The next few days blurred into a cacophony of various, unmemorable aristocratic receptions, listening to my father’s thoughts on the people from the north, whose existence had been officially confirmed, and non-stop training with Vaysi, during which I tested my enhanced fire magic.
For now, the familiar division into Destruction, Alteration, Affliction, and so on didn’t exist among the elves, and the schools were much more specialized.
The variety of spells was also higher, about ten times exceeding what was shown in the games.
But all this was unimportant compared to what was happening today.
The Initiation.
The Pilgrimage.
This event has many names, but the essence is the same — this thing must be passed to become a full-fledged Knight-Paladin of the Chantry of Auri-El.
And I wasn’t going through it alone, but in turn with other candidates, who, unlike me, were extremely nervous, while simultaneously trying to maintain dignity and calm.
It looked funny, but in reality, it was serious.
Anyone who didn’t pass the Initiation-Pilgrimage and returned would be considered…
Something like a leper.
Weak of spirit.
Unworthy of being under the light of the progenitor of all elves.
“Why are you so calm?” One of the elves undergoing the trial openly wondered at my indifference.
“A well-bred Snow Elf introduces himself first, and then asks.” I noted a small detail, looking with interest at the elf, who was slightly older than me.
Maybe fifty years old.
But his gaze…
His gaze was that of a fifteen-year-old teenager.
“S-sorry.
I’m too nervous…
I’m Gelebor.” The elf introduced himself, instantly evoking a range of conflicting emotions in me.
Like me now, he was wearing only boots, pants, and a belt with a scabbard for a blade.
Such was one of the conditions for the pilgrimage.
Seeing dozens of bare male torsos…
Yeah…
But the situation was at least saved by the girls, who only had a bandage on their chests.
“Feator.” I introduced myself in return, trying not to betray the suspicions that had seized me.
“I apologize for the sudden question and all that…
But you don’t happen to have a brother named Vyrthur, do you?” “Has he been up to mischief again?
I’m sorry if so, I’ll make it up to you…” He asked with an expression of total doom and resignation on his face.
“No, no…
Just…
Heard of him.” I grinned crookedly, involuntarily copying one of Vaysi’s rare expressions.
“Ah!
I thought he’d done it again…” My interlocutor shook his head.
“But still…
Why are you so calm?
Even my self-confident brother is worried over there…” “I’m just following a saying I once heard.
The Daedra isn’t as scary as it’s painted.
The Pilgrimage must be passable, otherwise there would be far fewer Knight-Paladins.” I shrugged with a smile.
It’s strange…
Talking about such things to someone who will guard the Pilgrimage site for the next three and a half thousand years.
For that alone, Gelebor deserves respect, so I already began to regard his younger version favorably.
“I see…” My interlocutor pondered.
“Besides, I have a Va…
Ahem, a relative who is also a Knight-Paladin, and believe me, if she could…” I snorted, naturally not saying that I had played the vampire DLC for Skyrim and roughly knew what was there.
“Then I can too.
And you and your brother can too, so put on your face the confidence befitting a descendant of Auri-El, and pass the Initiation, and appear before the Archbishop of our God.” “Yes!
You’re right!” My speech was somewhat pompous, but for an elf, it was an even more significant argument than cold logic.
“Thank you, Feator.
If I manage, I’ll be glad to count you among my friends!” “Likewise.” I extended my hand to my kin, which he shook a moment later.
“But let’s listen…
The Commander is coming.” “I see.” My new acquaintance said more quietly, his gaze landing on an imposing figure clad in armor adorned with red cloth.
“My name is Aranfin.
And I will explain only once.
If you don’t understand — that’s your problem.” The future superior began harshly, looking us over with an appraising gaze.
“Five shrines.
Five mantras that you were required to memorize by heart.
As soon as you finish reciting the corresponding mantra at the corresponding shrine, you dip the ceremonial pitcher into the vessel at its center and move on to the next shrine.
It’s not as simple as it sounds.
Believe me.
And as soon as you, the Initiates, achieve full enlightenment along the path, you will bring the pitcher to the Inner Sanctuary of the Monastery.
