Jack locked eyes with Hermaeus Mora, stating out in disbelief. "It was you. You wiped out the Dwemer!" Hermaeus looked simply detached upon answering in a deep bellowing voice that reverberated off the metal walls. "That's not important. We've got work to do. Come, my champion." Jack shook his head, backing up against the far wall. Hermaeus Mora's large center eye narrowed on him in a slightly stern glare. Jack clenched his jaw, sneering out loud through his teeth with distaste. "I am not your champion, Monster!" Hermaeus Mora's slimy mass of eyes moved farther into the room to float before the pillar with the book. Jack glanced around to see if the tunnel had cleared up enough to escape, but his entangled mass was still blocking it. Hermaeus Mora was growing bigger to be sure that there was no escape for him. Two slimy tentacles moved to rest on the sides of the pillar like eerie hands.  

Looking over the book with a soft expression, Hermaeus then turned his large eye back into a glare as he looked back up at him to boast out proudly. "Who do you think brought Septimus here? Who do you think protected you on your journey to open the box and loose my knowledge on this world? You owe me a debt, Champion. I don't do that for just anyone." Jack huffed loudly, defiantly yelling back. "I owe you NOTHING! My own free will got me this far!" Hermaeus Mora let out a deep throaty chuckle, answering smugly. "Your free will is an illusion. Whether you acknowledge me or not is your own business, but I will be in your mind." Jack stayed pressed back against the wall, remaining very still as more tentacles extended toward him to brush over his cheeks like a lovers caress. He didn't like how Hermaeus had said that. One of Hermaeus Mora's other tentacles stroked down the cover of the book lovingly, telling him in a deep buttery voice.

"Now, you have my oghma infinium. It contains the knowledge of the ages as revealed to Xarxes. My loyal servant. For hundreds of years, its been shut away from the world. Septimus was a useful tool for unleashing it." Jack stared at him with an uneasy expression. Hermaeus Mora's large eye looked up at him again, reading his mind like an open book as he informed him coolly. "Xarxes was an elven wizard. A sage and scribe. An ancient snow elven god. The snow elves version of Akatosh. He wrote this book with the knowledge I gave him. It's a powerful ancient tome of knowledge that only my champion has the honor of beholding. This is my gift to you. With it, you will repay my generosity." Jack's eyes flicked from the book back up to Hermaeus Mora, telling him nervously. "No thank you. I don't want it. Just tell me what you know about Miraak and I'll be on my way." Hermaeus Mora's tentacles curled around the pillar in anger, while the tentacles caressing his face moved down to his throat.  Hermaeus's voice then began sneering out from every corner of the room. "You're rejecting my gift of knowledge? Knowledge that men have died to possess? Do you think yourself wiser than I?"

Jack finally raised his hands away from the wall in surrender, quickly answering. "No! I just don't want it. The last race that tried to use it were wiped out... I only want to know what you know about Miraak."  More of Hermaeus Mora's tentacles shot out to wrap around his wrists, pulling him closer to the pillar by force. Jack tried to resist, but Hermaeus was beyond any strength he hoped to possess.  The tentacles forced Jack's hands down on either side of the book, while Hermaeus moved in closer to stare him down, bellowing out coldly. "You and I want the same thing. You desire to take down Miraak, yes? Then here lies the answer to our problems. Accept my knowledge and I will reveal what I know. Refuse and I will make your last days VERY unpleasant. You have a strong will, Dragonborn... But my will is unmatched. You don't want me as your enemy." Jack stared at the book feeling uneasy for a fleeting second, before he grinned slightly.

Hermaeus's eye narrowed on him curiously as Jack curiously asked him. "Miraak has made an enemy of you... but you need my help to defeat him?" Hermaeus's grip on his wrists and neck loosened only a little as a very soft chuckle let him. Humor reflected in his large eye, upon telling him much calmer. "Aren't you a clever one. I picked my champion well. Accept my knowledge and I will tell you why." Jack swallowed, curiously asking him. "And if I don't?" Jack shivered as tentacles began to wrap around his legs and waist tightly. Two tentacles extended out toward his chest, slithering up under his shirt.  The tentacles wrapped themselves up in his tunic shirt, bringing him closer to his large eye.  Jack cringed in disgust, feeling the warm slimy tentacles touch his skin.  Neither one of them blinked or looked away from each other though as Hermaeus answered curtly. "Miraak has learned wards to protect himself from me... What protects your fragile body from me? I can break you down piece by piece. Both physically and mentally. However, waiting around for another Dragonborn to be born is quite taxing..."

