Aure grunted softly as she patiently pushed down on the short bow with the right side of her body and quickly looped the bowstring into the small hook at the top. She tried to ignore her arguing bosses and carefully let the short bow relax before she let it spring up and caught it in her left hand. She drew the bow and checked the tension. Elrindir continued to heckle Anoriath about a contract and she cocked an eyebrow at Jenassa, who shrugged. She rolled her eyes, shouldered her pack then strapped on her quiver, and waved goodbye to Jenassa. A quick pat down as she pushed the door open with her hip and she left the tavern into the blessed outdoors. Aure rolled her shoulders and bounced down the stone stairs, running a hand through the lush bushes.
It was late summer in Whiterun and Kynareth was generous with her gifts that day. The tall Dunmer inhaled deeply through her nose and sighed contentedly as she meandered north towards the market. She bought two apples from Carlotta then quickly checked on the Hunting Guild's stall. Her bow was gently placed on the counter of the stall before she bent her knees into a squat. Munching her first apple, Aure pushed the bottom shelf down and to the side to reveal the steel lockbox. Satisfied that no one had stolen their hard earned septims, she finished her apple and tossed the core into the grass behind her. She plucked up her bow and stretched her entire body as her leather and chitin armor creaked in protest. "Alright," she huffed and jogged over to the alchemist's shop.
"Aure—ouf!" Arcadia stood up from her work to greet the hunter but stumbled to catch the apple thrown her way. The Dunmer sprawled lazily on a nearby bench.
"Elrindir mentioned you needed some ingredients?"
"Why yes," Arcadia set her apple on the alchemy table. "I need the offal from a troll for a large order of potions for the jarl."
"What use of potions does Balgruuf have? Certainly you don't need troll guts for strength potions?" Aure chuckled.
"Farengar didn't say," the woman mused, clasping her hands. "Only that the potions are urgently needed. I don't suppose you could go north for me?"
"That's dangerous prey, mum," Aure drawled and started to count on her gloved hands. Funny you heard from him rather than Irileth. "Guild rates, that's five hundred septims just for the parts. Another two hundred to get it butchered, not to mention hauling it back from the Pale or the time it takes to hunt the beast."
Arcadia paused and started mumbling to herself as she walked behind her counter. She pulled out a ledger and carefully began writing numbers and notes. Aure waited patiently for the woman to finish and before long, the alchemist was done.
"Not to worry," the Imperial smiled in a conspiring way. "It's the jarl that has to pay the final note."
"All settled then!" The hunter clapped her hands on her knees as she stood with a laugh. "I'll send for you when I return."
Two days later found Aure knee deep in a snow drift, soldiering into a headwind. She'd opted for the carriage to Dawnstar and hiked in a meandering south easterly fashion towards Windhelm. She hadn't hunted in the Pale for about a decade and didn't trust her memory enough to wander into any caves just yet. She'd rather take her time and look for signs of the smelly beasts. If she hit Lake Yorgrim, she knew she'd gone too far east. Her pace could be mistaken for leisurely but the hunter was reserving her strength with a measured gait. Throughout the day, the sky darkened and the wind became harsher. Giving up the hunt for the day, Aure began to look for a campsite. Up ahead an old stand of pines would serve as suitable shelter through the night. Keeping her pace steady, Aure made her way forward with eyes open.
But lo, troll sign in those trees! The Ashlander crouched to the ground and removed her goggles to inspect the tracks. The wind wasn't so harsh among the trees but her hood still blew off, her hair mussed. Determined now to keep going, she snapped the goggles back on and drew her hood tight. Aure stalked low after the smudged tracks and through scratched up ancient trees. After three quarters of an hour, she had a harder time finding the tracks but noticed she was on an incline. A quick stretch and she stood fully to inspect her surroundings. The trees were starting to thin and she felt the wind lashing at her now that she wasn't crouched. Aure backtracked to that last troll sign she'd seen and guessed the direction the beast had gone, then she marched onto the incline.
Hours later into the evening, Aure found herself caught in a mountain blizzard. Swearing under her breath and trying to maintain her bearings she did not stop. To stop was to die and she had better shit to do. The Dunmer wanted shelter desperately now and—she tripped over the snow covered stone fence in front of her. "Shit!" Her shout couldn't be heard over the wind and caught herself in a sloppy roll, her bow flying out of her hand. "Damn!" The tall woman stayed on the ground and gathered calm about herself despite the cold stiffness in her arms and legs. No use getting stupid, she inhaled sharp, cold air and rose into a crouch. Get your bow, fool. It took fifteen minutes but she found the thrice damned thing and checked it for damage. None to be found, save her pride.
