He sighed. \u201cToo bad,\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n
The footsteps stopped. \u201cToo bad what, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dardeh tried not to grin. \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Maybe we should have just let it run its course.\u00a0 Can you picture me with fangs?\u201d<\/p>\n
It went dead silent in the room.\u00a0 He rolled over to face Roggi, grinning, and then stopped when he saw the stricken look on Roggi\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me you\u2019re not serious about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dardeh pushed himself up to a sitting position and held out his arms. \u201cOf course I\u2019m not. I thought I was being funny.\u00a0 Guess not.\u00a0 Come here.\u201d\u00a0 He stood and pulled Roggi in close to him. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean to worry you.\u201d He leaned forward to kiss his husband and felt the barely-concealed panic just behind the warm lips. He pulled back to look at Roggi again.<\/p>\n
Roggi was \u2026 afraid. There was no other conclusion he could reach from the look in the man\u2019s eyes. The only other time he\u2019d seen anything like it was that awful moment in the pass near Haemar\u2019s Shame, when Roggi had been struggling simply to live after being skewered by a Miraak cultist.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi shook his head. \u201cI keep thinking about Brynjolf sitting beside that pile of ash in Dawnstar. I don\u2019t ever want to be in that situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoggi, I\u2019m not going to let some vampire turn me.\u00a0 And I\u2019m sorry I joked about it. We\u2019ll make sure to have lots of potions on hand, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d Roggi expelled a loud sigh. \u201cThere\u2019s something about the whole thing that bothers me. Like there\u2019s more to this than we know. But I\u2019m probably worrying for nothing. \u00a0Let\u2019s get those potions and some food and get going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi left the room, and Dardeh slowly dressed himself in his armor and situated his swords.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like Roggi to be shaken. Not about anything. Roggi was frequently concerned<\/em>, or deep in thought, or even angry sometimes; but he\u2019d only rarely seen him quite so on edge.<\/p>\n I wonder what he\u2019s not telling me. He never tells me everything. I guess I\u2019ll just wait and see.<\/em><\/p>\n He descended to the kitchen, where Rayya was pulling a batch of meat pies out of the oven. Smiling at her, he helped himself to one, still steaming, and sank his teeth into it.\u00a0 Savard had come up behind him; he also grabbed a delicious-smelling dumpling and began working on it.<\/p>\n \u201cMmm. Wonderful,\u201d he mumbled around the pie.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t talk with your mouth full, my Thane,\u201d Rayya said, grinning at him. \u201cAfter going to all the work of making the pies I\u2019d hate to see one choke you to death.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh swallowed before he laughed. \u201cYeah, me too.\u00a0 Sorry. I have no manners. Ma used to nag me about it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Rayya smiled at him again. \u201cSo where are you all off to now?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh opened his mouth to respond, but Savard beat him to it. \u201cBrittleshin Pass. Necromancers.\u201d<\/p>\n Rayya frowned. \u201cDo you want me to come along? Or Lydia? It only takes one of us to watch the girls and I\u2019d like to keep an eye on you.\u201d\u00a0 She stood there, wiping her hands with a cloth and looking like she was ready to gather up her scimitars at any moment.<\/p>\n Dardeh snorted. \u201cThere are already three of us, Rayya. Thanks, but no, we\u2019ll be fine. Roggi and I travel together, you know that by now; and with Savard along\u2026 well, any more of us and we won\u2019t be able to fit into the pass.\u201d<\/p>\n Rayya frowned. \u201cAlright. But be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n The door opened and Roggi stepped back into the room. \u201cI just told Lydia we\u2019re off. She and the children are going fishing.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get moving.\u201d<\/p>\n They started on their way, taking the path down to their dock and then working around the edge of the lake, heading for the southern entrance to Brittleshin Pass. It would take a bit more care than simply following the roadways to the north side, but would cut a good chunk of time off their travel.<\/p>\n They\u2019d not been on the move for more than a couple of moments before Savard spoke. \u201cSomething about that girl bothers me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh laughed. \u201cShe\u2019s my housecarl, Savard. Appointed by the Jarl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, and something about her bothers me. The way that she looked at you.