Before midnight I walked to that place in the western corridor, I need to avoid the official college guards who patrol the place when I enter the midden.
After midnight there is a curfew so it would be s problem if I didn't get there fast.
Normally, 'Catatoskr' wouldn't have any problems sneaking at night, but the College has little to no places for hiding into the corridor, and running would bring attention to me.
Sigh! This absurdly huge college is nothing like the game at all.
Anyway, Nurina told me this is the place and my intuition is also telling me so.
Using 'Scan' confirmed my suspicion, I found a trapdoor behind some crates that were put on each other like a wall. Also someone was standing besides it.
Weird! Something is going on.
I sneaked quietly and a member of the College guards was there.
This is weirder! There is an understanding that the Midden is accessible to all from this place, even the guards don't come here officially.
I decided to go in the shameless way.
"Good evening sir guard! Mind if you clear the way!"
The boy turned around with a scare! He was a Breton and an Evoker at that.
"What are you doing here? This place is off limits!"
I was hiding my features with a hood to not get recognized.
"Mind of you piss off, please!" I asked once again, politely.
"That's it! You are coming wit.. *uuugh*"
I punched the Manmer (Breton).
"Move bitch! ..... Get of the way!"
Dammit! Now the song is stuck in my head.
And there is only one way to get rid of a song that got stuck on your head.
And that is....
Play it!
I just hav...
Damn! I forgot my Music Player when I got reincarnated!
Sigh! I am envying those lucky bastards that got reincarnated with their phones.
Fine! Author, put it on the background!
[A/N: !play Ludacris - Move Bitch ft. Mystikal, I-20]
My man 👉😏👉
[A/N: 👈😌👈]
Now, the trapdoor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I descended to the Midden through the trap door, there was a ladder under it that took me directly to an ice cave.
I am happy one thing is still like the game.
The Midden is the underground sewer system for the College and can be accessed from the 'Hall of Countenance' but that entrance is watched by the administration.
Now I started moving into this ice cave and it felt rather fun and adventurous. I arrived a minute later to a space made of stone. It now really felt like I walked into the sewers.
It was dim, mild, and smelly. Just like the 'Rat Way'.
Aaaah! The feels!
Like I care anyway! I cast 'Stoneskin' and 'Night Vision'.
The place became much clearer and I started to feel the movements around me.
Skeevers, I hate these pests.
Let's summon something to get rid of them.
I evoked the spells and casted seven times.
Around me stood five black skeletons with bows and arrows, 'Boneman', and two floating upper half black skeletons evoking Frost Magic, 'Mistman'.
Undead don't bother with darkness so they will work around just perfect.
I started walking and formed my undead squad in formation around me.
The Midden was not like the game at all, I saw places I have never seen before and almost got lost many times.
The only thing that kept me from that was the 'Clairvoyance' spell. Still, it is much different than the game.
In the game, it could show the player a short trail to the nearest quest marker but things are different here.
'Clairvoyance' is a spell that falls under the aspect of 'Divination'. It's tricky and hard to control. One need a strong will to clairvoyance whatever they is after.
Normal the answer isn't visible to the naked eye, so understanding it comes through feelings. Normally the answer can be directional or take many other forms.
Also, Clairvoyancing something you are not sure of is dangerous and may lead to catastrophic results if one put too much trust in his Clairvoyance.
Divination as a concept is getting information through no material mean which is the opposite of Detection. And Clairvoyance itself is one of the purest forms of Divination but it's hard to control, let alone master.
Divination is a main aspect in Mysticism. Actually, it's the most famous aspect in Mysticism.
People mostly know Mystics as Sothsayers and Fortunetellers. Many Nords are blessed with that talent which is very enviable in my opinion but they rarely used it for a real arcane practice.
Those people with that talent are the ones who can utilize Mysticism the most. My talent lies in the Energy Manipulation part so I am not completely vexed.
Back to the present, my use of Clairvoyance put me on the track towards the direction of the Augur.
I walked across strange places but I tried to keep mapping the place in my head. Unlike Wulfur, I am not that bad with directions.
There is that bone formation that was on a a wall. A skull with four arms coming out from beneath it and finger bones shaped like a crown around it.
I stood in front of it respectfully and said, "Hail Hydra!"
Don't know why? It just felt the right thing to do.
I remember from the game that beyond this point is the 'Midden Dark'.
The 'Midden Dark' is a bit scarier than the 'Midden'. It has roaming undead, big spiders, strange things, and all of one's hearts desire.
Actually, I hate spiders. I may act like a big boy all the time but Frostbite Spiders of Skyrim are ridiculously large and scary. I was never afraid of them in the game but in reality, I let my undead deal with them.
I remember some mods that replaced the spiders with many other things for those who are afraid of spiders even on a screen. I wasn't that afraid or anything but those spiders in real life are just something I don't want to touch.
Anyway, I remember some unpleasant enemies in this place, that's why I am using something with a thin presence like the undead around me. I don't want to fight an Ice Wrath or anything annoying.
Finally, after an hour of searching, the Clairvoyance is not reacting like before. I guess I am not far!
Looking around the place, I saw an ice cave once again, walking it would connect me to another stone corridor.
