The Cure For Curie (Complete!)

A Timed Question

Lilelle checked the surrounding area once more, checking to make sure they hadn't been followed. She saw no sign of Mjoll and hoped she had been apprehended instead of executed. After she was completely sure, she entered the sunken cave entrance.

Brynjolf and her walked the short tunnels to the open cavern were her men sat. Cosnach stood with a smile as he saw his wife come around the corner.

"Everything good?" He asked as he handed her a mug of ale. She took the cup as she hugged him, happy to be in his sights once more.

"It was a little sticky but we've managed." She answered as she sat on the ground near the fire.

"I see you're a we now. What's that about?"

"And a hello to you too, Cosnach." Brynjolf greeted as he reached for a bottle of wine on the table.

"Well excuse me if I seem short, thief. You looking to have my wife make any new Daedric pacts today?"

"Actually, she has conscripted me this time." The red haired Nord joked. "Seems there's a bit of trouble going on and she thinks I may be of use."

"Whatever." Cosnach huffed as he joined Lilelle in front of the campfire.

"Were you successful in obtaining the scroll?" John asked as he stopped his worried pacing.

"Indeed." She answered as she patted the leather bag next to her.

"How does it work? When should we start?"

"That's the easiest question. After I've finished my drink we can give it a whirl. The real question is, what am I looking for? The scroll will need to know what to seek."

"I've thought about nothing else for days." John said as he ran his fingers through his hair distraught. "I just don't know. If Shaun or I are not enough to bring her from this state, then I am clueless."

"Fair enough." Lilelle sighed as she finished her cup. "I'll just have to figure it out as I go."

She stood from the ground brushing the dust from her leather pants. She swiped a finger through her hair, brushing it behind her pointed ears. She pulled the Elder Scroll from her bag and held it out for John and the boy to see.

"Wow." Shaun said. "It looks expensive."

"You don't even know the half of it, lad." Brynjolf joked.

"That's it?" John asked as he ran a finger over the gold leafing. His black eyes blinked with hope. "This is what will save Curie?"

"Let's hope so." Cosnach huffed. "We need to get her under control soon."

"Dear husband, let's be more polite when referring to other's loved ones?" Lilelle scolded as she patted his shoulder.

"Sorry."

"I'm not sure what's going to happen when I read the scroll. I am hopeful that it will give us something."

She moved off to the side, away from the others. Lilelle warned them to keep their distance. Once everyone was in place, she pulled open the ancient parchment.

The symbols drawn on the scrolls glowed with life instantly. A low roar rumbled in her ear drums as if she had woken a sleeping giant. Colors swam around her as Skyrim faded from her view. She found herself floating in a place she recognized.

Books were scattered in heaps. Pages and scrolls lined the long walls. She could hear the echoed shrieks of torment and the dripping of water. Apocrypha. Why would the scroll bring her here to Oblivion? What answers could she find in Hermaeus Mora's realm?

She realized that she was actually disappointed. She had been expecting a tumble through time to lands that have all been forgotten. She had been excited at the thought of watching moments unfold that helped shape the world of now. To be here, in Apocrypha again, was deflating.

She supposed it made as much sense, though. They had questions that needed answered. They needed a cure for a woman that wasn't even a real woman. The best place to start would be in a plane that hoarded information. Mora was a reasonable start.

She studied the hallway she was in, the green sludge breathing around her. She shivered at the sound. Lilelle hated it here. It seemed as if she had been placed outside of the main labyrinth. Instead she sat in a short corridor with a large book at the other end. She shrugged and made her way toward it.

The tome was old, as was everything in this realm. As she read the words on its opened pages, she realized that it was a list of names. She flipped through a couple more pages, coming to the same conclusion. This was just a giant book of names. She sighed as she returned to the original page.

How was she supposed to know which name they needed? What were they supposed to do with this information? It would take months to track down all these people, longer if they aren't even in Skyrim. This was a quest Lilelle did not have time for.

She suddenly did not want to return to the cave. The news she would bring would not be well received. How was she supposed to look that poor child in the eyes and tell him that their only option was to kill his mother? How would John take this? He was a powerful mage on his own. If she were to enrage him, none of them would make it out of the cave.

She took a deep breath as she resigned herself for the task ahead. She tore the page from the book and folded it in half. Lilelle looked up from the pedestal only to find herself back in the cave. Her head spun as she teetered from the magic of scroll.

"Whoa, now." Cosnach cooed as he caught his wife. He helped her sit on the ground as he put his arm around her.

"What happened in there?" John asked.

"The scroll sent me to Oblivion and sent me back with a list of names." She said as she held up the page.

John took the paper and studied the words. He shook his head in frustration.

"None of this looks familiar." He said as he threw his hands up. Brynjolf picked up the parchment from the ground after it fell from John's hand.

"Oh dear, lass." He said smiling. "I suppose now we'll be even."