Beneath the Ash
June 14, 2025 at 1:02 PM
As the day of their promised adventure had finally arrived, the group shuffled out of their rooms and back upstairs to enjoy a quick breakfast beside the fire. With food eaten, they'd get themselves dressed and prepared for the coming journey. As the students took some time to ensure their weapons were prepared for whatever would come their way, Ja'vassa browsed through a few of the bookshelves just to see if he still had the map that marked the locations of the old pirate captain's armor. Much to his surprise, the map was still largely intact and marked the locations of it; he was even more surprised that so many of the locations were places he had visited numerous times in the past. One of them was a little ways away from Raven Rock, another close to Tel Mithryn. Of course, many of his previous visits to Solstheim weren't for leisure, but rather often while in pursuit of a dangerous foe.
With the map in hand, he'd return back upstairs to meet up with his students. "So, our first place to visit would be right outside of Raven Rock, a little ways to the west. Then we'll head north to the river, then to that tiny island near the Skaal Village, and then finally, we'll make our way to Tel Mithryn. I've no doubt we'll face some trouble along the way, so stay on your guard." Ja'vassa suggested as he'd set the map away in his satchel and strapped his sword to his hip. "Are you ready to head out?"
One by one, each of the girls picked up their firearms; strapping them to their backs. Momoi gave him a confident smile and a thumbs up. "We're ready as we'll ever be, Sensei! Let's get this quest underway!" She replied cheerfully.
Nodding at her, Ja'vassa led them out the door and towards the first location. As they walked through the ash covered ground, Midori gazed upon the towering stone pillar that rested near the water. "Sensei.. what's with the pillar over there?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she'd step closer to it.
"That is the Earth Stone, one of several All-Maker Stones that dot the island. Place your hand on it, Midori." Ja'vassa suggested, approaching the stone alongside her.
Glancing back at her teacher and then towards the stone, Midori nodded in response. She reached out, placing her hand on the pillar. At first, nothing seemed to happen; but after a few seconds, the pillar began to shine as a mystical energy swirled around the girl, filling with a mysterious power. Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt the warm, pure energy flow through her. "That... was strange, but refreshing." She whispered, her tone sounded both nervous and mystified. "What was that? I feel... stronger than before."
Ja'vassa smiled softly as he looked towards his student. "The Bones of the Earth. The All-Maker Stone has filled you with a strange magical energy, making you stronger for a brief time." He explained, stepping away from the stone and back towards the others. "There are five other All-Maker Stones across the island. Several of them are close to where we'll hopefully find the pieces of the armor."
Midori seemed more excited to visit the other stones than she did about digging up the treasure. Looking towards Ja'vassa with eager sparkles in her eyes. "Can we visit the other Stones along the way, Sensei?" She asked, quickly grabbing a hold of his hand.
"Of course we can, Midori. The other Stones will grant you other powers, but I won't tell you what they are. You'll have to find out for yourself." Ja'vassa replied somewhat teasingly, giving her hand a playful squeeze.
Their journey continued onward towards the first location marked by the map. Just as they arrived, Ja'vassa quickly motioned for them to duck behind some trees as he noticed several reavers gathered around a freshly dug hole. "There it is... the first chest we'll need. Are you prepared for a battle? Do not show any sign of hesitation, those reavers won't hesitate to try and shatter your halos." He warned them, reaching for his golden blade as he prepared to launch his first attack.
Hifumi took a deep breath, readying her rifle. "We're ready, Sensei. We won't let them get the best of us." She replied with a surprising amount of confidence.
At her bold declaration, Ja'vassa nodded in response with a soft smile. "Let's do it." He replied, unsheathing his weapon. "I'll deal with the leader, the rest of you take care of his underlings." With that, Ja'vassa quickly rushed forward. Despite catching the leader off guard, his armor was able to deflect most of what would've been a lethal blow.
The reaver's expression went from surprised to annoyed to angry in a matter of seconds. "Filthy n'wah, trying to take our treasure, eh?" The scarred Dunmer asked in annoyance, drawing his ebony war axe to do battle with his unexpected opponent.