Hermaeus Mora's eye looked up and around the Dwemer lock box, continuing on in a much more amused tone of voice. "I can however... Make this your prison, until you are feeling more compliant. I'd just need a bit of something to eventually open the door." Hermaeus's eye suddenly fell upon his bleeding arm and Jack weakly struggled against the tentacles holding him in place. A small thin tentacle extended toward his pinned arm, stroking his flesh, while Hermaeus purred out to him. "I discovered how to make Dwemer blood. In a few months, I can learn how to replicate your blood too. I just need a small sample to begin." The tentacle found one of his open wounds and burrowed inside it. Jack screamed as he felt the pain shoot up his arm. The tentacle was like a leach! It was drinking his blood! When the tentacle finally removed itself, Jack panted heavily as Hermaeus told him sickly sweet. "There. Now how would you like to proceed?"

Jack reluctantly looked up at Hermaeus Mora, replying dejectedly. "I'll take it." Hermaeus's tentacles quickly released him, telling him boldly. "Good answer." Jack hated himself for this, but he didn't want to be locked away in a Dwemer lock box.  He had to get back to Mark.  Mark was hurt and needed him.  Carefully picking up the book, he clenched his teeth to keep himself from shaking. Hermaeus Mora's tentacles came back to drape over his shoulders, telling him soothingly. "Now it is in your hands. Let us work wonders together. Open the book and accept the knowledge of the ages. What would take a lifetime to learn. You will learn now, but choose wisely. Only one gift per champion." Jack ignored Hermaeus, slowly opening the book. The book rose off the pillar hovering before him as its pages came to life. The pages unfolded to reveal three papers with different titles.  Beneath each title there was an outline of a hand print.  It wanted him to choose what to learn.

The first page was titled; 'The Path Of Might.' Faintly in the background of the page were flickering images of warriors clashing in combat. The second page was titled; 'The Path Of Shadow.' In the background of this one, he could see the faint outline of a cloaked person pickpocketing people. The third and last page was titled; 'The Path Of Magic.' Faintly walking in the background was a cloaked mage with hands lit up in blue flame. Jack inhaled deeply at the unease this brought him. It felt like he was signing himself up for something bad... but what choice did he have? He couldn't fight a god. That was suicide. Raising his hand, he exhaled all his fears and doubts. Moving his hand over to the third page, he lowered his hand down into the outlined handprint. The white outline of the handprint turned a bright green. After which, the book fell to the pillar and shut with a loud 'BANG.'

Jack started to take a step back, but a tentacle pushed him even closer to the pillar. The book's pages glowed with a bright golden light, before it opened on its own to reveal strange arcane symbols that he had never seen before. He didn't know the first thing about how to read them. Yet, when he tried to look away, Hermaeus Mora's tentacles wrapped around the back of his neck and forced him to stare down at the book. The longer he looked, the more his head started to ache.  His vision soon swam with endless arcane symbols, until Jack had to grip the edges of the pillar for support.  Soft cries of pain began to leave him uncontrollably.  His mind was flooding with more knowledge on magic than he felt he could handle. Grabbing his head, he watched blood splatter across the pillar. Blood was dripping from his nose, his eyes, and it was even leaking out of his ears. It felt like it had gone on forever, but it had all happened so fast. As the pressure left his brain, he gasped loudly in relief.

The book slammed shut again and this time vanished before his very eyes. Hermaeus Mora's tentacles kept him from falling to the floor by carefully laying him down.  Afterward, Hermaeus Mora moved around the pillar to stare directly into his eyes with his own single massive eye, telling him honestly. "As promised. You'll find Miraak in Solsthiem. He seeks revenge against this world. If he gets out. I fear he will use his new powers to take control of the armies and turn them against their Jarls. He will not stop there. He will conquer every corner of the globe. For he does not simply seek to be a ruler among men, but a god among men. Should he succeed. You will be killed and everyone you know will be enslaved to his power. Even the great Alduin will tremble before him." Jack felt incredibly light headed, but he wiped the blood away from his nose and asked him wearily. "How is he still alive? Didn't he die?"

Hermaeus Mora drifted back from him casually, reluctantly stating out. "He has been preserved these many years. Kept in a prison outside this realm. However, his prison has become his strongest weapon against me. The veil between his prison and this world grows thinner. If you wish to stop him. You will have to go to Morrowind and venture into the veil, before he breaks out. If he makes it back into this world... He will gather his cultists and it will be too late. I've seen your death if you let him come back to this world." Jack put his hand on his arm, finally healing it to stop the bleeding. The spell was much stronger than he remembered it being. He barely used any energy to cast it. It did nothing for his headache though.  He was felt completely drained and utterly exhausted. Trying to fight off sleep, he sleepily asked Hermaeus. "What do you get out of this if I kill him?"

