Potema's Bane: Solitude pt. 7
Arn shuddered as he closed the door to his quarters, staring down at the ancient daedric staff known as the Wabbajack in his hands.
"You've been avoiding me" came the familiar voice Arn was dreading encountering as Rikke sat comfortably in her beautifully polished custom imperial armor with her legs crossed in his room waiting for him.
"I've been busy" Arn brushed her off, moving to put the Wabbajack in a secure place with his other weapons.
"Really? You've been in Solitude almost three weeks and you've only been gone on those expeditions for the Jarl once a week for a couple of days at a time. What do you do with all the rest of those days? Rutting your way through the bevy of women you have following you around?"
Arn spun on her with an angry glare.
"If you MUST know, I haven't rutted anyone here but you and that didn't last very long if I remember right!" he retorted.
Rikke chuckled a little, smirking.
"You really must forgive me for that. Tullius wasn't supposed to be back for another two days."
"Oh, so only rutting other men while he's away makes it all better?" Arn sneered in disbelief, crossing his arms and leaning against a dresser.
Rikke huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Arn, Tullius and I aren't...together."
"You were very much together last time I saw you" retorted Arn.
"But we're not serious. We're just trail-mates. You know how it is when you're campaigning."
Then it was Arn's turn to huff and roll his eyes.
"Sorry, but I find that hard to believe"
Rikke held her arms out to the side in question.
"Why?"
"You don't drop your breeches and tell a man to get in 'em then dump him under a table so he has to watch you get ploughed by some old fool and then expect him to believe you don't have a thing for the old fool!" Arn retorted more angrily than he meant to.
"That's really the way you remember it?"
"I try not to remember it at all!"
Rikke scowled at him and crossed her arms.
"All these years and you still haven't learned anything about women..."
"Is that what you came here for? To lecture me about my knowledge of women?"
"No, I came for a completely different purpose."
"Then spit it out...before this conversation grows more distasteful" Arn muttered.
After an awkward silence with both glaring at each other, Rikke finally resumed.
"I came to ask you about re-enlisting in the Legion."
Arn rolled his eyes in disbelief and did nothing to hide the smirk on his face as he massaged his forehead with his hand.
"Truly? You really think-"
"Please, Arn, just...hear me out" Rikke pleaded, the glare replaced by a look of concern.
Arn had a feeling he would regret this, but he motioned to her to proceed.
"You would be a lettered officer, either a Legate or Tribune, and would answer only to myself and the General. You would get your own regiment to command and a twenty thousand septim salary."
"Why would any of that appeal to me?" Arn replied sadly, the mention of the Legion bringing back a host of sad memories.
"Arn! Think about it! I know how well you fight. With a regiment of your own, you could turn the tide single-handedly! Gods, you could even end the war on your own!"
"Exaggerating a bit...don't you think?"
"This war started when Ulfric challenged Torygg to a duel then used the Thu'um to murder him. You could do the same to Ulfric and end this in one fight!" Rikke exclaimed excitedly.
"So you preach of his dastardly deeds. Then expect me to go and do the same? you don't see anything inconsistent with that?"
"Not if he's the one who started it!" Rikke retorted angrily.
"You know Ulfric himself is hardly the reason the war started. He was just the spark. If no one felt as he did, there would be no rebellion."
"So while the land tears itself apart, you'll just do nothing?"
"I have plenty to do! In case you didn't notice, there are dragons flying around and NO ONE seems to know or care WHY?!"
"Which is something we could ALL focus on if we didn't have to fight a civil war!"
"Have you suddenly forgotten your history, Rikke?"
"Oh no, I remember it damn well. Which is why I know we need a united Empire to drive the Thalmor out!"
"Why haven't they done so yet?!"
"Kind of hard when you keep having to put down little rebellions all over the place over the last two decades!"
"And why do you think the Empire keeps having rebellions?"
Rikke was silent as she glared at him in response.
"Because the people are unhappy. They're overtaxed, denied rightful worship, and not protected enough by the vast entity that the Empire is SUPPOSED to be. All the while, the rich fools on the Elder Council grow richer and more disconnected from the people they're supposed to be representing!"
"The Elder Council alone is not the Empire"
"Might as well be. Gods know the Emperor himself hasn't done much to stop their foolishness."