Pouring the contents of the pitcher into the sacred chalice of the Sanctuary, you will be granted an audience with the Archbishop of Auri-El himself, where you will be named full-fledged Knight-Paladins…
Your first Sanctuary lies at the end of the Dark Passage, the first cave, which symbolizes your lack of enlightenment.” As soon as the elf finished the last word, with a grinding of stone behind him, a small structure began to rise, shaped like, um…
A volumetric rectangle, that is, a rectangular parallelepiped, only in the shape of a hexagon or hexahedron…
I never remembered geometric shapes very well.
Nevertheless, I quickly recognized the thing.
These were the very wayshrines, which were in fact full-fledged portals!
“Well, well…” I uttered.
Especially since I was stunned by the wonderful news.
“Initiate Feator, step forward!” The booming voice of the elf herald rang out.
The bastards, they must have found out that I’d been training with my paladin relative, and instead of the twenty years of training my current parents had counted on, I’d managed in seven.
But there was nothing to be done.
I stepped forward, trying to ignore the dozens of gazes directed at my back.
Well, it wasn’t the first time I’d answered in front of a large group of people.
At university, it sometimes happened in front of entire course groups when lectures were replaced by some events.
Approaching the wayshrine-portal, I carefully lifted the rather massive pitcher, framed with characteristic leaf-shaped decorations, typical of many Snow Elf items.
Giving a gloomy look to the equally dark and oppressive rectangular portal in the door-like hole in the shrine’s wall, I sighed almost inaudibly and, having filled the vessel with water, stepped inside.
After all, those nasty guys, the degraded Snow Elves, aren’t there now.
So there’s nothing much to worry about.
And Vaysi is more dangerous in sparring…
Well, forward, into the Forgotten Valley, which wasn’t forgotten yet.
Forward, into the most tedious and annoying quest in Skyrim…
“And may the light of Auri-El guide you in your darkest hours!..” Came from behind me as I stepped sharply into the portal.
Khe!..
Yo-o-o-our elve-e-e-en mother…
…As soon as I crossed the murky haze, my vestibular system went berserk and nearly died, causing me to almost fall and break the item I’d been given.
Nevertheless, the training with Vaysi paid off, and I somehow managed to maintain my coordination, and the clearly fragile pitcher remained undamaged.
But before I could exhale, I was hit by increased gravity.
Or something similar.
My body suddenly became heavy, and my legs felt like they were supporting ten times the usual weight.
In such a situation, it was simply impossible not to bend my legs!
For about a minute, I teetered on the verge of falling, unable to even set the pitcher aside.
Khe…
One of two, even three things.
Either the bloody Dragonborn is a cheater and ignores this suddenly appearing heaviness…
Or over the millennia, Auri-El will stop paying such close attention to this place…
Or the last option — the Time Dragon and Progenitor of Elves personally arranged this kind of pressure for one unlucky transmigrator-reincarnator.
However, the fact that after about four minutes the pressure began to weaken spoke against the last theory…
Or I began to adapt to…
Mmm…
The peculiarity of the local magical energy, literally overflowing this place.
It was much more…
Heavy and massive, more powerful, which is why it hit me, someone strongly connected to magic, so hard.
Now I understand what the Commander meant when he said that completing the in-game Initiation wouldn’t be so easy.
Having somehow adapted, after about five minutes I set the chalice on the ground.
Rolling my shoulders and taking a few breaths, I walked forward, drawing my sword with my right hand and preparing to summon magical flame with my left.
I have a feeling the local critters will be less vulnerable to ice spikes.
Walking cautiously through the underground corridor past the water, I first heard a buzzing sound, and after a few seconds, I was attacked by some rather nasty-looking creatures.
“Chaurus…” I openly grimaced at the sight of the underground beetles, or rather, their more dangerous winged version with durable chitin.
Fortunately, there was only one creature.
A scout or something — it didn’t matter.
The main thing was that the stupid insect couldn’t dodge a simple fireball.
In the game, it would have taken damage from it, possibly fatal; in reality, the creature clicked angrily, instantly falling to the ground — its chitin just caught fire, and its wings were burned clean off.
Walking up and finishing off the creature with a simple vertical strike wasn’t difficult.
Without wings and on the ground, the creature was no more dangerous than an upside-down turtle, since the flame had also burned its sensitive antennae, without which the creature was completely blind and clumsy.
…Involuntarily shuddering, I looked around for any cracks, and returning for the chalice, placed it near the corpse…
Which I hit with my sword again just in case.
