Chapter 243 - Bloodskal (1) : Raven Rock Mine

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As we returned to Raven Rock to sort out our stuff and sell the items we don't need, we started to prepare for the final dungeon we are delving in. That was none other than, Raven Rock's mine.

Still, before that we had to prepare a lot. The girls were not ready to go on another dungeon for the next two days at least and I also wanted to laze around for two days. Being ahead of schedule sure feels good.

I started to meditate and perfect the technique more. I also was studying some ways regarding the Magic of the Psijic Order and I almost figured out some aspects regarding the Archetype of Time, one of the most mysterious magics of all time.

To cast magic is to understand its archetypes fully and apply them on a magic circle. All mages can make their Magic Circle appear during the casting and it is not something strange or wrong but some people has their own spells that showing of their circles may give their secrets out so only new learners us Magic Circles in the open before they start hiding it.

In the center of any magic circle, there is always one or several Central Runes which refer to the Main Archetype of the Magic. For example, most of Central Runes of the Destruction Magic always starts with the equivalent of the letter (K) in the Magic Script Alphabet. This Alphabet was seen in the game many times by the player on the 'Black Books'. There were other forms of Magical Runes of course like the Dragon Runes and the Daedric Runes but they were used for their respective subjects like the Thu'um and the Daedric Arts.

[A/N: see the article about the Magic Script Alphabet in the Wiki and the UESPWiki]

Anyway, reading the Magic Script Alphabet is essential to any mage and each and everyone must know how to do it for the sake of casting magic. It doesn't matter if you can understand it or not but at least have proper knowledge of the common runes. Some runes construct the 'Central Runes' of any Magic Circle and they are essential for the Main Archetype to manifest in the spell and some runes are for the Control Archetypes that reshape the Main into a proper spell. Takes a few days of training to be able to apply it but it is not as hard as it sounds.

The problem now with the Time Archetype is its usage of not so common Runes from the Magic Script Alphabet. There are those four runes that mostly don't get used in magic most often, actually, I would say that only a few people use them and no one else bothered studying them. These ones are the equivalents of (Q), (X), (1) and (2).

(Q) and (X) are necessary to use the 'Time Archetype' but (X) also can be used in the 'Space Archetype' which makes nothing easy. Space and Time are like Lorkhan and Auri-El, Padomic Energy and Anuic Energy. If something mutual between them appeared it would be strange and hard to understand.

That is why I can't understand the Time Magic on my own using the principles of Space Magic. That is also why Mysticism is the coolest school of Magic and the only one I see worthy to rule the other schools.

As each School of Magic has certain Archetypes for their respective practices and spell, the Mysticism has the hardest of all of them. The Archetypes of the Mysticism are; Outer Energy (Magicka), Inner Energy (Soul), Limits (Space), No Limits (Time), Reading the Space (Detection), Reading the Time (Divination).

I have a good understanding regarding (Magicka), (Space) and (Detection) while (Soul), (Time) and (Divination) are a bit of a hurdle. Nurina said that there are more Archetypes to that and the Psijic Monks can control Weather and Nature but I shouted "Give me a break" and ran away. I am a Nerd but not at her level of Nerd yet.

Truth be told, if we started tracing everything back to its source, we will arrive at the School of Mysticism and everything will be just big plane dumbness, that is why I wrote my ideas about the 'One School Theory'.

"Sigh! What a pain!"

I closed my notes and lied on the bed but somehow my head dragged itself back to thinking.

'Why are there Runes for (1) and (2)? What can they be used for?'

This was a million septim question which even Nurina doesn't know its answer.

I forced myself out of overthinking by pouring some cold water on my face and going out of my room.

***

As I roamed Raven Rock in the Afternoon, I started greeting the people I made friends with in the town. One particular person I was looking for was the foreman of closed mine of Raven Rock, that was Crescius Caerellius.

Asking Glover about him led me straight to the Mine. I found the old man setting in front of the Mine polishing his mining tools.

"I trust that you are Crescius Caerellius?"

"Who in the blazes are you?! Can't you see I'm busy?"

"My name is Jon Dare, I am the ow…"

"Oh, the traders that came from the mainland?"

"Yes, that is me." I offered the old man a handshake but he looked away with a snort.

This man is around 80 years old so I am not going to cause him trouble anyway.

"Isn't it dangerous here for an old man like yourself?"

"Humph! Listen to yourself, when I was your age, boy, I could shatter rocks with my bare fist. Now as I am at this age, most of the folks around here would talk like you. But mark my words, these mines hold a secret that could put Raven Rock back on the map once again and I can bet my old bones on it."

"What sort of secret would that be I wonder?"

"A secret the East Empire Company swept under the rug two centuries ago. It killed my great-grandfather and left Raven Rock with a worthless and tainted mine. My great-grandfather Gratian Caerellius. He spent his entire life exploring ancient ruins across Tamriel and he died in these very mines almost 200 years ago... The East Empire Company called it 'a terrible accident', claiming that he was lost in rockfall, but I know better."

"Figures, I was dealing with these bastards long enough to tell, but how do you know they are hiding something?"

"My wife and I were cleaning out our home, and we came across some of my great-grandfather's things locked in an old chest. I found an unsent letter he'd written he'd written to the East Empire Company and a key. The letter describes a discovery that was made in the mine by some of the diggers. They wanted Gratian to take a closer look. The East Empire Company must have felt it was of great value, as they locked that section of the mine off from everyone else."

"Did you take a look?"

"You crazy, boy? How can an old man like myself explore the uncharted parts of the mine?"

"I see! Truth be told, it sounds a bit crazy…"

"Sigh, just like how everyone else said."

"... But, when there is smoke there is fire. The matter kinda sounds suspicious."

"Finally! Someone who believes me." The old man seemed pleased that I said so, "I'm telling you... there's something big down there, something that the East Empire Company wanted to hide from everyone."

"Still… why did you tell me all of that?"

"Hehe, boy, I listen to the rumors and I heard that the merchant known as Jon Dare is roaming Solstheim looking for some treasure, many people are keeping a close eye on you especially that idiot Fethis Alor, he thinks that if he reports what you find to the East Empire Company, the would reward him when… if they get back to Raven Rock, damned fool.

"Yeah, I know about him."

My people are doing a good job, after all, I even know who is in secret relationship with who in this town by now, Dark Elves are so messed up when it comes to romantic affairs anyway.

"Anyway, Time's my enemy... old age caught up with me before I could find the answers that I'm looking for."

"And here is where I come in?"

"Indeed, I was hoping that an explorer can help me. I want to know what happened to my great-grandfather and what the East Empire Company is keeping from all of us."

It is all working out well this way.

"Fine, you got me interested. Any idea where to start?"

"Gratian kept a journal of notes about his discoveries. If you can find his... remains, I'm hoping it will help. Here's everything I have. The letter, the key. Please, do this for me so I can finally regain the respect that I've lost."

I took what the old man offered me and skimmed through everything. This is good… very good.

"Old man, let me go bring my team."

It didn't take me a lot to drag Wulfur and the rest all the way to the mines.

"This will be the last place we delve into in Raven Rock, the most important part in our journey and the finale of Phase 3. The…"

"... mines."

They seemed to be underwhelmed.

"I know it looks like me fooling around but this is Company Business. I am not bringing you around as your bro Jon. I am dragging you here as your Boss. Now back to shape."

My words were not that inspiring but they had to listen in the end. With that. With things like that, we finally set foot in the mine.