"The Emperor's had his hands full trying to rebuild and re-forge alliances since the Great War."
"Yeah, how's that going?"
"If people would ever get through their heads we're stronger together than in a bunch of separate pockets then it'd be going a lot better!"
"Then the Emperor must not be a very convincing man" Arn chuckled, drawing another scowl from Rikke.
"His leadership helped us avoid defeat in the Great War" Rikke snarled.
"You call the White-gold concordat, 'not a defeat'?!" Arn marveled with a raised eyebrow.
"You saw how Thalmor treat other races they took captive. It could have been a LOT worse!"
"So that's going to be your recruitment motto? 'Join the Empire...it could be worse'!" Arn queried with mock zeal.
"No! Because it could be so much better!" Rikke retorted angrily as Arn noticed her eyes watering with emotion "We could throw the Thalmor out once and for all, even take the fight to their doorsteps!" she hissed, lowering her voice as they both knew such words could land her in a lot of trouble "It could be a new era of peace and prosperity for everyone, Skyrim included!"
"I didn't return to Skyrim to fight someone's Civil War for them" Arn stated coldly, refusing to get caught up in Rikke's vision of the future.
"I have no idea why you even came back if you don't give a damn about your own people!" Rikke retorted angrily, raising her voice again, forcing back any tears that had threatened to appear.
"You don't know a damn thing about why I really returned to Skyrim!" Arn replied angrily, his face mere inches from hers.
They stayed like that for a what seemed like a long time, scowling at each other before Rikke whirled, her red cloak swirling behind her as she moved to her chair and retrieved her helmet.
"I had hoped to talk to the same determined, idealistic lad I used to know instead of the bitter old man I see in front of me" Rikke replied sadly to him before heading to the door "I really do hope you come to your senses, Arn. The longer you wait, the more it will cost Skyrim" she muttered before turning and leaving Arn seething in his quarters.
She had only shut the door before Arn looked around for something to throw angrily across the room when someone clearing their throat interrupted his angry outburst.
He turned to the changing partition where the sound came from and immediately his anger evaporated, his heart leaped into this throat, and his loins began to harden.
Lydia was standing there next to the screen, but dressed like he'd never seen before. She wore an long, elaborate red and pink dress with small purple bows around the bodice's midsection with purple trimming around the waist, hem and low cut neckline that displayed a lot of her large bossomed cleavage, a modest sized silver necklace with a purple jewel adorning her neck.
Her hair was also not in any of the usual braided looks to keep her hair free of entanglement. It was completely unbraided, long, loose and looked like it had been curled somehow with very small pink or reddish flowers dotting here and there.
Not that she needed it, but she looked like she wore make up and lipstick also. It occurred to Arn that he'd never seen Lydia dressed up like this. He'd really never even seen her in a dress before.
Arn had to look away instantly, lest he betray how stunning and arousing just the sight of her was, even with a frown of concern on her features.
"I'm...sorry I heard all that. I was going to say something, but I wasn't done changing and things got so heated so fast...that...it didn't seem right to interrupt" she muttered.
Arn felt his face redden, realizing she'd heard all about the rutting situation with Rikke and Tullius, all the more reason not to look at her as he responded.
"It's okay. Nothing you don't know or wouldn't have learned sooner or later" he tried to shrug off "What's the occasion that's got you all dressed up?" he asked, both genuinely curious and desperate to change the subject.
"You mean you forgot?" she asked as he heard the shuffling of her skirts as she moved to the other side of the room.
"Forgot what?" Arn asked, racking his brain to remember if she'd told him anything recently that pertained to this.
"The Festival of Lights is tonight. It's only been scheduled ever since you brought the first caravan in" Lydia responded, and Arn could hear the playful smirk in her tone without even seeing it on her face.
"Festival of lights...?" Arn muttered, again racking his brain to remember.
"The yearly autumn festival they're throwing a little early this year to help the people celebrate something after going through what they've been through recently?" Lydia filled him in as she moved around the room.
Arn scratched his head, wondering how he'd forgotten.
"You sure you didn't spend any of those days in the Blacksmith's pounding your head instead of your armor?" Lydia chided playfully.
"So...?" Arn muttered, wondering if there was something he was supposed to do for it that he'd forgotten as well.
