Brelina looked at the archway covered in patterns and smiled, "Finally, we've found something unexpected."
Jonas agreed heartily, "Indeed, the real adventure has just begun."
"What should we do next?"
Gauldur's phantom conjured a Flames spell and struck the door. Jonas followed suit, casting a Flames spell on the door as well. The simple flames had a tremendous effect, immediately breaking through the solid door.
"Oh!" Brelina exclaimed. Beyond the door was a hidden world, an ancient, pitch-black tomb passage. They each cast Candlelight, illuminating the passage slightly.
"Should we inform the teachers?"
"No, this is our adventure."
The boy led the way, with Brelina close behind. They entered a deep, winding tunnel, like a biological intestine, covered in thick vines. A chilling cold immediately assailed them, an uncomfortable sensation like stepping into knee-deep lake water at night, with countless soft, dark green water plants sliding against their calves, a sticky, damp disgust rising from below.
To dispel the discomfort, the two began to chat.
Brelina asked, "Speaking of a real adventure, why did the Academy temporarily abandon Elven Tooth?"
Jonas reached into his collar and scratched his chest; the Charm was digging into him painfully. "I heard the mentors discovered an anomaly. A Dwemer Tower nearby vanished without a trace, and the entire mountain where it stood collapsed. You know, the 'Southern Dwemer' mentioned in elemental power, the Tower of Mzark." He felt a bit guilty saying this, knowing that the Tower was currently in his teacher's Pure Land.
Brelina felt dizzy hearing this. "So the Tower of Mzark and Elven Tooth are connected? But wait, when did elemental power have such a line… Oh, I know, you mean 'Southern Pass, Giants roam', right?"
"What?" Jonas thought carefully and immediately realized he had been tricked by a note in the library! "It seems elemental power is constantly being updated."
The two talked enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting the gloom surrounding them. After about a minute, there was a pointed archway at the end of the passage. Looking inside with the white light of the magic Candlelight orb, they saw a burial chamber with several upright coffins arranged along the walls.
Jonas scoffed, "I bet as soon as we get closer, Draugr will jump out of those coffins to attack us."
The Dark Elf girl was a bit nervous. "What should we do then? Maybe we should go back and call the mentors and classmates to come together."
"No need. I told you, this is our adventure, no going back!" The boy said with a stern face, "You stand behind me, prepare your defenses, and don't get caught in the crossfire."
Brelina rolled her eyes, "You're quite confident, aren't you, kid!"
As orthodox mages of the Academy, their spellcasting standards were uniform and rigorous. Practicing hundreds of times normally, the most crucial part was pre-battle preparation. Having been lectured by so many mentors countless times, it was enough if they didn't falter at the critical moment. A qualified mage, even if he lost a fire spell duel with an enemy, could generally ensure his own safety.
Brelina performed a Transmutation school metamagic technique—Multi-Transmutation, layering Oakflesh, Ironflesh, and Ebonyflesh. This level of defense meant she would be unharmed even if run over by a siege engine. Jonas secretly curled his lip, cast Ebonyflesh on himself, but then couldn't layer a second Oakflesh. So he cast a Lightning Cloak on himself, followed by a Mental Shield.
Brelina praised his shield, "What cool magic."
The moment they passed through the pointed archway, a hoarse shriek indeed rang out. Four Draugr in decaying iron armor threw open their coffin lids, brandishing their claws, but before they could make any move, Brelina's Chain Lightning took them all out at once.
Jonas shrugged, "I was going to make a move."
"You'll have your moment to shine, great genius."
The two fought their way through, reaching the deepest part of the crypt. It was a two-story structure. Looking down from the higher level, a massive and dazzling translucent cyan turbulent light hemisphere was rapidly rotating, and within it, a black sphere covered in arcane patterns faintly floated.
Brelina: "What is that? Such astonishing magical fluctuations!"
Jonas glanced at the sphere, then his gaze was drawn to a Draugr. It sat on a throne in the middle of the tomb chamber, head bowed and shoulders slumped. In front of it was a stone table, on which lay a tightly wrapped yellowish-brown mummy, several ochre pottery burial urns, a few sets of black iron candelabras, a staff, and randomly piled rotten grave cloths.
Brelina chattered excitedly, but Jonas quietly drew the longsword from his waist. The Draugr, wearing an ebony horned helmet and half-armor that revealed its ashen, withered skin, had faint blue flames gradually lighting up in its eyes. It raised its head, looking straight ahead, where Gauldur's phantom stood. Its emaciated body was like a decaying pine and locust tree, its eyes wide open, the pain like a fleeting phantom moon on the river, yet it had illuminated four millennia of time.
"Bormah, lingrah tiid nid koraav. (Father, long time no see.)"
Indeed, long time no see! My son, today my successor will send you to eternal rest!
This Draugr was one of Gauldur's unfilial sons, Jyrik Gauldurson.
Brelina also noticed this fellow. Without a word, she cast a Thunderstorm spell. The thick, azure current, as wide as a bucket, cracked the air. The massive roar echoed throughout the entire ruin. Tolfdir and the others, who were there, then realized someone was missing and frantically began searching.
A single Thunderstorm spell was enough to char the strongest oxen and horses, but the Draugr Jyrik withstood the blow without moving an inch.
"What's going on!"
Jonas frowned. "That sphere is the problem. Your warding magic is better than mine, go deal with it. I'll hold off this Draugr."
Jyrik was having an emotional staring contest with his deceased father, and now that two brats had disrupted the atmosphere, a surge of resentment and hatred for the living erupted within him. He grabbed the staff from the table, drew the frost-enchanted hand axe from his waist, gestured towards Jonas and Brelina, and then struck his chest armor with the axe, producing a dry, clanking sound.
Jonas leaped down. Jyrik raised his hand and fired a bolt of lightning from his staff, but it was nullified by the boy's shield, failing to achieve anything, only slightly deflecting his fall. This was enough. Jyrik had fought countless battles in his life and was infamous. Although his mind was scattered now, this level of confrontation was a small matter to him.
The hand axe was raised high. This ancient Nord axe blade was shaped like a straight hook, not only good for chopping but also for disarming. Jonas held his sword at his waist. As he rapidly descended, opportunities to strike were quickly fading. He tensed his body, being very stingy with each attack.
Jyrik's burning eyes were calm and unmoving. He knew that as long as his connection to the artifact remained, he could not be harmed, not even if mountains collapsed, it wouldn't hurt him in the slightest.
Brelina stared intently at the cyan turbulent barrier. She knew she couldn't decipher its mysteries in a short time, but all magic had a commonality—it could be disturbed by lightning elements. When a spellcaster is struck by lightning, their nervous system is attacked, nodes are blocked, and some magicka in the magical core is lost. The same principle applies to a stable barrier or magic circle.
In a flash, the two apprentice mages executed a perfect combination.
Brelina struck the barrier with a Thunderstorm spell, creating a momentary gap in Jyrik's protective enchantment. Jonas's sword suddenly swept up, parrying the incoming axe and staff, and a majestic Dragon Shout erupted instantly.
"Fus Ro Dah!"
The arrogant Jyrik Gauldurson flew into the air like straw in the wind.
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