The Dragonborn

Part 83

High above them was a large blue crystal suspended by circular Dwemer rings. Light shined in from a small hole in the ceiling, illuminating the crystal. Mark glanced at Jack through the corner of his eyes, mumbling out a bit sarcastically. "Jack... I don't think the Elder Scroll is a crystal... and even if it is. How do we get it down?" Jack raised a hand, gesturing for Mark to give him a minute as he scanned the top of the sphere. The top of the sphere had those same blue crystal discs on it. Kneeling, Jack got a closer look at them. Letting his hand brush off some of the dust from a disc, he told Mark in a thoughtful voice. "I can't explain it, Mark. I can just feel it. I know this is it. There has to be a way to turn this on." Mark started to walk around him, drawing Jack's attention away from the sphere. Mark crossed the room to stand beside a skeleton that was laying by a small entrance way to another door. 

Mark crouched by the skeleton, picking up a small tattered journal. Jack perked up. He hadn't noticed that was there. He had been so distracted by the crystal and the sphere. Mark opened the journal and grimaced like it caused him physical pain to look at it. Jack stood up, moving closer to him, asking slightly worried. "What is it?" Mark rolled his eyes, muttering out distastefully. "Nothing... It's just... Painful to read. This guy clearly wasn't... Well, he wasn't as educated." Jack raised an eyebrow with a perked interest. He knew that a lot of Nords in Skyrim couldn't afford proper education. Mark was one of the few lucky ones that learned from his educated father. Once an officer for the Imperial Legion... Until his death. Mark let out a heavy sigh, lifting the book up to prove to him how bad it was by reading aloud in a weary voice.

"I weren't never one for writing about my life. The king and priest of old deserve their stories told, but Drokt is a simple man. So, this isn't no journal and I'm not telling any stories here. But this infernal machine done worked its way into my brain space and I won't leave until it is figured out. The whole contraption just sits like a dead Honker if it doesn't have the box in the hole made it all come to life. Five rings, but only four buttons? Most of them don't work most of the time anyhow. When the lights line up, more open, but they don't seem to help. Just make another damn thing move. The old fleabag Khajiit what sold me this cube said something about 'The light through the knowledge, through the machine rests on the cube.' I remember because he made me say it back at him till I wanted to throttle him. So, I did. Tried to leave, but the wolves to the top and them eyeless freaks outside the tower. Gotta stay here till I get it right. And I will get it right."

Finishing up, Mark slammed the journal closed, grumbling out. "Why did he even bother to write this?" Jack was barely listening now. His mind was going over what the old Khajiit had told Drokt to do. Starting to pace slowly around the sphere, Jack mumbled under his breath to himself repeatedly. "The light through the knowledge, through the machine rests on the cube." He stopped to look up at the machine, lost in thought. While Mark distantly told him in a voice filled with growing realization. "Jack... This guy has a cube similar to ours, but it's cracked. Do you think that's the key to get it down?" Jack shrugged, turning slightly as he pulled his knapsack off, when he saw the ledge above the entrance to the next door. Jack unbuckled his bag to remove the lexicon cube that Septimus had given him. Gesturing toward the ledge for Mark to see, before heading quickly up the ramp to it. Mark quickly followed him up using the other side of the ramp.

On the ledge sat five metal cylinders with solid orbs on them. Beside them was a square pillar with strange runic markings on it and an open square slot. Jack turned the lexicon cube over in his hand, trying to think over what might happen if he inserted it into the slot. Mark touched one of the pultruding metal orbs from the rounded cylinders. When it did nothing, he looked to Jack asking perplexed. "Any ideas?" Jack gave Mark a uneasy look, answering as he carefully set the cube in the slot. "Just one." The cube fit perfectly into the slot, causing the markings on both the pillar and the cube to light up into a bright bloody red color. Both of them jumped back as the machinery around them clanged loudly and began to hum. Then the lexicon popped open to reveal a bright glowing white square inside. Jack inched closer to marvel at it. It looked like a captured star, but he wasn't sure what it was exactly.