"Did you try on the nice clothes Elisif got for you?" Lydia asked, forcing Arn to look up to see what she was talking about.
On the side table were a pile of fine clothes: blue and black intricate vest and formal breeches, shirt, and some sort of sash Arn wasn't sure what to do with as he picked at them with one hand while feeling the fineness of the fabric with the other.
"They won't bite you. Just try them on. I heard Elisif sent away especially for them" Lydia stated before he felt her presence and rustling of skirts at his elbow.
Gulping, he turned to face her before voicing his objections.
"I don't think I've ever worn anything like this. I don't think it-"
"Nonsense! You'll look just fine"
"But, I mean, like this thing here" he waved part of the vest "I don't even know how that's supposed to go"
"Arn, don't tell me you're afraid of dressing up in fine clothes?" Lydia grinned at him.
Arn looked away quickly, not wanting her to catch him staring.
"No..no..it's just...I..feel more comfortable in my armor. I mean, it's even polished..." he muttered weakly, feeling her look of disapproval on the back of his head as he continued toying with the finery.
"After the trouble I went through to get your sizes and Elisif went through to get the outfit, you WILL wear it" Lydia seemed to state with finality as Arn turned to her with a slight panicked look on his face.
Lydia had her hands on her hips and a determined smirk on her face that didn't budge.
"Now, it's almost time for me to head out. I haven't worn a dress like this before. Elisif loaned it to me. How do I look?" she beamed as she spun around to display the whole getup to him.
Arn gulped yet again, and wanted to look away to avoid the reaction it was threatening to elicit from him.
"You look beautiful, Lydia. I'm sure you'll be the toast of the festival." he replied quietly before turning away and trying to find something to occupy himself with.
Before anything more could be said, they were summoned by one of the Jarl's maids to the Court since there was apparently some matter of business that pertained to the Dragonborn.
As Arn was ascending the stairs to the court, Lydia's skirts rustling behind him, she nudged his arm and quickly whispered in his ear.
"Just so you know, I may have purchased a house in your name"
"WHAT?!" Arn replied loudly.
"Just...trust me. Go with it" Lydia whispered again as they reached the top and stepped into the court, Arn with a look of bewilderment on his face at the news and noting everyone else in the court was dressed up in their finest as well.
"Thank you for coming, Dragonborn. There's just a small matter of business to clear up that concerns you."
"Y-yes my Jarl?" Arn asked a little nervously, wondering how it was connected to the house Lydia had allegedly purchased without his knowledge.
Arn also noticed Jordis was standing off to one side as well with all the usual members of court, a dignitary from the Imperial city and several of the town's shopkeepers.
"You've done much for the people of this city. You've saved us from a Dragon, made the roads safe from bandits and thieves, helped our economy prosper, and even purchased land to take up residence here" Elisif stated proudly, the last part causing Erikur to jump to his feet off to the side.
"I have room in my court for another Thane and wondered if you would accept this honor in return for all you've done?" Elisif asked Arn, leaning forward in her throne.
"What?!" exploded Erikur "This wasn't on the schedule! Since when do we just elect strangers?!"
"He's no stranger to the people after all he's done. Wouldn't the court agree?" replied Elisif calmly.
Mutters and nods of assent went around as Erikur continued to stand there bewildered.
"But-he's not from here!" he sputtered.
"He's purchased property as a good will gesture of investing in the community and has interest in several businesses here now" Elisif continued, unfazed.
"Well, I object! He's only going to leave and go elsewhere!"
"Then, he could serve our interests wherever he goes. Surely you see the advantages of having the Dragonborn as one of our Thanes." sweetly added Elisif, clearly enjoying Erikur's flustered situation.
More murmurs and nods of assent went around the Court as Erikur panickedly scowled and looked at different members for help.
"It's settled, then. Arnsmyth Bulgoar, will you become a Thane of Solitude and a member of this Court?"
"It would be my honor" Arn stated with a bow as Erikur stormed out of the court.
"As Thane, it is proper to be awarded a housecarl. Jordis the Swordmaiden, step forward" commanded Elisif, smiling happily.
Jordis nervously stepped out and half bowed, half curtsied, probably unsure which to do as she looked down.
"You have cleared your father's business debts to all but the city treasury. As a cancellation of those debts, would you consent to becoming housecarl to Arnsmyth Bulgoar, the Dragonborn?" Elisif asked in a stately manner.