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh chuckled again.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t laugh, Dar,\u201d Roggi said quietly. \u201cHe\u2019s right. She always looks at you like she wants to devour you or something. It\u2019s bothered me ever since we met her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do know how foolish this sounds, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi sighed. \u201cYeah, I guess so. But remember, it\u2019s always been my job to listen to my gut.\u201d<\/p>\n Savard slipped a sideways glance at Roggi. \u201cYou, um, worked for Ulfric Stormcloak way back, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi\u2019s eyebrows rose. \u201cI\u2019m surprised you would know that.\u201d<\/p>\n Savard chuckled. \u201cI\u2019ve been around. You do look a bit older than you did back then but I\u2019m good with faces. And glad I never needed to meet you personally.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi snorted. \u201cSo much for any attempts to keep a low profile. I\u2019m beginning to wonder if I shouldn\u2019t let Lydia do what she\u2019s always threatening with my hair and beard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you dare,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cI like your hair the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoesn\u2019t really matter anymore these days,\u201d Savard said. \u201cBut it is good reason for you to listen to the man, Dragonborn. He\u2019s got instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled at Roggi. Yeah, well so do I. And <\/em>my instincts told me to stay with him from the first moment I laid eyes on him. I\u2019ve been right about that so far.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right. But I still don\u2019t think you two need to be worried about me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you\u2019re right, Dar,\u201d Roggi murmured.<\/p>\n They worked their way around the north shore of the lake. It was a long slog, particularly when a driving rain started late in the morning.\u00a0 All three of them managed to fall into the water at least once around the long-submerged towers known as Ilinalta\u2019s Deep. By the time they made it to the base of the path up into the pass they were sodden, and Dardeh for one was in a foul mood.<\/p>\n The evidence of necromancy met them at the foot of the hill in the form of two skeletons bent on stopping their progress. Dardeh snarled and slashed the first one to bits. Roggi passed him on the right and tackled the other. Just as it fell, though, an ice spike flew down the slope and pierced Dardeh with its magic, leaving him gasping. He forced himself off the path, glancing up the hill at a necromancer accompanied by her reanimated thrall. There was a dead frostbite spider between them and Roggi; and to his dismay it began rising in a blue cloud of magic. The thrall was also a necromancer, it seemed.<\/p>\n Roggi took a powerful swing at the once-dead thrall; and as she moaned and died once more so did the spider, both of them disintegrating into ash.\u00a0 Dardeh, having recovered his breath, dashed up the hill to assist Roggi with the second necromancer.\u00a0 He stepped in just to Roggi\u2019s left, whirled around to avoid Roggi\u2019s greatsword and the mage\u2019s spells, and drove his double-edged sword straight down into her chest.\u00a0 It pierced the mage\u2019s armor and squelched wetly through her body; she shuddered and dropped to the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cWell there,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cWhat was it you were saying about being strong?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh chuckled. \u201cI do alright when I\u2019m not sick with the vampire flu, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n Savard came crunching up the path behind them and swore when he saw the aftermath of the skirmish.<\/p>\n \u201cDamned slippery rocks,\u201d he grumbled. \u201cI got my foot stuck and couldn\u2019t get it freed up in time to help.\u00a0 Sorry about that. I hope you won\u2019t hold it against me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh grinned at him and shook his head. \u201cI\u2019ve had stupider things happen to me. Don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Savard examined the dead mage and the ash piles below and frowned. \u201cIf there was a necromancer this strong outside the cave what do you suppose we\u2019ll find inside?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWorse,\u201d Roggi said flatly.<\/p>\n They crept into the tunnel that created the pass through the mountains.\u00a0 Brittleshin was actually a series of caves, connected over ages by excavation and flowing water. From the south side, the path descended through the mountain to emerge near a giant camp at the southern edge of Whiterun Hold. It wasn\u2019t a heavily traveled route, and tended to attract rogue mages because of its protected interior.