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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the adaptation of the quest What Lies Beneath, created in such a way that it would fit with the events involving two of my characters from We Are Our Avatars. Please do enjoy, and give out constructive criticism.
There lies a mysterious lighthouse between Dawnstar and Winterhold. One that's filled with dark secrets. Whispers of a strong creature lies there, as well as other whispers of death. Just what kind of story does this lighthouse contain?
A silver-haired teenager, much older in reality, is on her way to Winterhold, carrying a sack filled with various items. She dropped off a suit of armor and a sword for two of her new friends, and she went back in order to get more supplies. Some Soul Gems here and there due to mining, some alchemy ingredients, some potions.
Clad in Ebony Armor she crafted herself, the woman continued on her trek until she saw another woman, brunette-haired and clad in Orcish Armor--one of the most hideous armor sets ever, according to the guards--standing next to her.
The silver-haired woman was named Catherine Grayson. The brunette? She had many names, but many called her "Rika". Catherine used to be known as the famous (or infamous, depending on your mood) Carter Grayson, known for many a badass deed. Until he requested to become a woman, but she still hasn't slowed down--she chooses to pick her battles. Rika, on the other hand, was a fangirl. Let's just leave it at that.
"The hell were you? I was searching for you when there was a dragon fight! Granted, I left before that happened, but...I needed to find you, to see if you were safe, because, fucking dammit, you never came back!" Rika exclaimed, happy to have found her adoptive mother.
"There was a dragon?!" Catherine shrieked. "Is everyone all right?"
"Honestly, the hell I know. As mentioned, I left. I was, like, trying to buy some items.
"Then before I left, there was a huge dragon. And I glanced at the guys fighting it. I'm sure they handled it well."
"...is Alyx even okay?"
"..."
Rika said nothing. Catherine wanted to communicate with her Other, who she treated more like the little brother she never had, but she remembered that she did not have her morpher.
"Please tell me that he isn't dead..." Catherine asked.
"He probably slept through. I found him, well, sound asleep. I cannot fucking believe that just one mead would make him knock out for days!" Rika verified.
Catherine, on the other hand, had a concerned look on her face. She silently hoped that Alyx would be all right. She wanted to see if everyone was all right, and Rika wasn't telling her stories.
"Well, it's a good thing that I'm heading back to Winterhold, then," she sighed. "I'm glad you're safe, but...let's go."
"You worry too much," Rika noted, and the two walked to their destination.
But little did they know, a mystery awaited them.
Halfway between Dawnstar, where Catherine temporarily stayed, and Winterhold, the two women notice a lighthouse.
"Is that a landmark or some shit?" Rika asked, curious about the design. "Or is this something abandoned?"
"I don't know," Catherine replied, "and quite honestly...I really don't like the looks of this place." Rika shrugged, and, being one for adventure, she wandered off. Catherine gasped, and she ran after her daughter.
"Rika! You get back here now!" she berated. "Otherwise, you are grounded!"
"You can't ground me, I'm an adult!" Rika pointed out...until she stopped dead in her tracts, letting out a bloodcurling scream. "OH, GOD, WHAT IS THAT?!"
Catherine's eyes flashed, and she ran to Rika, who was sinking down. To say that the brunette 30-year-old is mentally trying to reel from the horror is an understatement.
Located at the entrance of Frostflow Lighthouse, this abandoned lighthouse, is the carcass of a horse. How did it get there? What killed it?
"Oh, my God..." Catherine whispered, and she found herself trembling. She was used to so many sightings of darkness, of death, of despair. Somehow, that one vision of a horse's dead body is starting to make her panic.
Eventually, she calmed down.
You can do this, Catherine, stay strong for Rika. For yourself... she thought.
"Rika." Catherine spoke, in a stronger voice. "Pull yourself together."
"How the fuck did that horse even get slaughtered?!" Rika shrieked.
"We don't know. We'll need to investigate. If you wish to come with me, do so. But be prepared, for we do not know what horrors await us, if any."
"...f-fuck rescue work, man..."
Rika's eyes were filled with tears. Oddly enough, Catherine did not react negatively, but rather she pulled her daughter closer for a hug.
"It'll be all right, Rika," Catherine comforted. "We're a family. We must stay together. Now, you can come with me, or you can either stay here or leave to Winterhold. I'll join you as soon as I can."
