearing the ancient Dwemer fortress out, especially since the Nerevarine had “prepared for their arrival” already. I was not worried about them.

Darkasha drank deeply from healing potions that I had provided for him as we set out with the first party of soldiers. We would follow them north for a short distance before heading west to Ald’Ruhn. With any luck we could hike through the ashen mountains in time to avoid the attack. We were proceeding slowly, however, and the group of soldiers soon left us far behind. Darkasha could walk, but not fast enough for my liking. I too was enfeebled, as Darkasha needed the Staff for support, and so each step I took caused a shooting pain through my absent toes. Kael was the only one among us fit to climb the ashen slopes, but he was burdened by our slow progress.

“At this rate we’ll never make it to Ald’Ruhn in time.” I grumbled out of frustration. “The city will have fallen by the time we arrive!”

“Perhaps we can buy some time.” Kael said, hefting his pack higher onto his shoulder. “If we can warn the people there, they may be able to prepare for the attack. I will move ahead of you two and make it to Ald’Ruhn in time to inform them of the coming darkness.”

“Gods give you speed,” I said. He nodded and ran off to the northwest. I turned to Darkasha, who was a good twenty paces behind me. I looked with curiosity at the staff, which was pulsing with an angry red glow. Darkasha appeared to take no notice of any animation within the staff, nor had anyone ever noticed the unusual nature of the staff. Apparently, I was the only one who had any inkling of the Dark One’s presence. Since I had handed the staff off to Darkasha, I had felt the absence of the Dark One in my mind. It was a refreshing change, though I did miss the wise guidance he had often imparted to me. I waited for Darkasha to catch up and then knelt to examine his legs. They were healing quickly, but they simply couldn’t bear the weight of Darkasha’s body. As I knelt, I gripped the base of the staff and felt the flood of the Dark One’s thoughts return to my own. He was furious. Mostly he didn’t appreciate being left deaf dumb and blind (apparently he couldn’t enter Darkasha’s mind). An onslaught of angry reprimands stormed across my thoughts, but I was able to quickly get him under control. I needed his help healing Darkasha’s legs, and I wanted to explain that Kael had left to buy some time.

I forced as much magic as I could into healing Darkasha. I released the staff and felt the Dark One slowly pulled from my mind. Darkasha flexed and stretched his legs experimentally. “They do not hurt as much now, but they are still weak.” He managed to keep pace with me now, and we set off for Ald’Ruhn once again.

It took a few hours, but we finally reached the pale walls of Ald’Ruhn. No Oblivion gates marred the land near Ald’Ruhn, though the tension in the air was palpable. A small force of guards was erecting a barricade across the wide opening in the walls that served as the city’s main entrance. The city was not at all prepared for an attack. The walls themselves were not continuous around the city, though some breaks in the wall had been filled in with a single layer of bricks and mortar, a hasty patch job which would easily crumble under the coming assault. I knew then why the Nerevarine had avoided Ald’Ruhn; it was indefensible.

Darkasha and I shuffled through the dusty streets in search of the mages’ guild and salvation. I noticed a long line of worried citizens crowded around the slit strider platform. After a short time searching for the guild hall, I saw Kael beckoning me toward a squat structure. We entered the hall and Kael immediately pointed us down to the basement. Kael had an unusual look in his eyes, as if he were preoccupied with something. As we reached the teleportation platform, Kael took me aside while Darkasha began to teleport to Gnisis.

“You’ll have to go on without me.” Kael said quietly. I said nothing. “I can’t just leave all these people unprotected! I have to try and help them.”

“Kael,” I said, “You’ve seen the walls, this place cannot survive the coming onslaught. What are you possibly going to do? You’ll just be one more head on the daedras’ pike.”

“I know we can’t last, but maybe I can buy some time. If we can get some more refugees out through the guild teleport…” A rumbling explosion cut him off. “Just go, I’ll follow when… if I can.”