<\/p>\n Dardeh couldn\u2019t see anyone but he could hear the quiet clinking of a mortar and pestle just around the corner.\u00a0 He drew his bow and advanced slowly until he had a clear shot at the target, a woman busy at an alchemy table.\u00a0 He took two quick shots at her; she crumpled to the floor, moaning. An Altmer voice sounded from around the corner to the left.<\/p>\n \u201cIs someone there?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh took another step into the chamber, noting the shock rune placed on the floor just in front of the far doorway.\u00a0 The mage was reanimating a body from the embalming table before him when Dardeh\u2019s first arrow struck him.\u00a0 He fired a second arrow and then, as the mage cast a healing spell, pulled his swords and rushed the man, being careful to steer clear of the rune. Behind him he could hear Roggi and Savard engaged with someone who was casting frost spells.<\/p>\n Must have been someone tucked into that side chamber we passed.<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh slashed at the mage.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a difficult battle; even wearing heavy armor the man was no warrior. Just as he fell, though, there was an explosion that sent a shock ripping through Dardeh. Someone, he wasn\u2019t sure who, had tripped the rune. \u00a0He groaned as Roggi and Savard rushed past him and into the deep cave beyond.<\/p>\n There were mages everywhere, it seemed. At the top of the cave was a man in dragon scale robes, trying valiantly to protect himself with a ward spell that did nothing to stop either Roggi\u2019s dragonbone greatsword or Dardeh\u2019s dual weapons. From farther down the ramp, though, came waves of frost as at least one mage and perhaps more worked to keep Dardeh\u2019s group from advancing. Dardeh ground his teeth against the ache of cold in his muscles and struck the man in dragon scale a final blow, then took a moment to step out of the line of fire and heal himself a bit.<\/p>\n He moved back into the action just as Roggi destroyed a revived corpse, and gasped at what he saw. There were no fewer than three mages on the landing just below him: one wielded a staff, a second was gathering what looked like frost magic into his hand and a third was fully engaged in trying to roast Roggi alive while Savard attempted to get past him into the open.<\/p>\n Dardeh took advantage of the fact that their enemies were in the open, and Shouted.\u00a0 A huge fireball enveloped the mage holding the staff. Dardeh didn\u2019t wait to see what damage his Shout had done, but instead jumped down into the room and rushed at the woman trying to burn Roggi.\u00a0 A couple of quick swipes with his sword were all it took to stop her; it seemed that she had also been a revived corpse, for she groaned and disintegrated as he pulled his swords away.<\/p>\n A plume of frost struck them, and they pushed forward to engage the woman casting the spell. She was tough; after escaping the brunt of Dardeh\u2019s first attack she rolled sideways into a corner and attempted to fight back. The frost had Dardeh\u2019s arms moving slowly at best, but he grinned as he saw Roggi rush up behind the mage and raise his sword.\u00a0 Savard slid up beside Dardeh. For the last few \u2013 very brief – moments of her life the mage faced all three of them.<\/p>\n Dardeh moved back into the open, trying once more to magic some warmth into his sluggish limbs. Roggi shot past him, raised his sword over his head and brought it down, slicing through the last of the three mages in one bone-crushing blow.<\/p>\n Savard harrumphed. \u201cYou might give a man a chance to get in on the fun, Roggi,\u201d he grumbled, earning a chuckle from Roggi.<\/p>\n Dardeh looked at his husband and shook his head. \u201cAren\u2019t you supposed to be something like ten years older than me?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi was breathing heavily after the exertion, but he laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s your fault, Dragonborn. I\u2019d never have gotten back into shape if not for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, yeah. It\u2019s always my fault.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh grinned. He\u2019s remarkable. He makes light of it but he seems to keep getting better and stronger by the day. I don\u2019t know how I can take any of the credit for that, but I\u2019m surely glad he\u2019s on my side, and not my enemy. I\u2019m pretty sure the only advantage I\u2019d have in that situation would be the fact that I can Shout.<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh drew his bow again and led their way cautiously down the steps into the next area, which seemed to be empty. \u00a0As he remembered from previous trips through, there was a set of cages just in front of him to the right and a short flight of steps up to an enchanting table on his left. \u00a0Beyond the cages, an opening led into the brighter expanse of Brittleshin\u2019s central chamber. Movement there caught his attention; a skeleton was patrolling the narrow stone walkway.