Though the reaver lord was doing his best to break through the Dragonborn's defense, it quickly became clear that Ja'vassa was toying with him; perhaps trying to distract him as his students opened fire on the other reavers.
Serina and Fuuka remained behind, providing support to the others while Momoi and Hifumi focused on blitzing their opponents with their quick, precise shots. Midori's sniper rifle was useful in applying a great deal of pressure on the other reavers; her shots hadn't connected with her opponents, but rather she was working with her sister to gather the reavers together in order to give Momiji a clear shot.
"Just... just who are you?!" The reaver lord asked with an annoyed growl, glaring at Ja'vassa.
Smirking slightly as Ja'vassa pushed the reaver lord back, and with a quick kick to his opponent's shin, he had forced the Dunmer warrior to his knees. "I'm not surprised you don't know my students, but I didn't realize Solstheim forgot me already." He admits with a soft laugh. "You might know me as the Dragonborn."
The reaver lord's eyes widened, fear evident in his expression. "Dragonborn...? I.. I had no idea." He muttered, clenching his teeth slightly. "We were seeking out treasure, but it seems we've been outmatched. If... if we give you the treasure, will you let us live?" He asked hopefully.
"I'm glad you saw reason." Ja'vassa sheathed his weapon. "Lower your weapons, girls." He ordered, his gaze never leaving the reaver. "Just this once I'll offer you mercy, but do not make me regret this choice."
Making a motion for his companions, the other reavers sheathed their weapons and joined up with their little, watching in defeat as Ja'vassa and his students approached to investigate the chest. However, instead of leaving the area as planned, the reaver lord wore a malicious grin on his face.
"Imagine how feared we'd become if we took down Sjel Blad's legendary leader..." He whispered, leaning towards his bow-wielding companion. "Strike them down. All of them, even the young ones."
Nodding at him, she'd ready her bow and with a deep breath. Carefully, she'd take aim at Serina, focusing her arrow at the Remedial Knight's neck. "Here goes noth----" Before the reaver could finish her sentence, a spear of ice flew past her at breakneck speeds. She blinked in surprise, staring at the bow that was now in two pieces. She wasn't entirely sure what happened, but as she looked up again, she saw a deceptively calm looking Ja'vassa staring back at her.
"A word of advice, reavers. If you're planning a sneak attack, it's best if you do it quietly." Ja'vassa suggested as he'd switch from his Icy Spear to his Chain Voltage spell. "Striking at me is one thing, but even considering harming my students is a transgression I will not abide by. I offered you mercy and you rejected my offer, and thus, you won't be leaving here alive."
The three reavers stepped back, their legs trembling in fear as they watched Ja'vassa prepare and eventually cast Chain Voltage against them. They closed their eyes in anticipation as the magical blasts struck them at full force. Lightning coursed through their bodies, though fortunately for them, their screams of pain lasted for only a few moments. Once the spell dissipated, the slightly charred bodies of the reavers fell to the ground. Silence followed as the students looked towards the sight with a mixture of horror and amazement. Ja'vassa's display of power and the love he so clearly held for them earned their admiration, but it was that very display of power that held them on edge. The reavers were clearly well trained and equipped, and yet, he dealt with them as easily as if he was swatting a fly.
Turning back to the chest, the girls approached it with a tentative smile plastered to their faces. Momoi was the first to attempt to open it, though failed to do so after several. "Sensei... I think it's locked. You wouldn't happen to have a key for it, would you?" She asked, an annoyed huff escaping her.
"I'm afraid not, Momoi, but there is a trick to unlocking these." Ja'vassa replied as he'd reach into his satchel, taking out a few lockpicks. "You often encounter locked doors and chests in my line of work, knowing how to pick them is essential for any adventurer." He'd take a few moments fiddling with the lock.
"How do you know when you're successful, Sensei?" Midori asked, crouching down beside him as she watched him work on the lock.
"You'll hear a clicking noise once you're successful. Take it slowly and carefully, as you don't want to break too many lockpicks." Ja'vassa replied, falling quiet as he continued to focus on the lock.