Cautious exploration of the area led to stone steps. A ruin, no doubt, she stayed in a crouch and slowly climbed the stairs. Better be empty... The climb was slow but steady and Aure felt a measure of relief at the lack of people. Eventually the stairs leveled out and she paused to listen. Once she was sure that no one was around, she slowly crept forward through the rough wind, following the mostly straight grooves in the stone. The hunter was in the open now and the wind made the damp leather of her armor stick and sting against her skin. Her muscles were beginning to hurt from a hard day of travel but the Dunmer wasn't numb yet.
After what seemed like forever, Aure made it to a tall stone wall. She assumed it was the ruin but couldn't be sure until she found a door. She stood upright against the wall–truly stiff and sore now–and shuffled along it, reaching with her free hand for a seam or doorway.
At last!
More stairs… She groaned and climbed them but kept her right hand on the wall. She realized the wall leveled out with the top of the stairs and crouched again, feeling for the stone. It took longer than she wanted to follow the platform onwards with the Corners damned winds whipping at her and driving stinging snow into her face. Another fifteen minutes found her stumbling into a metal door. Exhausted, Aure shoved the door open just enough to slip inside.
Finally out of the howling wind, the entryway was lit by a flame trap up ahead. "Fuck me," colorfully spat with a grunt, Aure shoved off of the door, removed her hood and goggles and walked into the room proper. "Corners damned Dwarven dungeons," And other such complaints were aired as the hunter uncapped her hip mounted quiver and knocked an arrow. She carefully moved through the entryway towards the golden gates near the flame trap. Red eyes flicked about the area, looking for a lever or loose stone. Seeing none, she edged around to the ruined side room and found nothing but a long abandoned campsite and ancient Dwarven furniture. Satisfied she was alone in the area, she put the arrow away and went back to drag a fallen gate across the entry to the old camp. At the very least, she would hear someone–or something–knock the sideways metal gate over. Without a true care for comfort, she shrugged off her pack and tossed her sleep roll on the ground in a corner hidden from the hall. Ebony dagger at the ready, Aure used her pack as a pillow and attempted to sleep.
And fitful sleep it was! Aure woke in the small hours of the morning long before the sun would come up. The hunter dug through her pack for a few smoked salmon chunks and happily munched them, sipping at watered down ale. Sated, she gathered her things and made for the door outside. With the door inched open, she could see that the blizzard had gotten worse, not better. With a huff, she closed it and got her bow ready again. She edged forward to explore the old campsite again. She simply did not have the patience to figure out some old flame puzzle trap nonsense. Further exploration of the campsite showed another hallway into the ruin. The hall opened into a large, two-storied room. Aure carefully stayed close to the walls and checked all of the gates. Only one of them opened. It led into some kind of ancient work room. Further exploration led to a long storehouse and what she assumed were offices. The further she went, the more this ruin looked like some kind of work house. There were thrumming metal pipes and open flames even now? The statues and carvings were intricate and she was surprised that some of the tapestries were hanging on by what few threads they had left.
Aure passed several hours meticulously exploring every room for threats. A Dwarven spider startled her as she was rummaging through a chest. "Oh! Shit!" She scrambled over the chest, startled and swearing; she called flames to her left hand and snatched her black dagger out. She jumped awkwardly over the damned thing and pumped flames at it for several seconds. She kicked it hard and swore her chitin boot covers cracked and swore colorfully. The Dwarven spider flailed it's legs and tried to right itself. She pumped more flame into it and the thing wretched harder! The hunter glanced around and found a piece of rubble. Struggling a bit, she lifted the fancy rock and dropped it on the machine. Aure shouted and jumped back when the thing shot out violent sparks. They struck her armored leg and she stumbled. Not hurt badly, thank the Mother. She shook herself bodily to get rid of the nervousness and collected her bow. "Pay attention, damn you," Aure muttered as she moved on into another hallway, creeping now.
Eventually she came to a hallway coated with webs and swore quietly. Aure nocked an arrow and peeked around a corner only to see a round room with a lever. She sighted the walls and ceiling with her arrow drawn fully but relaxed when she didn't see any frost spiders. Checking the hall ahead again, there were more of those Dwarven spiders. She crouched and took aim. It took several minutes but she damaged each with an arrow to their bright tops. She dispatched each one with a kick and a slam into the floor by a leg. Aure had some new bruises but she'd dealt with worse. "Alright," she exhaled hard and looked into the round room. She looked up, hoping to see a way out or at least another level but saw only the stone ceiling. For several minutes, she debated on whether or not she wanted to explore more of this place. Did she really want to? The blizzard could last for days and she could stay on this level until it passed. There were enough supplies to build a shelter to block these machines. She certainly had enough food for a week. Aure paced the round room and eventually threw caution to the wind and pulled the lever.