"Why Yes! Yes, indeed!" Squealed Jordis happily, unable to keep from hopping up and down a few times "Thank you so much!"
"Oh no..." muttered Arn to himself, contemplating what it would be like having her following him around all the time.
"Excellent! Then you may start your duties right away at the Dragonborn's new residence, Proudspire Manor. Court is adjourned for the day. See you all at the festival!" finished Elisif, but Arn was still processing what had just happened.
As various members of the court converged on him, shaking hands, offering congratulations, and offering services to him or Jordis, Arn managed to get turned around to find Lydia, but she was gone already.
She told me she bought a house, not a rutting mansion! Arn thought to himself, remembering how large Proudspire Manor was every time he'd walked by.
How in Oblivion did she pay for that!
"Arn, do you have a moment?"
Arn whirled to find Elisif motioning to him.
"Er...uh, yes, excuse me, excuse me" Arn muttered as he extricated himself from the small mob of well wishers and met with Elisif over in a corner of the room.
"I'm sure you're a little confused but don't worry. We worked out everything mostly in your absence since it was when Erikur was least suspicious. Everything's been paid for legitimately, but you'll find yourself down about a dozen bags of loot you left laying in your room all the time" she smiled wryly at him.
"So they weren't just getting put in shipping containers like Lydia promised" Arn mused back.
"I see you're still in your armor. I'd have thought you'd be changed for the Festival by now" Elisif mused, eyeing his armor critically.
Up close, Arn had a chance to note Elisif's elaborate outfit more closely.
She wore an orange dress with puffy hips and sleeves, red ribbons on embroidered edges with a satin sash pulled across the bust and tied at the hip. It was the first time he'd seen her wear anything with a revealing neckline, and the white pearly cleavage that presented itself as he looked down at her made him look away quickly, embarrassed she might have seen him notice.
"In all honesty...um...I'd forgotten about the Festival"
"Arn!" she chided, playfully slapping his arm "At least tell me you're going to be in the robes I got you when the Festival starts, please?"
"Yes, yes...I'll change..." Arn muttered quickly, trying to escape.
Three hours later, Arn stood fully armored at the Festival of Lights.
As he sat in an alcove of one of the store fronts, he puzzled over what to do exactly.
There were orange and red decorative lanterns hung all over the city square and a group of musicians playing lively jigs to a dancing throng of people in the center of the square while off to one side, various Bards were putting on some sort of play on a stage to the delight of the audience, busting out roaring with laughter periodically.
Over to yet another side, were a series of games mostly the younger folks and kids were playing while a lot of the older folks sat comfortably watching, laughing and conversing.
Further down, were tables shared by mostly men drinking and laughing over the different array of meads, wines, and ales brought in for the occasion.
Arn had seen Elisif and her maids all finely dressed, laughing and dancing their way through the middle of everything at least once.
He even caught glimpses of Rikke dancing with Tullius and some of the other legionnaires.
He finally spotted Lydia and her...friend, Falnir, dancing their hearts out, laughing in the square.
Trying to find something else to think about or focus on, Arn looked around and finally spotted his new housecarl, Jordis, sitting on the lap of Bolgeir Bearclaw by the drinking tables, though in truth, he was so large and she so small, that she barely took up space on one of his thighs.
That was...a little scary to think about, Arn mused, remembering how young Jordis actually was.
His musings on the matter were interrupted as someone strong grabbed him from behind and yanked him around the side of the store, pinning him to the wall.
"Dragonborn!" hissed Sybille Stentor, her yellow eyes glinting in the darkness.
Maybe it was the occasion or the absurdity of it all, but strangely, Arn didn't feel on edge like he usually did around her.
"Easy, now, Sybille, I usually don't accept such forward advances from vampires" he replied, straightening up.
"Hush, fool! This is of dire importance!" Sybille hissed before glancing around to make sure no one saw them.
Arn instantly became focused, wondering had happened.
"Did something happen to Elisif?" Arn muttered, hastily trying to remember the last time he'd seen her in the square.
"No, but that may change if you don't stop what is about to occur! Come!" commanded Sybille as they began walking hastily away from the celebration.
"What do you know of Potema?" Sybille hissed as they walked.