"...I brought us into this mess, Mom..." Rika replied, wiping her eyes. "If you're going...I guess I'll go."
With one reassuring hand on Rika's shoulder, Catherine left. But before the adopted Grayson could follow, Rika snuck a peek into the work shed, snagging a few potions, some gold, leather strips, and a few poisons. And some leeks and potatoes in a garden. Perhaps it would come in handy.
Inside the lighthouse, Catherine looked in all directions, always on her guard. She was, after all, an expert rescue soldier prior to entering this world.
Rika, after gaining the items, followed her mother, and then the two notice a body. Rika gasped, nearly releasing her grip on the items until she caught them.
"Rika, perhaps it's best to put the items in my bag," Catherine suggested, and Rika did what her mother told her to do. They then examined the body--a dark-skinned woman, and in her chest, a strange axe.
"W-w-who is that?" Rika stammered, staring.
"I don't know..."
"Is she...what happened to her?"
Without answering, Catherine noticed the amount of blood surrounding the body. Next to the body is another corpse, but it appeared to be a creature. Something that, likely, she never recognized before. Monstrous, almost like a scorpion, and yet, it didn't have a face.
Next to the woman's corpse is a journal. Rika spotted it.
"Mom! What's in there?" she asked.
Catherine opened up the book, and she began to read it. "'After years of sailing from Hammerfell to Solstheim and back, Ramati and I have finally saved enough money to buy that old light house we spotted on the coast and we are moving in next month.'
"'These Nords really know how to live. It may be cold, but you can't beat the tranquility of the watching icebergs to live out your silver years. Ramati loves the place too, despite the occasional leaky ceiling. Mani and Sudi, unfortunately, seem miserable here; I know the kids are old enough to strike out on their own, but I hope they'll grow to love the peace and quiet here as I have.'"
As Catherine continued to read, she tried to have a steady voice...
"'Mani and Sudi continue to bicker and harass each other and they seem to have started in on their mother as well. Ramati keeps finding things missing from the cellar. Sudi said she heard a noise down there but Mani just thinks their mother is going mad from isolation. The very thought of it is ridiculous, she's always wanted to retire here!'
"'Sudi keeps saying that she hears scratching coming from the cellar at night. I think she's just trying to get her mother's goat, but I'd better head into town to get a few traps just in case it's skeevers. Should only take a couple days. I just hope those two go easy on Ramati while I'm gone.'"
Then, upon seeing the final entry...she mustered all of her strength, looking at the corpses...
"'Oh gods. Oh gods why?
"'I returned home to find my beautiful Ramati killed and this thing, this horrible bug-like creature ransacking our home. I managed to kill the damned thing, I think it might be a daedra! I've never seen anything like it! Oh gods poor Ramati.
"'It must have come out of the cellar. I'm going down there and locking the door behind me to make sure they don't escape. I don't know if I'll make it out, but I have to save my family!'"
After reading it, Catherine stared in horror, her eyes bulging, wanting to scream. But it took her all of her might to not show fear. She was a rescue soldier, and she was trained to never be afraid.
"Who wrote it?" Rika asked after five minutes of silence.
"Someone named Habd," Catherine replied. "I'd presume that he thought that they wouldn't be harmed. And yet, this happened. Perhaps this creature...if they faced it, then..."
Her voice drifted off. She also thought about Daedra...she thought she heard Imca talking about it before. Could this, indeed, be a Daedra? Or could it be something else?
"What are you thinking of?" Rika questioned.
"...nothing," Catherine replied, and she placed the book down. She went off in search of the family, Rika following...also taking the strange war axe with her.
"The fuck is this thing?" Rika blurted out after another five minutes of silence. Catherine never thought about that strange weapon until it was brought to her attention. She looked at it closely...
"Must be someone else's," she replied. "I don't know what wields this weapon...or who. We may be facing an intruder who's skilled at wielding the weapons and using these creatures, or something else entirely."
Catherine and Rika walked until they saw the left-hand bedroom...locked. Trying out lockpicketing, she managed to break the lock with using a small wire, though it took three minutes to do so. She smiled at Rika, reassuringly.
"You still all right?" she asked.
"Kind of...I'm sorry, Mom..." Rika apologized.