\u00a0 He fired one quick shot at it and watched in satisfaction as it crumpled.<\/p>\n A moment later his muscles cramped painfully.\u00a0 A man popped up from the ramp the skeleton had been guarding and ran across the stone walkway, casting shock spells at him.\u00a0 Dardeh gasped; his arrow struck the man but the cramps in his arms had kept him from fully drawing the bow.<\/p>\n The mage snarled at him and started crowing about the awesome power he had. His boast came to an abrupt halt as Savard caved his skull in with a well-placed blow from his warhammer.\u00a0 An ice spike from just beyond the opening to the walkway struck Savard, and the mage who had cast it continued up the ramp toward them. He howled, more in anger than in pain, Dardeh thought; then he ran to meet her with Roggi on his heels.<\/p>\n Dardeh stepped out onto the walkway to join them just as the mage dropped down off the ramp to the floor below, and chaos erupted.\u00a0 There were people shouting and spells flying; Dardeh had just pulled his swords when a massive fireball exploded practically in his face.\u00a0 He cried out and pulled back.\u00a0 The only thing he knew that cast that particular kind of fire spell was a hagraven and sure enough, once his vision cleared enough to look again he saw her climbing the ramp toward him.\u00a0 He tried to take a swing at her, but she threw another fireball just in front of him and his reflexive jerk backwards had him tumbling off the ramp.\u00a0 As he landed, another mage pierced him with an ice spike.\u00a0 He doubled over in agony, only to hear the distinctive clatter of skeletons to either side of him.<\/p>\n Talos help me or I will die.<\/em><\/p>\n He hacked apart the skeleton on his right with a massive backhand delivered from knee height, then forced himself painfully to his feet and stopped the second with a similar, left-handed blow.\u00a0 Then he made for the shadows.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not as strong as I thought. I need to heal or I\u2019m going to\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n His thoughts were interrupted by a groan as another ice spike struck him, sending him stumbling forward into a gap between the wall and a stone pillar.\u00a0 There he met the mage who was casting the magic. He didn\u2019t have the strength to strike; he didn\u2019t have time to cast healing.\u00a0 He looked up at her and did the only thing he had left.<\/p>\n \u201cFUS- RO DAH!\u201d<\/p>\n The mage was lifted in the air and flew backward, fully halfway across the cavern, into the midst of the battle going on between Roggi, Savard, and at least four more enemies. The edges of the shock wave continued past and caught two more mages, knocking one of them down completely and staggering the second.\u00a0 Dardeh surveyed the area quickly but then slunk back into the shadows.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sorry Roggi! I\u2019m sorry! I have to heal!<\/em><\/p>\n He could hear one of the women shrieking and knew Roggi was still holding his own, but it seemed like a lifetime before Dardeh was able to move back into the fray. When he did, it was to finish off the two mages who were trying their best to kill Savard. One had been a reanimated corpse; she went down quickly. The second was wielding a staff. Between Dardeh and Savard it took several long moments to break her.\u00a0 Just as she crumpled to the ground Dardeh heard another shriek behind them.\u00a0 There was a chuckle, and Roggi stepped out from behind one of the ferns clinging to life in the dim light at the bottom of the cavern, waving a pair of hagraven feathers in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sure showed them, eh?\u201d he said.\u00a0 He was dripping with sweat and had a bad cut on his forehead, but seemed unconcerned as he fished in his pack for a potion.<\/p>\n \u201cWell you did. You and Savard.\u00a0 Sorry I was such a liability this time.\u201d\u00a0 He frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about, Dar? That was a lot of enemies and you took out your share of them. The Shouts made the difference a couple of times.\u201d Roggi wiped his brow with the back of his sleeve and grinned. \u201cThis looks like a good Wumpus cave.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh snorted. \u201cWhat is this world coming to? You just got sweat and blood on your sleeve on purpose<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n While Roggi laughed, Savard harrumphed again. \u201cYou two are like some old married couple, alright.\u00a0 No doubt about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah,\u201d Dardeh said, looking around. \u201cOk, so you keep saying we should listen to our gut. Mine is saying we\u2019re not finished yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMine too, Dar,\u201d Roggi nodded.\u00a0 He sighed. \u201cWizards. Why is it always wizards?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s not. Sometimes it\u2019s vampires.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood point.