After a few moments, a quiet click could be heard and for a brief second, the chest seemed to pop open. With a pleased grin on his face, he'd fully open the chest to see what was inside. Some gold coins, a book, and armor made of Stalhrim waited for them to claim them. Reaching into it, he'd take the handful of coins; it wasn't a whole lot, but he'd distribute them amongst his students. "Hold onto these as a memento of what we're about to do."
Hifumi smiled appreciatively as she gazed upon the gleaming coins in her hand. "Are you sure about this? Wouldn't it be better for you to get the gold back to your castle?" She asked, somewhat nervous about accepting such a gift from him.
"I'm not the only one on this treasure hunt, Hifumi. You're entitled to your cut of the findings." Ja'vassa assured her, soon picking up the armor to examine it. "This is it... Death-Brand's armor, only three more pieces to find."
Serina reached out to touch the armor, her eyes widening as she felt the unexpectedly cool surface against her hand. "It feels like it's made of ice... how can ice possibly protect someone?"
The glimmer in her eyes caused Ja'vassa to laugh softly, "It's made of stalhrim, specially enchanted ice. It might not seem like a useful material, but I'd argue it's stronger than iron or steel." He explained, setting the armor away into his Deep Storage. "Alright... three more pieces to find. We'll head north.. I believe our next chest is near a small cave. Northern Solstheim is often home to rieklings, be on your guard."
Their lengthy journey took them far to the northern reaches of Solstheim where they'd expectedly do battle with tribes of rieklings, the occasional wild animals, and more reavers as they wandered from the ashfields of the south to the snow covered grounds of the north. Along the way, Ja'vassa pointed out various landmarks and explained as much of the island's history as he could. They had collected the armor shortly after arriving leaving his home in Raven Rock, followed by the gauntlets near Bristleback Cave, the helmet on Haknir's Shoal. Despite the resistance faced by both the reavers and rieklings, the journey has gone on relatively smoothly. No one's gotten hurt, none of the students have had to expend more ammunition than necessary, and they haven't gotten lost or distracted just yet like Ja'vassa typically would on any of his usual trips.
With the treasure of Haknir's Shoal claimed, the group made their way south towards Tel Mithryn. For once, their journey went along relatively smoothly until Ja'vassa came to a stop, gazing towards the old temple in the distance. For a moment, there was a wistful, distant look in his eyes; it was as if he was in a daze. The girls looked towards him with a confused, concerned gaze. Fuuka reached out, tugging on the sleeve of his robes in an effort to snap him out of it.
"Sensei? Is everything alright? You seem worried about something." Fuuka asked softly, squeezing his arm gently.
Her touch and the sound of her voice snapped Ja'vassa out of his trance-like state. "Ah, sorry. I suppose I got distracted." He shook his head, taking a few deep breaths before turning to face his students.
"Lost in those distant memories again, Sensei?" Momiji asked, her eyes wide with an obvious curiosity.
"Aye, that's the Temple of Miraak in the distance. It's where I'd begin my pursuit of my predecessor." Ja'vassa explained, closing his eyes for a few moments. "That led to my greatest battle and to my position of Champion to Hermaeus Mora."
Nodding at him, Momiji stared at the temple in amazement. "You're incredible, Sensei... What was that journey like? Traveling all over the island, culminating in a great battle. It sounds like an incredible story." She said breathlessly.
"It was a strange series of adventures across Solstheim. I delved into the old ruins, wandered through a flooded Dwarven city, became... acquaintances for a crazy dark elven wizard, and even ventured into Apocrypha itself." Ja'vassa replied as he'd resumed walking towards the large mushrooms towards the south. "It all culminated with a confrontation at the Summit of Apocrypha. Miraak nearly killed me and he likely would have done so if Hermaeus Mora hadn't intervened. After the battle, I claimed his sword and mask to serve as mementos for what had happened."
Though she still wasn't entirely who Hermaeus Mora was, it was still surprising to hear that it was the Daedric Lord that allowed her teacher to survive the climactic battle. "Why would he intervene? You mentioned that Miraak was your predecessor, wouldn't that mean he was also Champion before you?" Momiji asked, walking close beside him.