"Rika, it'll be fine, as long as we stay together. I promise you, nothing bad will happen to us. We'll solve the mystery together."
Rika gave a small smile, and she walked inside, finding another diary.
"Oh, hey, another book!" she blurted out, and she read it this time.
"'I hate it here. Why did we have to move to Skyrim anyway? I miss the big port cities, there was always something to do and new people around. Or even being cabin girl on one ships [sic] we used to sail on would be better than this! Mani says we should run away, but I can't leave Mother and Father alone out here... Oh what to do?'
"'We've been here for two months now and there is nothing to do! From the top of the lighthouse we can see all the way to the College at Winterhold, but Father says that magic is for Daedra worshippers. The only interesting thing to have happened lately is that Mother snapped at us at dinner and accused us of stealing things out of the cellar. I did hear scratching down there the other night, but I thought it was just Father cleaning fish.'"
Rika paused with a frown.
"Okay, first of all, Daedra worshippers? That's bullshit! That would mean that all magic would be bad! Secondly--"
Catherine gave Rika a stern glare.
"...sorry, Mom," Rika apologized, and she continued to read.
"'I caught Mani in the cellar a couple days ago going through some the barrels and crates. At first I thought it was him all along making those scratches to play a trick on me, but I heard them again last night and Mani was in bed. Father finally said he would go get some traps and poison from town in case it's skeevers. I'm really scared, it doesn't sound like skeevers to me.'"
Rika gulped as she opened the last page of the journal.
"'Mani won't listen, he thinks I'm just making up the noises and keeps sneaking into the cellar! Oooh why is he so stupid some times? I don't know why he keeps going down there but I've found the cellar key he copied and hid it in Mother's favorite keepsake so he won't find it. The scratching is getting louder.'"
After reading it, Rika looked quickly at Catherine.
"You know, I do wonder why the hell they didn't just leave..." she began to ask, but Catherine, while continuing to search for more clues, was quick to answer.
"Who knows? Perhaps they thought that they'd be safe. There would be nothing wrong. I'm hoping that the remaining members of the family are still alive...so we can save them."
Catherine then found a letter in the same bedroom. Mani's letter.
Sudi,
I know you've been making up that stuff about the noises in the basement to try to get me to stay, but I'm only waiting till Father gets home so you and Mother are safe. You could always come meet up with me before I head back to Hammerfell.
Take care of yourself little sister
-Mani
"...huh. And yet, Sudi claimed that Mani made the noises...it's odd," she muttered after reading it.
The two nodded, and they left the bedroom. When they did, somehow, the door was locked again. Don't ask how that happened.
So far, they received some clues, namely a few details. First, Sudi kept an item in her mother's keepsake, whatever that was. What was the key for, anyway, and how would it be used? Secondly, the appearance of odd creatures that were not skeevers. What, exactly, were they?
The two women headed to the room on the right, and once again, Catherine unlocked it...that time, it took seven minutes. She led the way, finding the last journal, and she read it silently this time, allowing Rika to read along.
We finally did it. We bought the lighthouse. I thought Habd was just making idle promises all these years, what husband doesn't want to promise their wife the two moons from the sky, but I didn't think we'd actually manage to get it! Now if I could only find where we put everything.
I can't find my favorite cooking pot and it is slightly infuriating. Sudi and Mani seem unhappy, but they're still young and don't seem to understand that we just want to spend a few more years with them before they leave us to see the world. I know they think their father will live forever, but I see his age creeping into his eyes. He made me promise again that when he died I would put his bones in the lighthouse fire so he could look out over the ocean forever.
"...this is rather poignant, how these kids...they have huge ambitions, and yet, their mother and father...they're rather close, despite all of the problems," Catherine muttered, feeling that it hit close to home. Why? As a mother herself, it felt important for her to have her children spend time with each other and with their mother as much as possible.
Rika felt it, too, being a mother as well. "Yeah...that's something I need to remember, as I'm spending time with my kids," she agreed.
The two continued to read.
Oooh those two get to me sometimes! I went to unpack some of our keepsakes from the trading ships we used to sail but I can't find them!
Sudi keeps saying she's hearing something in the basement at night and Mani suggested it was skeevers! They know I hate skeevers! Now I'm too scared to go down there at all. I'm glad I unpacked my favorite urn and put it safely on the mantle before those two started causing mischief. If they put a skeever in the basement I swear...