This is the part before the Augur's room if I am not mistaken.
I walked slowly and commanded the undead to stay put, once I saw a door, I banished them away.
*knock knock*
{Leeeeeave!}
A voice echoed from the door. It was as if a ghost was talking. A plain voice that has no emotions.
"Sir Augur, my name is Jon Dare, a Mysticism Apprentice and a novice businessman. I am also an otherworlder!"
{.....}
"Hello! 1, 2, 3, do you copy?"
{And what business does an otherworlder have here?}
"Cultural exchange!"
{... What are you after are answers. Answers you think will help you in your path but it's too late. 'The Wheel' has already turned on you.}
What the!
Can he read my mind?
"I am after answers and knowledge, yes, so I hope to prove worthy. Also the matter of 'The Wheel' is useful if you already know of it and will save us some time. But first I need to tell you a story."
Silence took lead of the conversation for a while. After few seconds the door opened.
{Still you persist? Very well, you may enter. Welcome to the Midden.}
I knew what was I going to see so I head right away and the door got closed after me.
"I like what you have done with the place!"
The place was empty stony circular room, with a small well like 'Magicka Focus Point' with a glowing ball of light on the energy stream.
{Your sarcasm is not appreciated!}
Who replied to me was a glowing ball of energy. This is The Augur, or who was known as Augur of Dunlain. A Breton with a strong magical talent that focused on obtaining power instead of controlling it till an accident that turned him into a non-corporeal entity.
I have many theories but I'll leave the confirmation to him.
"So you're the Augur of Dunlain?"
{I am which you have been seeking. But what you are really after is dangerous.}
"Can you read my mind?"
{I can.}
"Go ahead please! Read my memories from 25 years ago."
{Supposedly it is possible! What is there you want me to see?}
"Anything related to you, me, Skyrim, the College, dragons. I'll just sit here and you enjoy the show!"
I said the sat on the ground leaning my back to a wall.
{I am afraid that won't do and may take a lot of time!}
"Hm? So!"
{I will, need a guide...}
"Huh! Wai..."
Crap!
*tud*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No, I don't want this again.
This is bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad.
I hate hate hate hate hate hate this!
I am panicking panicking panicking panicking panicking panicking!!
"HEY! YOU PIECE OF FLORESCENT PULP! I TOLD YOU TO SEND ME OUT!"
{Your reaction was not calculated to be this severe! I must apologize for the sudden action. But normally, most people would consider this a thrilling experience!}
"THRILLING MY ASS! THIS EXPERIENCE KILLED ME ONCE!"
Yes! It did.
I died because of this once!
I put that damnable Gull Dive VR headset on my head more than 15 years ago and look what happened!
Now I am at a strange black space with black background and a sense of movements. It awakened all of traumas.
I can't deny this is different but I have the same fucking feeling of the Full Dive VR space!
{Please relax! We are traveling in the memory tunnel so it would take us a short time to get there!}
Dammit!
This guy is enjoying it!
{I am not!}
Reading my brain huh?
{Technically we are in it!]
"Then why are you acting on your own accord so willfully?"
{I simply took action the best way to achieve your goal!}
"You are talking like robot now!"
{I don't recognize the term! But is that something like an automaton?}
"Yeah! A machine!"
{I think that is the closest way to put it in!}
Wait what!
"Aren't you a human?"
I remember that the Augur in the game was recorded as the 'Breton' in the system.
{Being me right now and being the human who I once was from before is different!}
"So, you lost part of your humanity?"
{You are not listening! I am not a human anymore! Think of me as a reincarnated person like you claim but in a different race that altered me.}
"I still don't get it! I mean, I thought of you as a person who overpowered his 'Soul' with energy and the 'Astral Body' couldn't keep up with with that increase until it caused the 'Mortal Vessel' or the 'Physical Body' to not be able contain the deformation in the 'Astral Body' the it disintegrated."
{... Keep going.}
"Hmmm! I am not sure how you did it afterwards but you managed to seal the 'Astral Body' and keep the 'Soul' bound to it somehow. But you needed an energy source so you took residence in the unused 'Magicka Focus Point'."
{... Nothing more?}
"That's all I could get based on how much I could research. But from what you said about losing humanity, then I guess it is because you lost what others call the 'Desires of the Flesh'. Things like eating, drinking, or humor meant less by time and you reached this mechanical state of emotion."
{I guess you put it the closest way possible. Your understanding mostly came from some notes I left behind as I see so we are agreeing on many terms!}
"So, does this mean that the 'Physical Body' should be strong enough to contain the 'Astral Body'? The 'Astral Body' is the shell of the 'Soul' that has all the Magicka in, Right? Does this mean that the 'Soul' itself is a higher form of Magicka? And the 'Vitality' is an energy of different nature, right? My body has experienced an immense increase in power lately, does this has to do with the Troll's Vitality that I absorbed?"
{I still haven't deemed you worthy yet to answer your questions!}
Dammit!
"All I need to know is, will I experience the same thing like you?"
{You will soon find out!}
"I just don't want to be a miserable computer like ball of light that lives in sewers."
{We arrived at the first memory! Let's see what you want to show me.}