บท 596: To Blackreach
After the construction of the new dock of Hsaarik Head town in the most frigid part of Winterhold, the Dare Mercenaries and the Dare started to mobilize a lot of resources between the main city and the new town in order to keep an active front.
Just the other day, Jon and Wulfur erected a large statue on the shore of the town for a great warrior riding a bear and holding an axe with many small statues following the main one. This depiction was for Ysgramor and his Companion during the Return, the sacred event which happened on the land of that place.
In a way, this town was to be another low blow to the unfriendly neighbor known as Dawnstar and a way to spread the population of Winterhold making it the official fourth settlement.
But as always, there was a secret behind the construction of this town. Something that Jon was planning for since the early phases of his business.
The Ancient Dwarven ruins of Alftand were somewhere between New Saarthal and Hsaarik Head and Jon wasn't ready to let any lowlife get their hands on his most important treasure or spread any news about it before he started claiming its riches for himself. This drove him to discuss fortifying the Wayward Pass with Jarl Korir and spending a fortune of his own pocket in order to build a quick garrison and some towers in that area.
Usually, Wayward Pass is a point that is almost impossible to conquer since most of the Winterhold scouting forces cover that place well and a small militia can defend it against a dragon even. However, Jon wanted that spot closed and if the Jarl wouldn't close it for him, he would go and collapse the mountain on it if needed.
By the end of the week, Jon had three strongholds in very vital areas. New Saarthal, Hsaarik Head, and Wayward Pass. Those three points triangulated around the ancient ruins of Alftand.
Why all the control madness? It is because today is the day when Jon conquers an actual Dwarven City active with its army of Machines and its population of Falmer.
By the Dawn of this day, Jon stood on top of the cliff descending down the ice mountain to the secret entrance of Alftand which by its part, a secret entrance to the lost city beneath Winterhold, Blackreach.
Prior to this, Jon had met the Mage known as Septimus Signus, the madman who turned out to be Nurina's ex-husband and the servant of the Daedric Prince of Forbidden Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora. Septimus has explained to Jon, in his crazy gestures, how to access Alftand and gave him the key to the most secure city.
This key was a ball object with the size of Jon's fist known as the Attunement Sphere and it is an object capable of performing Tonal Manipulation in some unhearable frequencies to the normal senses. Jon has spent some time studying the tones produced by the sphere and has deducted a few key runes to the Ancient Dwemer Magic.
Still, invading Blackreach is one thing and reaching it is an entirely different dilemma that Jon has planned painstakingly for. Unlike how things are done in the game, real-life ancient ruins are not only filled with enemies but with far more untold dangers every piece of wall has the potential to collapse if a fight between the explorers and the ruin dwellers led to an accident, there's an endless list of unfortunate possibilities that will surely turn into a disaster.
Still, the sight of 100 Dare Troopers was magnificent enough to settle the worries in Jon's heart. This won't be the first conquest he takes part in but the first official one under his name. They are practically going to attack a city that has a standing army.
"The Plan is simple. One hundred troopers will be all it takes to delve into the ruins under the leadership of Mjoll the Lioness, leader of the exploration teams. Once the threats are taken care of, the excavators shall join. The Mages shall coordinate between the Exploration team and the Excavation team to deal with any issue of a magical nature. Our main objective is to reach the deepest spot of Tower Alftand since we are entering from the top and heading towards the bottom. Once we reach the deepest point, Boss Jon will lead the advance into the unknown underground area. All the Assigned Captains of Ten must notify their troops about the threat we are facing which will vary from lethal Dwemer Animunculi to warmongering Falmer savages. I suppose you all know what to do. Don't disappoint."
The one who gave the strategy talk was Alina as she addressed the captains of the troops that will participate. Jon left the planning for her since she was the strategist of the whole thing.
Aside from that, Jon will be with the front group to deal with any problems that may arise. Alina will be with the Mage group, and Wulfur shall accompany the Excavation group. Aside from the main three figureheads, the others shall participate by exchanging roles with the previous three in case they need to go back to the surface.