"...okay, that feeling is gone now," Catherine groaned. "From what we saw, Mani and Sudi accused each other, and yet...good Lord."
"You still wanting to save them?" Rika blurted out in surprise.
"Of course. I cannot say 'no' to something like this. For God's sakes, this woman was murdered! We must find out where the rest of the family are located!"
"...sorry."
"No, I should apologize for shouting out...anyway...we should go and find that urn."
The two go in search for the urn, which they spot. The urn was on top of the fireplace, alongside a strange torchbug in a jar.
"Fuck, I need a friend," Rika stated as she picked up the torchbug. "Hey, little fella, how are you?"
"Rika...it's nice and all that you made a friend, but...we must focus on the murders," Catherine interrupted. She found the door to the cellar, and she unlocked it.
"Before we go to the cellar, Rika...I offer you one last chance to go back outside. You can stay outside and be safe. I'll join you as soon as I can. All I care about is your safety, even as I'll go deeper."
Rika gave it a minute of thought...
"No, Mom. It's fine that you care about me. But you can't worry about me all the time. Fuck, you can't worry about everyone else! You said so yourself, everyone is capable of taking care of themselves.
"So you know what? I brought us into this mess. I'm still sticking with my decision, seeing it to the end. So let's fucking go!" she stated with a brave smile, just for her adoptive mother.
As the two head down to the cellar, Catherine had a thought.
Rika may be a bit brash for her own good--oh, too brash for her own good--but she may have a point. I need to stop worrying and let her do her own thing. It isn't good for the both of us... she thought to herself.
Deeper into the bowels of the cellar, the two found themselves surrounded by the strange, same creatures that they saw before. Hordes of them...the scorpion-esque monsters capable of killing an adult human with their poisons, which they attempt to use on the women.
"Fuck!" Catherine screamed, and she defended herself with the Ebony Shield. Several of the creatures scratched her, doing some decent damage, but all she can do was using her Shock Wave to stun them. After achieving it, she used her Ebony War Axe of Flames to finish them off.
Rika, in the meantime, was having difficulty. All she could do was dodging the poison attacks. She finally gained the strength and courage to use her Orcish Sword of Frost to freeze them, though it took fifteen slashes. And she was facing three of the creatures.
After fighting them, Catherine obtained the chitin.
"I don't think these are Daedra, because these are not hearts," she stated.
"Then what the hell are those?" Rika asked, catching her breath.
"...I don't know," she admitted.
As they went on, heading into an ice cave, they spotted a body on top of the rocks.
"Oh, God..." Rika gasped, and she ran closer...until a vicious, elf-like creature nearly abducted her.
"RIKA!" Catherine cried out, and she used the Ebony Sword of Devouring in order to save her daughter. She managed to stab the strong creature, though it was not effective.
The strong creature, the Falmer, directed its attention to Catherine, attempting to poison her with his arrows. She, once again, used her shield to block the arrow until one grazed her face cheek.
With a groan, Catherine used a Cure Poison potion before she would succumb to the effects. That gave plenty of time for Rika to spin-kick the Falmer down, though it made her stumble. Despite it, the Falmer tried to shoot her, and she dodged the arrows as she climbed on top of the altar...where she found the dead body of Mani.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Rika shrieked, seeing the man's corpse, the Falmer Sword embedded in his chest. She was too petrified to move, and the Falmer tackled Rika, nearly making her fall...
She grabbed the edge of the altar, trying to climb up. The Falmer attempted, still, to knock her down...and that gave Catherine time to use her spell.
"Fire Spell: Level 2! Flame Wheel!" she cried out, and she used a super-effective Flame Wheel to finish the Falmer off, killing him. Rika had enough time to climb back up and get the sword off Mani's corpse.
Catherine climbed up as well after obtaining the Falmer Arrows and Bow. "Oh, my God!" she cried out, also seeing the body. "Is that...?"
"I think it's Mani," Rika replied. "How did they manage to kill him?!"
"...perhaps those creatures killed him..." Catherine gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Come on, Rika, let's see if there are any more survivors!"
The two head deeper and deeper, surviving close calls along the way. Getting more of the chitin and a few gold and weapons from the fallen enemies.