"That I do not know. Perhaps it was punishment for Miraak's treachery, perhaps he wanted a younger, more easily manipulated Dragonborn, or maybe it was just out of amusement. Perhaps he knew that I'd reach Kivotos at some point and its bounty of hidden knowledge." Ja'vassa shrugged, a soft chuckle escaping him. "It's difficult to predict what the daedra will do. They may hinder or help you, and sometimes do both of those things within seconds of each other just for the entertainment."
Serina shuddered slightly, looking towards him with slight disapproval in her eyes. "If these daedra are so dangerous and unpredictable, why do you follow them, Sensei? It seems like trouble waiting to happen." She frowned, confusion swirling in her eyes.
"The foolish are drawn to the promises of wealth and power like a moth into flame. I am no exception to that. The rewards they offer in exchange for your service are plentiful and often great. Their guidance has allowed me to attain levels of sorcery perhaps unmatched by anyone else." Ja'vassa responded, an almost cocky sound ringing in his tone. His arrogance practically shined through with nearly every word he spoke, despite his acknowledgment that he had made more than a few foolish decisions in his youth.
"...sometimes, it's difficult to tell if you're brilliant or insane, Sensei. But, I suppose serving beings like that is easier for someone as powerful as you are." Serina admitted, a defeated sigh escaping her lips.
"I've wondered about that myself sometimes as well, Serina. Though, those aren't always mutually exclusive." Ja'vassa laughed softly, amusement glimmering in his eyes. "We're almost at Tel Mithryn.. I wonder if Neloth is home today?"
Fuuka stared at the weird mushrooms in the distance. "...does your friend live inside the mushrooms? How... how does that work?" She seemed to grow more and more confused with each passing second. "Are you planning to introduce us to him, Sensei?"
Ja'vassa quickly shook his head. "Absolutely not. I've worked with him for centuries, I wouldn't trust him to not try and turn any of you into new experiments. But, yes, Neloth lives within the mushrooms. I'm not sure how it works, he's never explained it, but that's fine. He's even crazier than I am." He admits, shuddering slightly. "But, we'll avoid visiting him.. I'd rather him not try to turn Hifumi into a mushroom or whatever he's got up his sleeves."
Hifumi's eyes widened at the idea of her being transformed into a mushroom. "Uh... Sensei? You don't seem to have a lot of... normal friends outside of your Council. How do you even get involved with people like that?" She asked, finding herself sticking closer to him.
"Poor choices, sometimes born out of necessity. Neloth aided me during my plight against Miraak and since then, we've remained in regular contact to exchange bits and pieces of our research." Ja'vassa explained, chuckling softly at her remarks. "Oh, sweetheart.. normalcy isn't something you're going to find in a place like this. Besides, I don't think I'd consider my Council entirely normal, either."
Despite her slight uncertainty about their ongoing adventure, Ja'vassa's casual nature and lighthearted tone has made things slightly easier. A playful giggle escaped her as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah... I suppose you're right. Kivotos isn't exactly a normal place either." Hifumi replied playfully.
The cheerfulness of the ongoing conversation suddenly halted as Momoi raised her rifle, shakily taking aim at several strange humanoids wandering in the distance. She couldn't make out any facial features, but they distinctly appeared as if they were on fire. "S-Sensei? What are those things?" She asked, her finger hovering around the trigger.
"Ash spawn, it looks like." Ja'vassa replied, glancing towards the fallen reavers surrounding a chest. "My guess is that they took those reavers by surprise. Aim for their heads and legs, if you can immobilize them, taking them out will be that much easier."
Midori nodded at response, taking several deep breaths to calm herself down as she carefully took aim at the middle ash spawn. "Aim for the head and legs... got it." She nods, staring down the scope of her sniper rifle. It was time for her to show Ja'vassa just what she could do, and despite her nerves, she pulled the trigger with confidence. The shot echoed throughout the ash-covered land, striking the ash spawn in the dead center of its head. Within seconds, it had fallen, but the other ash spawn had noticed the group and began their attack
They shot off a pair of fireballs, though they were quickly deflected as Ja'vassa raised a Ward spell in front of the group. "Momoi, Hifumi! Fire away, slow them down and when the opportunity is just right, finish them off, Momiji!" He ordered, keeping the Ward up as the ash spawn continued to hurl fireballs in their direction.