Hermaeus Mora chuckled eerily. He answered clearly, but to Jack's muffled ears, he was starting to sound so distant. "That is for me to know and you to find out." Jack didn't even have the energy to let out a single curse, before his body gave in to sleep. When he awoke, he was wrapped up in a warm blanket by a crackling fire. Taking in his surrounds, he grew anxious. He wasn't in the glacier anymore. He was outside in the clear night air. Sitting up, he groaned and held his head. His headache was better, but it still throbbed like a bad hangover. The snow crunched nearby and Jack turned to look. Mark kneeled down next to him with a pot of hot water. Mark placed a comforting hand on his shoulder laying him carefully back down across the bedroll. Jack didn't resist. His head hurt too badly. Mark dipped a cloth into the hot water, then started to clear away the dried blood off his face. Jack snatched Mark's wrist firmly, asking him seriously. "Are you alright?! Where are we? What happened to Hermaeus Mora?"

Mark raised an eyebrow, he looked really worried for a moment, but he composed himself quickly. Continuing to casually cleaning his face, Mark told him softly. "I'm alright and I don't know. By the time I got up, you were laying in that Dwemer cube all by yourself. Once I realized you were alright. I decided to get you the hell out of there. We are off the trail just outside of Windhelm." Jack nodded, relaxing as he told Mark grimly. "You were right. That daedric prince is a real piece of work... I don't know what he did to me... but my head is killing me." Mark soaked the cloth, then wrung it out before laying it over his forehead with a small smile. It felt nice against his throbbing head. Mark shifted more comfortably in the tent, snuggling closer to him as he asked him in a low voice. "What happened to Septimus?" Jack took a deep breath and informed Mark on everything that he had missed.

When Mark was all caught up, he grumbled out sourly. "Just what we needed right now. Another tyrant trying to take over. As if Alduin wasn't bad enough... What a rotten year this has turned out to be." Jack took ahold of Mark's hand, lifting it up in such a way that it showed off their wedding rings as he replied hopefully. "There have been some good parts to the last few years." Mark brought Jack's hand to his mouth, kissing it longingly for a moment. Upon lowering it away from his warm mouth, he told Jack lightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't more helpful back there." Jack reached up to wrap an arm around Mark's neck, pulling him down to lay his head across his chest, while he told him lovingly. "Don't apologize. We were both blindsided back there. We'll just have to be more careful now." Mark let out a heavy sigh, grumbling out grimly. "You know this means that we have to travel by sea, right?"

Jack nodded with only a tiny hint of a smirk. Mark's biggest fear was being out on the ocean. He was terrified of the tales that sailors told about seeing sea monsters and he had a fear of drowning. It wouldn't be an easy trip for him. Stroking Mark's hair, Jack told him sweetly. "I know. I'll be there with you though. I know a spell for water breathing and walking on water. We should be alright." Jack stopped brushing his hand through Mark's hair as he realized something. How did he know those spells? He had not known about them before. Mark lifted his head, asking curiously. "Is something wrong?" Jack slowly sat up, thinking about Necromancy. He had came here to learn it from the college... but now he didn't feel like he needed to learn it. He was able to recall some powerful spells that he felt like he could do right now with the snap of his fingers. Looking over at Mark with a shaky expression, he honestly told him. "Mark... I think that book... Well, I think it expanded my arcane abilities."

Mark adjusted himself to sit more comfortably, stating out a little confused. "Are you sure?" Jack took a hold of Mark's hand and then raising his other, he casted the spell of invisibility. With little to no effort, his body vanished from sight. Mark's grip on his hand turned into a death grip, like he feared that he really had vanished completely. Ending the spell, Jack reappeared in order to calm him and say in astonishment. "Mark, invisibility spells are high level illusion magic. You practically have to be an Arch-mage to cast them." Mark loosened his grip on his hand, but didn't let go. There was a moment of silence between them, before Mark calmly told him. "I can see why the book is a temptation. You could become the master of a craft overnight." Jack bowed his head a little, talking mostly to himself. "The Dwemer king tried to use it on his people... Hermaeus must have felt offended by it since only his champion is suppose to be givin the gift and... somehow punished them all." Mark leaned his shoulder against his, softly adding in. "If the Dwemer king was Hermaeus's champion, it would certainly explain a lot about how they knew how to do so much givin the time period they lived in. It would even explain how they managed to keep a dragon soul in that giant soul gem above their city."

Jack nodded solemnly, admitting out dryly. "It makes sense to me. Their metal craft is still beyond anything anyone has ever seen in this age. It makes me worry though... What will he do with me after we kill Miraak?" Mark leaned farther into him to rest his head on his shoulder, whispering against his neck. "One thing at a time, remember? On the bright side, maybe now you have more than enough power to take out both Miraak and Alduin. Blessing or curse... I'll help get you through this." Jack turned his head enough to press his lips to Mark's forehead, whispering out quietly afterward. "You're right. I love you, Mark." Mark grinned, shuffling around to snuggle up under the blanket with him. Mark then wrapped his strong arm around Jack's waist, holding him close as he lovingly purred into his ear. "I love you too, Jack. Get some rest. Tomorrow we head for Windhelm." To Be Continued...