Part 2 will continue soon...
There lies a mysterious lighthouse between Dawnstar and Winterhold. One that's filled with dark secrets. Whispers of a strong creature lies there, as well as other whispers of death. Just what kind of story does this lighthouse contain?
A silver-haired teenager, much older in reality, is on her way to Winterhold, carrying a sack filled with various items. She dropped off a suit of armor and a sword for two of her new friends, and she went back in order to get more supplies. Some Soul Gems here and there due to mining, some alchemy ingredients, some potions.
Clad in Ebony Armor she crafted herself, the woman continued on her trek until she saw another woman, brunette-haired and clad in Orcish Armor--one of the most hideous armor sets ever, according to the guards--standing next to her.
The silver-haired woman was named Catherine Grayson. The brunette? She had many names, but many called her "Rika". Catherine used to be known as the famous (or infamous, depending on your mood) Carter Grayson, known for many a badass deed. Until he requested to become a woman, but she still hasn't slowed down--she chooses to pick her battles. Rika, on the other hand, was a fangirl. Let's just leave it at that.
"The hell were you? I was searching for you when there was a dragon fight! Granted, I left before that happened, but...I needed to find you, to see if you were safe, because, fucking dammit, you never came back!" Rika exclaimed, happy to have found her adoptive mother.
"There was a dragon?!" Catherine shrieked. "Is everyone all right?"
"Honestly, the hell I know. As mentioned, I left. I was, like, trying to buy some items.
"Then before I left, there was a huge dragon. And I glanced at the guys fighting it. I'm sure they handled it well."
"...is Alyx even okay?"
"..."
Rika said nothing. Catherine wanted to communicate with her Other, who she treated more like the little brother she never had, but she remembered that she did not have her morpher.
"Please tell me that he isn't dead..." Catherine asked.
"He probably slept through. I found him, well, sound asleep. I cannot fucking believe that just one mead would make him knock out for days!" Rika verified.
Catherine, on the other hand, had a concerned look on her face. She silently hoped that Alyx would be all right. She wanted to see if everyone was all right, and Rika wasn't telling her stories.
"Well, it's a good thing that I'm heading back to Winterhold, then," she sighed. "I'm glad you're safe, but...let's go."
"You worry too much," Rika noted, and the two walked to their destination.
But little did they know, a mystery awaited them.
Halfway between Dawnstar, where Catherine temporarily stayed, and Winterhold, the two women notice a lighthouse.
"Is that a landmark or some shit?" Rika asked, curious about the design. "Or is this something abandoned?"
"I don't know," Catherine replied, "and quite honestly...I really don't like the looks of this place." Rika shrugged, and, being one for adventure, she wandered off. Catherine gasped, and she ran after her daughter.
"Rika! You get back here now!" she berated. "Otherwise, you are grounded!"
"You can't ground me, I'm an adult!" Rika pointed out...until she stopped dead in her tracts, letting out a bloodcurling scream. "OH, GOD, WHAT IS THAT?!"
Catherine's eyes flashed, and she ran to Rika, who was sinking down. To say that the brunette 30-year-old is mentally trying to reel from the horror is an understatement.
Located at the entrance of Frostflow Lighthouse, this abandoned lighthouse, is the carcass of a horse. How did it get there? What killed it?
"Oh, my God..." Catherine whispered, and she found herself trembling. She was used to so many sightings of darkness, of death, of despair. Somehow, that one vision of a horse's dead body is starting to make her panic.
Eventually, she calmed down.
You can do this, Catherine, stay strong for Rika. For yourself... she thought.
"Rika." Catherine spoke, in a stronger voice. "Pull yourself together."
"How the fuck did that horse even get slaughtered?!" Rika shrieked.
"We don't know. We'll need to investigate. If you wish to come with me, do so. But be prepared, for we do not know what horrors await us, if any."
"...f-fuck rescue work, man..."
Rika's eyes were filled with tears. Oddly enough, Catherine did not react negatively, but rather she pulled her daughter closer for a hug.
"It'll be all right, Rika," Catherine comforted. "We're a family. We must stay together. Now, you can come with me, or you can either stay here or leave to Winterhold. I'll join you as soon as I can."