But no, the corpse was guaranteed to be dead.
“Phew.” I sighed in relief, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down my forehead.
It’s one thing with Vaysi — there you know you won’t be killed or maimed — and quite another with your first real enemy.
But magic and sword rule, yes-sir!
Further on, the tunnel widened, and I soon came across an expansion of the passage that was occupied by a whole brood of similar creatures, chaurus hunters, I think.
Freezing so that the blind but keen-eared creatures wouldn’t detect me, I carefully bent down to the ground and began tracing a Fire Rune on it.
I could have charged into the attack, but…
I wasn’t wearing Knight-Paladin armor, and there were as many as three adult creatures.
No need to take such a risk.
“Hey, chitin-winged ones!…” I attracted the creatures’ attention when the spell was complete.
The overgrown insects reacted instantly, rushing towards me, while I quickly bolted back into the passage, fleeing not from the creatures, but from the explosion.
Which didn’t keep me waiting at all, completely scattering the trio of beings.
As far as I remember Skyrim, they were quite strong there, but…
In reality, they have too many vulnerable spots.
I could even freeze their antennae and wings with ice magic, and with fire…
But it’s too early to relax.
That would be dangerous.
Using the same method to finish off the chaurus lying on the ground and moving the pitcher, I turned west into another tunnel.
The path almost immediately led me to an even larger open space, where several more flying creatures were located.
Not bothering to be clever, I pulled off the trick with the Fire Rune again, heading further into the crevice where a waterfall flowed.
Freezing the water slightly with a stream of ice so it wouldn’t be a hindrance, I soon emerged onto a new path upwards and turned a corner, where I again walked along a long path with the pitcher in my hands, and…
Suddenly discovered that I had returned to the frozen waterfall, behind which, from this angle, a passage was visible.
“I’m starting to remember why this quest pissed me off so much…” I groaned in despair, trying with all my mage senses to detect the unique trace of the Sanctuary.
…I wandered like this for another ten minutes, starting to feel the weight of the entire pitcher.
The only interesting thing I came across on the way was a sleeping saber cat.
Not bothering to be clever, I hit the predator with a Fire Arrow, which burned clean through its head, and I didn’t have to engage in melee with a mouth of considerable size.
Eventually, the path led me to a huge cave with many giant glowing mushrooms, familiar from the game.
Descending through the cave past another cold waterfall, I soon finally reached the first Sanctuary, the Sanctuary of Illuminate, near which sat a Knight-Paladin in full white armor with his sword at the ready.
Seeing me, he rose from his seat, sheathed his sword, and approached.
“There will be no long speeches.
Welcome, Initiate.
My name is not important.
This…” He waved his hand towards the small structure, looking at me with his empty, tired eyes.
“Is the Sanctuary of Enlightenment.
The first of those you must pass.
Are you ready to honor the mantra of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?” “Of course.” I nodded with a spiritual expression on my face, then bowed my head for a few seconds.
Vaysi said that the Prelates who guard the Sanctuaries stay here for life, protecting them from the wild creatures that abound here.
“Then look upon the gift of Auri-El, my child.” The Falmer continued with a similarly spiritual-serious expression.
“May it illuminate your path as you seek peace in the Inner Sanctuary.” Nodding silently and not asking what the difficulty of the first, essentially, trial was, I moved on.
Having filled the now heavier pitcher with more water, I knelt on both knees and began reciting a very long, but thoroughly memorized mantra in a whisper.
As soon as it ended, praising Auri-El for the hundredth time, I passed through the darkish haze that appeared.
Khe-e-e…
Abruptly falling onto my second knee from the heaviness of the surrounding mana, I couldn’t even properly look at the magnificent scene before me.
Well, well…
It seems the most tedious quest in the game will turn out to be no less tedious in reality.
Because if this happens to me with every teleportation, I’ll definitely be stuck here for half a day.
Khe…
And the Forgotten Valley in reality will be bigger than on the screen.
About twenty times larger.
This will be…
Harder than I expected.
But oh well?
How did that song go?..
“Give me your word, give me your oath, forget your fear.
The hero’s call, the hymn of victory on your lips.
Prove that the blood of a hero beats in your veins, Go forth to battle with fate, destroying the fears in your heart…”