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh trotted back up the circular ramp in the center of the main chamber and across the stone walkway where he\u2019d dropped a skeleton on their way down.\u00a0 There was a set of iron doors set back into the wall, where he hadn\u2019t seen them before.\u00a0 He pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cThere we go.\u00a0 Ready?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go clean it out,\u201d Savard rumbled.<\/p>\n Dardeh thought for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cListen, I\u2019ve had kind of a hard time with this bunch. I\u2019m going to do something to give myself an edge, ok? Don\u2019t be startled.\u201d<\/p>\n He drew in a deep breath and Shouted, enveloping himself in the armor of Dragon Aspect.\u00a0 He heard Roggi make a noise.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll still never get used to that, Dar. Doesn\u2019t matter how many times I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know. It\u2019s kind of flashy. But maybe I\u2019ll be semi-useful this time.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh pushed open the doors, with Savard just behind him.\u00a0 Before them was a crude tunnel, carved into the rock but lighted with torch sconces at various intervals. There was a cool breeze moving through the space, hinting at another large cavern ahead of them.\u00a0 They worked their way to the right, and then left; and the tunnel opened onto, as he\u2019d expected, a large circular cavern.\u00a0 There was a raised wooden bridge just in front of them.<\/p>\n Dardeh stepped forward, intending to examine the bridge, but before he had taken more than a few steps a distinctly Dunmer voice hissed \u201cWhat was that?\u201d He looked to his left just as the mage cast an armor spell. Dardeh fired an arrow at him, and then another; but the mage got close enough that when he cast a flame cloak spell Dardeh\u2019s eyebrows were scorched. He yelped and stepped backward.<\/p>\n Damn flames! At least the Dragon Aspect kept me from going up like a torch!<\/em><\/p>\n Savard stepped forward and swung as hard as he could with his warhammer. The mage dropped like a stone.<\/p>\n There was an ice mage down on the floor of the cavern, beyond the base of the drawbridge\u2019s supporting structure.\u00a0 Dardeh looked down at him just in time to see him cast an ice spike, and was able to step back and dodge it. Then he dashed down the dirt ramp before him to attack.\u00a0 He was met halfway down by a skeleton and a fiery explosion from a second mage.\u00a0 He growled, even as he backhanded the skeleton into a pile of disassembled bones.<\/p>\n \u201cFUS- RO DAH!\u201d<\/p>\n The shock wave dissipated the flames, rolled down the ramp and knocked over one of the mages.\u00a0 A skeleton standing next to him disintegrated to ash; Dardeh wasn\u2019t sure whether his Shout had done that or the mage had died and his conjuration expired. He rushed to finish the downed mage with a few quick strikes. His left-side peripheral vision caught a revived corpse disintegrating into ash. Before he could much more than register that piece of information another fire mage ran in from his right, along with a skeleton.<\/p>\n One swipe took the skeleton down.\u00a0 Three more finished the mage. Dardeh whirled left, caught a cloud of frost directly in his face, and howled. Roggi and Savard, who had switched to a lethal-looking war pick, were wrestling with a pair of mages at the end of a narrow corridor. The woman yelped and then began healing herself, shouting that she yielded.<\/p>\n Right. I know better.<\/em><\/p>\n The second mage was busy casting an armor spell when Dardeh tossed him high into the air and hard against the rock wall with Unrelenting Force. When he hit the ground he was barely breathing; Dardeh finished him off quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cAhhh! It burns!\u201d\u00a0 Roggi screamed.\u00a0 Dardeh turned to his left. For some reason Roggi hadn\u2019t put his helmet back on, and the mage who had run away pleading for mercy was enveloping both of them in flames.\u00a0 Dardeh tried to push past, to get between Roggi and the fire, but his eyes watered and he couldn\u2019t see anything but the orange of the flames.<\/p>\n \u201cFO- KRAH DIIN!\u201d<\/p>\n He blinked.\u00a0 It was a familiar voice, but not his.\u00a0 The ethereal Dragonborn had materialized between him and the enemy, and Shouted Frost Breath at the mage, counteracting the fire.\u00a0 Dardeh stepped back and healed himself furiously, then pushed back past Roggi and Savard, whose thin Stormcloak armor was doing little to protect him from either frost or flame.\u00a0 Just as he passed Roggi in the corridor the mage crumpled to the ground.