"...I brought us into this mess, Mom..." Rika replied, wiping her eyes. "If you're going...I guess I'll go."
With one reassuring hand on Rika's shoulder, Catherine left. But before the adopted Grayson could follow, Rika snuck a peek into the work shed, snagging a few potions, some gold, leather strips, and a few poisons. And some leeks and potatoes in a garden. Perhaps it would come in handy.
Inside the lighthouse, Catherine looked in all directions, always on her guard. She was, after all, an expert rescue soldier prior to entering this world.
Rika, after gaining the items, followed her mother, and then the two notice a body. Rika gasped, nearly releasing her grip on the items until she caught them.
"Rika, perhaps it's best to put the items in my bag," Catherine suggested, and Rika did what her mother told her to do. They then examined the body--a dark-skinned woman, and in her chest, a strange axe.
"W-w-who is that?" Rika stammered, staring.
"I don't know..."
"Is she...what happened to her?"
Without answering, Catherine noticed the amount of blood surrounding the body. Next to the body is another corpse, but it appeared to be a creature. Something that, likely, she never recognized before. Monstrous, almost like a scorpion, and yet, it didn't have a face.
Next to the woman's corpse is a journal. Rika spotted it.
"Mom! What's in there?" she asked.
Catherine opened up the book, and she began to read it. "'After years of sailing from Hammerfell to Solstheim and back, Ramati and I have finally saved enough money to buy that old light house we spotted on the coast and we are moving in next month.'
"'These Nords really know how to live. It may be cold, but you can't beat the tranquility of the watching icebergs to live out your silver years. Ramati loves the place too, despite the occasional leaky ceiling. Mani and Sudi, unfortunately, seem miserable here; I know the kids are old enough to strike out on their own, but I hope they'll grow to love the peace and quiet here as I have.'"
As Catherine continued to read, she tried to have a steady voice...
"'Mani and Sudi continue to bicker and harass each other and they seem to have started in on their mother as well. Ramati keeps finding things missing from the cellar. Sudi said she heard a noise down there but Mani just thinks their mother is going mad from isolation. The very thought of it is ridiculous, she's always wanted to retire here!'
"'Sudi keeps saying that she hears scratching coming from the cellar at night. I think she's just trying to get her mother's goat, but I'd better head into town to get a few traps just in case it's skeevers. Should only take a couple days. I just hope those two go easy on Ramati while I'm gone.'"
Then, upon seeing the final entry...she mustered all of her strength, looking at the corpses...
"'Oh gods. Oh gods why?
"'I returned home to find my beautiful Ramati killed and this thing, this horrible bug-like creature ransacking our home. I managed to kill the damned thing, I think it might be a daedra! I've never seen anything like it! Oh gods poor Ramati.
"'It must have come out of the cellar. I'm going down there and locking the door behind me to make sure they don't escape. I don't know if I'll make it out, but I have to save my family!'"
After reading it, Catherine stared in horror, her eyes bulging, wanting to scream. But it took her all of her might to not show fear. She was a rescue soldier, and she was trained to never be afraid.
"Who wrote it?" Rika asked after five minutes of silence.
"Someone named Habd," Catherine replied. "I'd presume that he thought that they wouldn't be harmed. And yet, this happened. Perhaps this creature...if they faced it, then..."
Her voice drifted off. She also thought about Daedra...she thought she heard Imca talking about it before. Could this, indeed, be a Daedra? Or could it be something else?
"What are you thinking of?" Rika questioned.
"...nothing," Catherine replied, and she placed the book down. She went off in search of the family, Rika following...also taking the strange war axe with her.
"The fuck is this thing?" Rika blurted out after another five minutes of silence. Catherine never thought about that strange weapon until it was brought to her attention. She looked at it closely...
"Must be someone else's," she replied. "I don't know what wields this weapon...or who. We may be facing an intruder who's skilled at wielding the weapons and using these creatures, or something else entirely."
Catherine and Rika walked until they saw the left-hand bedroom...locked. Trying out lockpicketing, she managed to break the lock with using a small wire, though it took three minutes to do so. She smiled at Rika, reassuringly.
"You still all right?" she asked.
"Kind of...I'm sorry, Mom..." Rika apologized.
"Rika, it'll be fine, as long as we stay together. I promise you, nothing bad will happen to us. We'll solve the mystery together."