Momoi focused her fire on the ash spawn to the right while Hifumi focused on the one to the left. Their shots hadn't connected every time, but it was enough to force the remaining ash spawn to remain close to each other, and with them in such a position, it was time for Momiji to finish up their offensive attack. Carefully taking aim at the cornered ash spawn, she'd let her rocket loose. The second it connected with her opponents, they burst into a brilliant shower of ash and smoke. Thanks to their quick action and precise shots, there was nothing that stood between them and the final chest.
Like with the previous chests, Ja'vassa took a few moments to pick the lock and once it was opened, he had reached in to pull out the handful of gold coins, a key, a map, and finally, the legendary boots. "We're so close to reaching the final treasure, I can almost taste it..." He said excitedly, briefly studying the map. "Our destination is to the north, slightly east of the Skaal Village. Shall we rest for now and carry on tomorrow?"
With little hesitation, Momoi eagerly shook her head. "I can't rest now knowing that the treasure is within reach. Let's keep going, Sensei! We can rest after the treasure is ours." She said eagerly, wearing a determined smile on her face. None of the others seemed to be willing to argue with her, and instead wore similar expressions.
With their insistence, Ja'vassa led them towards the north. Their journey towards Gyldenhul Barrow was relatively peaceful until they actually reached the shores of the ruins where they'd be attacked by several hostile reavers. Fortunately, they didn't pose much of a threat and were quickly disposed of. With the key they had discovered in their final chest, he'd unlocked the old rusty doors and stepped inside.
It wasn't as impressive as they had hoped; upon entering, all they could find was several stalhrim deposits and a pickaxe resting beside an old corpse. Momoi sighed softly, looking absolutely defeated. "We did all that... for nothing? Are we even in the right place, Sensei? There's nothing here..." Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.
Ja'vassa hadn't responded right away, and simply approached one of the deposits, leaning close to it. "...don't cry, Momoi. We're in the right place. There's something behind this." He assured her, reopening his Deep Storage. "We need a special pickaxe to break through the stalhrim, though be ready for whatever awaits us."
Taking out his Ancient Nord Pickaxe, he'd begin to carefully chip away at the enchanted ice. "I might use some of the stalhrim for some weapons later.. seems there's a lot of benefits to this adventure." Ja'vassa idly mused. Once the stalhrim was fully depleted, he'd set the pieces and the pickaxe back into the Deep Storage, soon stepping through the recently revealed corridor. "There it is, I'd suspect what we're looking for is just behind those doors.
As they reached the large wooden doors at the end of the hall, the girls had all prepared their weapons; watching as Ja'vassa pulled the key back out to unlock the doors. Creaking open, they fully expected more reavers or ash spawn or something new to jump out and attack them, but instead of being met with a flying axe to the head, they stared at the piles of loot littering the floors.
Gold in piles nearly as tall as Midori, glittering gemstones strewn all over the place, old weapons and chests just begging to be opened waited for them. Fuuka approached the treasure horde with gleaming eyes. "So... the stories were true after all. There's so much to collect, and it looks like there's more behind those doors."
Nodding in agreement, Ja'vassa opened the Deep Storage once more. "Let's gather as much as we can and we'll properly sort it out once we return to Sjel Blad Castle." He suggested, beginning to work on unlocking the chests, dig through the various urns, and collect the weapons he could find.
The others began to collect as much of the gold and gemstones as they could, dumping it into the mystical chest. They had just spent the vast majority of the day exploring every corner of Solstheim, and yet, it didn't feel nearly as exhausting as trying to clear the hallway of the treasures that caught their eyes. It wasn't clear if there was any daylight left outside or if the next morning was already quickly appearing, but none of them were ready to call it quits and were eager to continue moving forward.
With the hallway cleared of the glittering treasures, Ja'vassa opened up the remaining doors only to find another empty room, holding a few coffins and in the furthest reaches of the room laid a viciously sharp looking scimitar rested upon a small pedestal. "Ready your weapons, I'd suspect the moment I pick up this sword, something will activate." He warned them.