\u00a0 None of them had touched her. Dardeh blinked and looked around for the spectral Dragonborn, but he was nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n It fell silent for a moment, and all three of them tended to their wounds, looking at each other in confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cThat Frost shout, Dar\u2026\u201d Roggi said, hesitantly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was well done,\u201d Savard said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it wasn\u2019t me,\u201d Dardeh said, shaking his head. \u201cYou know what I sound like, Roggi, and that wasn\u2019t my Voice. That\u2019s the thing I\u2019ve been telling you about all this time. He appears when I\u2019m in a tight spot, sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi sighed and shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t get it, Dar, but I\u2019m glad it happened, whatever it was. That was the closest I\u2019ve come to getting my hair removed.\u201d<\/p>\n After a moment or two more, Dardeh moved down the corridor and peered cautiously around the corner.\u00a0 Ahead of them was a large bedroom, mercifully empty in spite of having a large cage as its most prominent feature. There was an alchemy table and a bed at one side, and nothing else.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we may have done it,\u201d Dardeh said.<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d Savard grumbled. \u201cThere\u2019s whatever is on the other side of that bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah. Damn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOver here,\u201d Roggi said, pointing to a short corridor leading up from the back of the bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cGood catch.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh trotted up the corridor and, in the small chamber overlooking the main cavern, discovered a lever. He threw it and watched in satisfaction as half of the bridge dropped.\u00a0 They made their way back to the bridge and onto it. At the midway point another lever deployed another section of bridge, this one at a ninety degree angle.<\/p>\n No sooner had it settled into place than a mage, followed by what Dardeh thought was likely a revived corpse, ran out of an opening at the far side.<\/p>\n Savard was right.<\/em><\/p>\n He drew his bow and fired a quick shot at the mage.\u00a0 Then, before any spells could be cast, he used Unrelenting Force to toss the mage and the thrall backward down the passage into the room beyond.\u00a0 Dardeh, Roggi, and Savard chased them down and finished both of them off.\u00a0 Another lever, mounted on the wall, created a loud thudding from out in the cavern when it was thrown; when they returned to the bridge, they found the final section of bridge lowered and crossed it.<\/p>\n I\u2019d better move. Dragon Aspect is going to wear off soon.<\/em><\/p>\n He wound his way through the corridor to its end. Once more a mage and a revived corpse attacked.\u00a0 Dardeh rolled to the right and decimated the corpse. Savard came up beside him and laid into the mage with his pick in spite of the shock spell the woman cast.\u00a0 He swung around to his left and Roggi rushed in from the corridor, bringing his greatsword down in the devastating diagonal slash that had felled so many other opponents.\u00a0 She fell and bled into the floor, and Dardeh stood and breathed a deep sigh of relief.<\/p>\n \u201cThat<\/em> was it, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. For certain,\u201d Savard said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that was well done,\u201d Roggi added.\u00a0 \u201cYou swing a mean pick, Savard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat means a lot coming from you, Roggi,\u201d he said, with one of the only grins Dardeh had seen from him.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m glad you were there because my protection wore off just as we came in. I was hurting when she shocked us,\u201d Dardeh added.\u00a0 \u201cWell, let\u2019s get going. We can split the coin and maybe even be back to the house in time for dinner. You can stay over with us, Savard.\u201d<\/p>\n Savard rubbed his hand over his beard. \u201cYes, I suppose so. Someone needs to keep an eye on that girl you\u2019ve got working for you. But we won\u2019t want to keep Korst waiting. He has a \u2018to-do\u2019 list as long as my arm.\u201d<\/p>\n Savard chuckled, but Dardeh glanced at Roggi and saw him frowning.<\/p>\n Yeah. I thought this Helgen business was going to be an easy thing, as well. I guess that\u2019s just not how my life is supposed to go.<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh gave Savard half the coin they\u2019d found in Brittleshin, even when he objected.\u00a0 Then they made their way back out into the rain to slosh back around Lake Ilinalta.<\/p>\n \u201cDar.\u201d Roggi\u2019s whisper just behind his head brought Dardeh slowly out of what had been one of the deepest sleeps of his life. His brief brush with Sanguinare Vampiris had left him more exhausted than he could have imagined, making the stop at Mammoth Manor an absolute necessity.\u00a0 He could feel, now, that his strength … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/5-1-13-1.png\")
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