Rika gave a small smile, and she walked inside, finding another diary.
"Oh, hey, another book!" she blurted out, and she read it this time.
"'I hate it here. Why did we have to move to Skyrim anyway? I miss the big port cities, there was always something to do and new people around. Or even being cabin girl on one ships [sic] we used to sail on would be better than this! Mani says we should run away, but I can't leave Mother and Father alone out here... Oh what to do?'
"'We've been here for two months now and there is nothing to do! From the top of the lighthouse we can see all the way to the College at Winterhold, but Father says that magic is for Daedra worshippers. The only interesting thing to have happened lately is that Mother snapped at us at dinner and accused us of stealing things out of the cellar. I did hear scratching down there the other night, but I thought it was just Father cleaning fish.'"
Rika paused with a frown.
"Okay, first of all, Daedra worshippers? That's bullshit! That would mean that all magic would be bad! Secondly--"
Catherine gave Rika a stern glare.
"...sorry, Mom," Rika apologized, and she continued to read.
"'I caught Mani in the cellar a couple days ago going through some the barrels and crates. At first I thought it was him all along making those scratches to play a trick on me, but I heard them again last night and Mani was in bed. Father finally said he would go get some traps and poison from town in case it's skeevers. I'm really scared, it doesn't sound like skeevers to me.'"
Rika gulped as she opened the last page of the journal.
"'Mani won't listen, he thinks I'm just making up the noises and keeps sneaking into the cellar! Oooh why is he so stupid some times? I don't know why he keeps going down there but I've found the cellar key he copied and hid it in Mother's favorite keepsake so he won't find it. The scratching is getting louder.'"
After reading it, Rika looked quickly at Catherine.
"You know, I do wonder why the hell they didn't just leave..." she began to ask, but Catherine, while continuing to search for more clues, was quick to answer.
"Who knows? Perhaps they thought that they'd be safe. There would be nothing wrong. I'm hoping that the remaining members of the family are still alive...so we can save them."
Catherine then found a letter in the same bedroom. Mani's letter.
Sudi,
I know you've been making up that stuff about the noises in the basement to try to get me to stay, but I'm only waiting till Father gets home so you and Mother are safe. You could always come meet up with me before I head back to Hammerfell.
Take care of yourself little sister
-Mani
"...huh. And yet, Sudi claimed that Mani made the noises...it's odd," she muttered after reading it.
The two nodded, and they left the bedroom. When they did, somehow, the door was locked again. Don't ask how that happened.
So far, they received some clues, namely a few details. First, Sudi kept an item in her mother's keepsake, whatever that was. What was the key for, anyway, and how would it be used? Secondly, the appearance of odd creatures that were not skeevers. What, exactly, were they?
The two women headed to the room on the right, and once again, Catherine unlocked it...that time, it took seven minutes. She led the way, finding the last journal, and she read it silently this time, allowing Rika to read along.
We finally did it. We bought the lighthouse. I thought Habd was just making idle promises all these years, what husband doesn't want to promise their wife the two moons from the sky, but I didn't think we'd actually manage to get it! Now if I could only find where we put everything.
I can't find my favorite cooking pot and it is slightly infuriating. Sudi and Mani seem unhappy, but they're still young and don't seem to understand that we just want to spend a few more years with them before they leave us to see the world. I know they think their father will live forever, but I see his age creeping into his eyes. He made me promise again that when he died I would put his bones in the lighthouse fire so he could look out over the ocean forever.
"...this is rather poignant, how these kids...they have huge ambitions, and yet, their mother and father...they're rather close, despite all of the problems," Catherine muttered, feeling that it hit close to home. Why? As a mother herself, it felt important for her to have her children spend time with each other and with their mother as much as possible.
Rika felt it, too, being a mother as well. "Yeah...that's something I need to remember, as I'm spending time with my kids," she agreed.
The two continued to read.
Oooh those two get to me sometimes! I went to unpack some of our keepsakes from the trading ships we used to sail but I can't find them!
Sudi keeps saying she's hearing something in the basement at night and Mani suggested it was skeevers! They know I hate skeevers! Now I'm too scared to go down there at all. I'm glad I unpacked my favorite urn and put it safely on the mantle before those two started causing mischief. If they put a skeever in the basement I swear...