And thus the descending began.
Workers have been working on the icy glaciers for days establishing emergency wooden bridges to the nearest access point of Alftand then a tunnel was dug into the ice until the ruin was revealed.
The teams of ten descended one by one to not overload the bridges until everything was fully in order. Outside Alftand, the Dare Corps established an operation center and secured the area with greater numbers.
After the hundred fully went inside Alftand along with Jon and the rest, the place outside became quiet waiting for the results of the decisive project.
Meanwhile, Alftand opened its doors to Jon and the exploration teams.
Hundreds of years have passed since anyone stepped foot in those corridors and hallways of the Dwarven Towers but now the Nords entered fully equipped to loot, scavenge, and conquer. The sound of steam flowing through the non-erodible bronze pipes, the steam engines hidden behind the cold slabs of stone, the suffocating scent of Dwarven oil, the cracking of the machinery that kept itself in perfect shape across the ages, it was all overwhelming to many of those troopers who walked into a Dwemer construction for the first time.
"The Dwarves were really masters of construction. Everything they built was meant to last." Jon exclaimed.
"It is not your first time in one of those places." Mjoll spoke.
"Neither it is yours." Jon replied, "Alright, Commander Mjoll, you are leading the way in."
"Understood."
Mjoll, one of the Nord Heroes of Winterhold, rallied her people ahead and spread the formation of the troopers to better adapt to the tunnels of the Dwarven tower.
The careful digging of the company left many parts of Alftand intact unlike how things went in the Game when many parts of the walls were broken which led to breaking some of the pipes leading the steam and ice to flood some parts of the interior. The scenario may have repeated itself but the damage was minor compared to the shit show of excavation it would have turned out to be if Jon let riff-raff explorers go in.
It wasn't much until the teams met their real opponents.
Jon was right, this was going to be a lot harder than it came in the game. Alftand is much larger from inside and the mind map he had from his memory won't be of much use. If a single game character faced a single Dwarven Spider Worker in each corridor then within these hundreds of corridors, reality had it that tens upon tens of Dwarven Spiders were everywhere in the corridor and even crawling on its walls as real spiders do.
"SHELL FORMATION!"
Mjoll shouted as each couple of teams joined together and covered themselves with shields like turtles while the Dwarven Spiders descended upon them as a rain of metals to raise a clink with each clash and the sparks flashing like the workplaces of a hundred smiths.
The Dwarven Spiders attacked relentlessly with their pincers as the shields resisted their futile struggle to ward off the invaders and only rendered them victims for blades that rose from the shield array.
Meanwhile, Jon was standing behind the formation with little to no protection from the incoming enemies. He simply stood tall joining his arms together and when a Dwarven Spider noticed his solemn existence at the back of the line, it bounced towards only to be smitten by a flying hammer made of Daedric energy.
While the teams successfully defeated the spiders without casualties, Jon realized that even with his troopers, this whole expedition was going to take longer than what he anticipated or wished for. He let out a sigh and walked ahead leaving the place for the excavation and scavenging team to come and scrap all that's left from the fight.
One duty was left for the exploration team after getting rid of the Dwarven Animunculi and that is sealing the wall hatches which produce those pesky machines. Jon has fabricated a sealing technique that uses Tonal Manipulation to disturb the Dwarven constructs, something akin to an EMP effect that lasts as long as the seal stands. This way, he will completely stop the Ruins from producing more enemies and make it safe to conquer the city until they find the secret Animunculi production line.
The plan was perfect. One thing, however, Jon didn't foresee. He downloaded a mod before his reincarnation which will make him almost want to kill himself in the following days.
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A/N: It has been 10 days since I posted the last chapter. I may have not told anyone but I am having some PhD qualification exams. I will be extremely busy for the entirety of June and July but I will keep writing for the sake of the world. No riots, okay?
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