Meesei’s looked down the stairway contemplatively. “I cannot say. The Falmer we have encountered in this ruin would certainly not have been able to access whatever lies below without one of these spheres, but we do not know what we are stepping into. The Dwemer name refers to it as the ‘Blackest Kingdom Reaches’, but whatever that means, we will not know until we see it for ourselves. Needless to say, we should be cautious. Let us form up and get moving. Ri’vashi, you have the lead.”

Although there was some reluctance in Ri’vashi’s eyes, there was no hesitation in her actions. With her size, armor, and shield, she was the best candidate to protect those behind her, the first of which was Meesei to provide magical protection. Although they had to move in single-file, they still kept up a reasonable sort of formation for when they emerged from the stairway. Kaleeth showed just as much uncertainty towards the stairway as Janius, as they both had the same thoughts on the matter. However, it was quite a distance for her to double back for her equipment, and she did not want to move forward unprotected. So, she decided to attempt to follow in her current form. Her beast alone would not have been able to make it down, but in a rational mindset, she could maneuver herself to squeeze through, albeit just barely. She had to walk sideways to compress herself as much as possible, but while slow and uncomfortable, it allowed her to join the rest of her pack. 

It took a while to maneuver down, deeper into the ruin, but when they finally reached their destination, it was clear they were no longer in Raldbthar. Instead, the tight, closed in ruin opened up into an absolutely [b]massive[/b] chamber. As they stepped out of a door and onto a metal platform, even Meesei stopped to stare out into the expanse before them in awe. To call it a cavern would be a monumental understatement; it was more like another world hidden underneath Skyrim. Just from what they could see, it was filled with gigantic mushrooms similar to those in Morrowind, but glowing bright blue. The roof of the cavern far above them was dotted with the glowing fungus as well, though it was much too distant for them to see clearly. There were several Dwemer structures within view, including one nearby built in the middle of a surprisingly large, flowing underground river. Everything around them was lit mostly by the fungus, so the entirety of the cavern had a blue tinge to it, except for an area in the far distance. The cavern’s size was such that they could not even see a hint of the other side from where they were standing, but there did appear to be a faint, yellowish glow in the distance. Something closer to Dwemer lights. 

“Where…do we even start?” Ahnasha commented.