"...okay, that feeling is gone now," Catherine groaned. "From what we saw, Mani and Sudi accused each other, and yet...good Lord."
"You still wanting to save them?" Rika blurted out in surprise.
"Of course. I cannot say 'no' to something like this. For God's sakes, this woman was murdered! We must find out where the rest of the family are located!"
"...sorry."
"No, I should apologize for shouting out...anyway...we should go and find that urn."
The two go in search for the urn, which they spot. The urn was on top of the fireplace, alongside a strange torchbug in a jar.
"Fuck, I need a friend," Rika stated as she picked up the torchbug. "Hey, little fella, how are you?"
"Rika...it's nice and all that you made a friend, but...we must focus on the murders," Catherine interrupted. She found the door to the cellar, and she unlocked it.
"Before we go to the cellar, Rika...I offer you one last chance to go back outside. You can stay outside and be safe. I'll join you as soon as I can. All I care about is your safety, even as I'll go deeper."
Rika gave it a minute of thought...
"No, Mom. It's fine that you care about me. But you can't worry about me all the time. Fuck, you can't worry about everyone else! You said so yourself, everyone is capable of taking care of themselves.
"So you know what? I brought us into this mess. I'm still sticking with my decision, seeing it to the end. So let's fucking go!" she stated with a brave smile, just for her adoptive mother.
As the two head down to the cellar, Catherine had a thought.
Rika may be a bit brash for her own good--oh, too brash for her own good--but she may have a point. I need to stop worrying and let her do her own thing. It isn't good for the both of us... she thought to herself.
Deeper into the bowels of the cellar, the two found themselves surrounded by the strange, same creatures that they saw before. Hordes of them...the scorpion-esque monsters capable of killing an adult human with their poisons, which they attempt to use on the women.
"Fuck!" Catherine screamed, and she defended herself with the Ebony Shield. Several of the creatures scratched her, doing some decent damage, but all she can do was using her Shock Wave to stun them. After achieving it, she used her Ebony War Axe of Flames to finish them off.
Rika, in the meantime, was having difficulty. All she could do was dodging the poison attacks. She finally gained the strength and courage to use her Orcish Sword of Frost to freeze them, though it took fifteen slashes. And she was facing three of the creatures.
After fighting them, Catherine obtained the chitin.
"I don't think these are Daedra, because these are not hearts," she stated.
"Then what the hell are those?" Rika asked, catching her breath.
"...I don't know," she admitted.
As they went on, heading into an ice cave, they spotted a body on top of the rocks.
"Oh, God..." Rika gasped, and she ran closer...until a vicious, elf-like creature nearly abducted her.
"RIKA!" Catherine cried out, and she used the Ebony Sword of Devouring in order to save her daughter. She managed to stab the strong creature, though it was not effective.
The strong creature, the Falmer, directed its attention to Catherine, attempting to poison her with his arrows. She, once again, used her shield to block the arrow until one grazed her face cheek.
With a groan, Catherine used a Cure Poison potion before she would succumb to the effects. That gave plenty of time for Rika to spin-kick the Falmer down, though it made her stumble. Despite it, the Falmer tried to shoot her, and she dodged the arrows as she climbed on top of the altar...where she found the dead body of Mani.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Rika shrieked, seeing the man's corpse, the Falmer Sword embedded in his chest. She was too petrified to move, and the Falmer tackled Rika, nearly making her fall...
She grabbed the edge of the altar, trying to climb up. The Falmer attempted, still, to knock her down...and that gave Catherine time to use her spell.
"Fire Spell: Level 2! Flame Wheel!" she cried out, and she used a super-effective Flame Wheel to finish the Falmer off, killing him. Rika had enough time to climb back up and get the sword off Mani's corpse.
Catherine climbed up as well after obtaining the Falmer Arrows and Bow. "Oh, my God!" she cried out, also seeing the body. "Is that...?"
"I think it's Mani," Rika replied. "How did they manage to kill him?!"
"...perhaps those creatures killed him..." Catherine gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Come on, Rika, let's see if there are any more survivors!"
The two head deeper and deeper, surviving close calls along the way. Getting more of the chitin and a few gold and weapons from the fallen enemies.
Part 2 will continue soon...
Last edited by arcadiarika on Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