"As in the Old Septim Queen? The crazy one?"
"The same...she was known as the Wolf Queen"
"Wait, so you're saying the voice in the cave of the ritual I disrupted...was her?" Arn asked incredulously.
"Keep it down!" hissed Sybille as she pulled her hood closer and they passed some revelers headed to the festival "Yes, the very same. Those necromancers were seeking to bring her back and bind her to their control. I had thought your disruption of the ritual should have dispersed her essence so that she would pose no threat, but some bad news just reached my ears that changed that."
"What?" Arn asked as they stopped in an alley Sybille seemed confident no one would overhear them.
"Falk Firebeard dropped mention to me of some strange happenings beneath the temple and that the Priest Styrr there is in a panic."
"So someone is trying to bind her there?" Arn asked.
"No! The ritual in the cave brought her essence back together and she is strong enough of will to stay that way. Now, she is down by her burial site, probably attempting to get her minions to reconstruct her body so she may be reborn physically as well!"
"But how is that possible?"
"She is a powerful necromancer...perhaps the most powerful one Tamriel saw in an age. If she is allowed to return in any form, the damage she could cause would be untold to the entire land. Dragonborn, you must put a stop to her...once and for all!"
Arn had never seen Sybille look that concerned. Gone was the air of sarcastic indifference she normally possessed.
"Then let's go" he muttered, turning to head toward Castle Dour.
"No! I cannot go with you" Sybille remonstrated, pulling on his arm "Potema could command the undead like no other. I...cannot go down there. I...can already feel the pull of her presence. I just didn't know what it was before."
"Wish you were a human now?" Arn retorted, unable to resist.
"Mock me all you want later. Go kill that monstrosity, now!" hissed Sybille, before turning and vanishing into the darkness of the night.
Arn stood stunned for a moment at the turn of events and pondering his next steps carefully before turning and heading back to the festival.
Biding his time on the outskirts, he finally spotted what he was looking for.
Jordis stood by the drinking tables, retrieving several mugs of something while looking forlornly over at Bolgeir who had another woman sitting on the thigh opposite Jordis had been on, giggling away at whatever he was saying.
With purpose, Arn strode into the middle, brushing aside and declining all the shouts of congratulations and offers from the townsfolk as he passed.
Jordis spotted him as he walked up, and looked sadly over at Bolgeir before turning back to him with an incredibly sad look on her face as Arn walked up.
"C-can you tell me how to lose my maidenhood?" she stuttered out desperately.
"Come with me!" Arn ordered gruffly, ignoring the sad plea she made, figuring he'd kill two birds with one stone taking Jordis with him into the crypt and keeping her away from an unpleasant experience with Bolgeir.
Making a brief stop by Proudspire Manor to acquire more arrows, soon they had entered the Temple of the Divines and a hunched, older priest approached and handed Arn a key.
"Make sure you bring what's left of her back up here, so I can sanctify it" he asked in a scratchy voice before motioning down a passageway.
"Right" Arn muttered as they continued on downward.
As they reached an old wooden door with rusted hinges, Arn used the key and wrenched the door open after great effort from the creaking hinges.
Arn used his torch to light several sconces in the first entryway as Jordis pulled the door closed.
Lighting his belt lantern to illuminate the gray darkness of the crypt, Arn noted several skeletons decked in decayed finery in several slots on the sides as the passage led down.
"You know why we're here?" Arn muttered behind him to Jordis who seemed to be taking unusually long catching up.
"Yes" he heard her timidly reply behind him along with the shuffling of armor.
"What are you-Gods!" Arn muttered as he turned around to see Jordis without a stitch of clothing on behind him before whirling back around and closing his eyes in shock.
"What are you doing, girl?!" he hissed.
"What do you mean? I thought I should get undressed..."
"Why?!"
"Well, I asked what I should do to lose my maidenhood and you just said to come with you. So I thought..."
"You thought I was going to do it?! Arn asked incredulously.
"I thought that as Thane, you wanted to be the first. So, we were going to make love..." Jordis stuttered, her voice beginning to shake with emotion after she got over the shock of surprise.
"IN A TOMB?! Arn asked even more incredulously.
"Well, it's my first time. So if we were loud, a tomb might be a good place..." she faltered as Arn turned back on her only to whirl away again as she was still standing there naked.