At his warning, the girls raised their firearms as they watched Ja'vassa reach out to pick up the enchanted blade. At first, things were quiet until the ground began to violently tremble beneath them. After several moments of the tremors, several coffins popped open with the spirits of Haknir Death-Brand and his pirates. Before Ja'vassa could say anything to his students, he was attacked directly by the old captain. He wasn't able to focus on much but the flurry of attacks by his unexpected opponent.
The other spirits quickly swarmed the girls, but were largely held back by the rapid fire of Hifumi and Momoi's weapons. Fuuka and Serina stood back, largely attempting to support the others anyway they could. Momiji stuck close to Hifumi, providing as much firepower as she could, though she was significantly slower. Midori seemed to work in near perfect synch with her sister, carefully finishing off the targets that Momoi had weakened for her.
Though they were vastly outnumbered, the remarkable teamwork of his students allowed them to keep the upper hand for most of the fight and it allowed Ja'vassa to focus on defeating the pirate captain himself. Creating some distance between him and Haknir, Ja'vassa focused on weakening him through the use of his Prismatic Beam spell; the intensity spell increasing with each second it struck the intended victim.
One by one, the spirits of his once feared crew had fallen, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ectoplasm on the ground thanks to rain of bullets coming from the girls, while Haknir showed no signs of breaking through the relentless assault from Ja'vassa's devastating magic. Like the others, the ancient pirate captain had fallen. The other scimitar resting in the ectoplasmic goop on the ground. A grin crossed the old Dragonborn's face as he reached out to pick it up.
As he held the two scimitars, a rush of energy coursed through his body and the two swords shimmered in a soft red and blue color respectively. "Ah... I can see why he was so feared back in the day. If I had faced him with both of his swords, I suspect he would've been much stronger." Ja'vassa hummed as he'd approached the exhausted students, looking towards them with an appreciative gaze. "You girls did incredible. Your courage, determination, and strength are plain to see. Let's step outside and set up camp for the night. You've all more than earned some time to rest."
He'd lead them back outside, his expression softening at the sight of the gorgeous auroras that danced overhead. With their treasure hunt behind them, it was likely time to begin making their way back home. Setting up their campsite for the night took only a few moments with a spacious tent being set up a fair distance away from the shores along with a roaring campfire. Supper was quickly cooked and eaten, and once it was finished, most of the girls shuffled into the tent to escape the cold winds of the night. All except for Serina who found herself relaxing beside Ja'vassa, leaning against him as he rested beside the fire.
"Today's been wild.. I never expected we'd travel so far and see so many things, Sensei." Serina whispered, her pink eyes glimmering as she stared into the dancing flames. "I wasn't entirely sure about the trip before we left Kivotos, but I'm glad I came.. and I'm glad you let me come with you."
Ja'vassa chuckled softly, gently brushing some stray hairs out of her face. "I'm glad you agreed to come with us, Serina. I haven't enjoyed a trip to Solstheim this much before. Seeing you and the others so excited fills my heart with joy. I look forward to more of these adventures with you."
Leaning into his touch slightly, Serina sighed contently, adoration in her eyes as she gazed into his. "So... I guess we'll be heading back to the castle tomorrow, right? Or are there other adventures you wanted to take us on?"
Ja'vassa shrugged in response, taking a moment to wrap a small blanket around them as they'd relaxed beside the fire. "There are plenty of things to explore across Solstheim, but we probably shouldn't keep you away from Kivotos for too long. But, if you're still eager to do some exploring here, maybe I could bring you to some old ruins across Skyrim as we make our way back to Sjel Blad."
Nodding in response, Serina nestled in closer, taking in both the warmth of the blanket draped over her and the warmth of her teacher. "I suppose we should run this by the others as well. For now... maybe I should get some sleep, too. Goodnight, Sensei." She nuzzled against his shoulder, falling asleep within a matter of seconds.
"Sweet dreams, my dear." Ja'vassa whispered back. Within moments, he was out like a light; comforted by the close contact of his beloved student. It was a long day, filled with danger and excitement; the recovery of the ancient treasure, the prospect further adventures within Skyrim, and whatever comes next upon their return to Kivotos filled him with a sense of anticipation and eagerness that he hadn't felt since the day he first arrived in Skyrim.