"In-a-TOMB?" Arn repeated exasperately.
"I just...I'm sorry" she began to cry "I-I'm so foolish"
Arn sighed, staring at the ceiling as her crying continued.
"I I-just wanted to know what it..(sniff)...was like (sniff)to be wanted" she stuttered before continuing to cry.
Arn sighed again and turned around to find her still naked, but holding her face in both her hands as she sobbed, her small but perky breasts shaking with each sob.
Focus Arn. Keep it together. There's evil afoot.
Part of Arn was exasperated beyond belief, wanting to just leave her there and go. Part of him realized that this was an important moment for both of them.
Since the moment they'd met, Jordis always seemed to encounter Arn when he was in a bad mood or under duress. Even during the sword lessons he'd taken to giving her on the fly during caravan escorts or on a free day here or there in Solitude consisted of a lot of criticism.
Consequently, she probably thought of him as more grumpy and unkind than he really was.
She clearly thought she was undesirable and that always turned into a sort of poison in a woman. It could manifest itself in a lot of other ways later in life, none of them good.
By now, Jordis had retreated a few steps to the side of the crypt, continuing to sob and covering herself partly in shame while trying to explain herself repeatedly.
"I-I mean you always call me a girl...I don't have big things...like some women" she sobbed motioning at a small breast as Arn tried to look away quickly, pondering what to do.
"Maybe if I did...or maybe if I had a bigger arse" she sniffled, cowering down, looking away from him and continuing to cry.
Arn recalled she had lost her father recently with no mention of her mother or siblings...probably alone now. It also hit him for the first time the full significance of her being his housecarl.
Like Lydia, she was completely in his charge, completely his responsibility, even though she would say it was the other way around and that he was her charge.
If she was your child, what would you do or want someone else to do in your stead? Arn pondered.
Sheathing his sword and replacing his shield, Arn took a couple of steps to close the distance and pulled her up by the arms before enveloping her in a hug against his armor as she continued sobbing.
They stood like that for awhile, him holding her while she sobbed uncontrollably into the metal chest plate of his armor.
Arn would never have attempted this without armor, as clasping her naked to him without armor between could have resulted in other outcomes he didn't trust his loins not to follow through on.
Thankfully, he was fully armored and she would have no idea what effect her nakedness was or wasn't having on him.
At length she started apologizing again between sobs. So he quietly stroked her short braided blonde hair, whispering it was okay and that she had nothing to be sorry for.
It occurred to Arn that this outburst of emotion shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to him. Jordis was still young, somewhat sheltered, and had gone through a lot of hardship recently. The emotional extremes should have been something he'd thought of before.
As she looked up tearfully at him, Arn weighed carefully his words.
"Jordis, I don't dislike you and it's not that men don't find you desirable. But you're just growing into womanhood. I don't want you to get hurt in any way rushing the journey. I may be your Thane, but I would never take advantage of you that way. Just ask Lydia. I told her the very same thing. Do you understand?" He stated, stroking her short braids as she nodded her head, wiping tears away with a sniffle.
"I'm so sorry, I-"
"That's enough apologies. I need the Swordmaiden. We have a Wolf Queen to put down. You think you can do that?" He asked with concern.
She replied with a small smile and nodded her head as she wiped away more tears and went to retrieve her armor.
Arn turned his back to let her have some privacy putting her clothes back on.
After a few minutes of armoring up and letting her regain her composure, they set out down into the crypts.
They'd only gone about fifty feet down when a woman's hiss seemed to erupt through their heads.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! INVADING MY SANCTUM! IT MATTERS NOT! YOU WILL FAIL...YOU WILL BE MINE!"
They both writhed in pain at the sound and intense feeling of violation as Potema screamed in their minds.
After a moment of disorientation, they both righted themselves, checking for any other anomalies before continuing on.
Killing a few draugr, they made their way into a large room complete with home furnishings, book shelfs and even an alchemy table.
After looking around, Arn noted a cloaked figure materialize on the walkway overhead.
Grinning down at them through fanged teeth, a ghostly white skinned male vampire hissed at them before raising his arms and casting a spell.
Instantly, skeletons around the room began to assemble and long dead corpses began to materialize, but no sooner had the vampire begun his spell than Arn drew back and unleashed an arrow that zinged upward and pierced the vampire through the forehead, immediately halting the spell and sending him pitching backward with a hissing gurgle.
That did nothing to stop the six draugr that emerged from doorways and alcoves, rushing at them with their glowing blue eyes and wheezing breaths.
Firing again, Arn downed one coming straight for him before spinning around and nailing another coming in on Jordis' left. Kicking an attacking one aside, Arn stabbed another with an arrow before using the arrow to finish off the one he'd kicked down.
By then, Jordis had finished one off, sidestepping its overcommitted axe swing and beheading it with a swift chop before blocking a sword swing from another.
She danced in and out for a moment, baiting it into over committing until the draugr finally lunged and she pounced, taking an arm off before stabbing it with a final high pitched war cry.
Moving further down, Jordis tugged at his elbow and motioned to a chest sitting back in an alcove.
"Not worth it...it's almost guaranteed to be trapped sitting back like that" he muttered before they continued on, Jordis looking longingly at the chest.
After killing a few more Draugr, and going further down than Arn had ever thought the catacombs went, they were faced with a seeming dead end.
After perusing the passages, they began looking over the walls for any hidden buttons or levers.
Jordis had just called to him, motioning him over when she went to step closer to look at something.
"WULD NA KEST!" In a blur, Arn was across the room and yanked Jordis back away from the wall as the pressure plates she stepped on activated and plumes of flame sprouted up from the floor, reaching five feet in the air.
"Gods...what was that?" she asked, bewildered.
"Pressure plate trap" Arn muttered as they crouched down, eyeing the floor.
"Sorry" Jordis apologized.
"First time in a crypt?" Arn asked, even though he knew it was.
"Yeah, I guess I thought the booby traps they talk about in stories would be a little more...I don't know, easier to see" she murmured, squinting at the floor plating.
"That's a good sign, though" Arn murmured, eyeing the wall.
"Why?"
"Cause if there's a trap, that means we're close to something. No one puts traps where people won't be. So if it's somewhere you don't want anyone to go, that's where they put traps" Arn groaned with a stretch as he reached out with a longsword to the wall through some moss and pushed a button.
With a loud shudder, the wall seemed to sink in and spin around, opening a doorway.
Making their way further down, they killed another couple Draugr before encountering a throne room of sorts with a pale figure sitting on one of them.
Repeating their battle earlier, Arn nailed the vampire through the head before it could do much and then they both polished off the remaining Draugrs.
Finding a key on the remains of the Vampire, they moved through a large set of wooden double doors and moved down into a long hallway.
"There's certainly a lot more to the crypts down here than anyone let on" Arn whispered as they looked down the passage.
"Maybe no one's ever been down here" ventured Jordis, looking past his shoulder and overhead at the ceiling.
As they moved further down, they came to a circular room with a pile or corpses and draugr laying everywhere and all over each other.
There was no way around it and there were layers on layers of them piled high.
"Yuck" hissed Jordis at the sight of it.
After Arn had fired arrows into several to check whether they were truly lifeless or not, he put traded bow for sword and shield and they slowly tried to make their way through the decaying pile of corpses and draugr.
"YOU ARE POWERFUL, BUT YOU WON'T LAST FOREVER" boomed Potema in their minds again when they were halfway across.
Then blue glows began sparking through all over the floor, groans coming from bodies that began to rise, Draugr's eyes glued blue to life as they turned and reached for them.
All at once the pile of dead things was a writhing mass of undead, all reaching, grabbing, swinging at them.
Arn barely had time to look up to see a vampire rise in front of him, fanged grin lighting her now glowing facial features as she leaped at him before he brought his sword across and beheaded her.
Hands and arms were grabbing his legs and feet, trapping him in place.
A Draugr rose from the mass on the floor and stabbed at him with a dagger, pivoting with his hips, he blocked the blow with his shield and cleaved up with his sword, slashing across the draugr's torso before shoving it aside.
He could hear grunts from Jordis behind him and turned just enough to see her leaping to and fro amongst the reaching hands and arms.
Her small stature was actually a boon since it made it easier for her to writhe away and avoid the grasping undead that were starting to get to their feet as she hacked hands, fingers, and arms off as she moved, darting this way and that.
Arn needed to get free. He looked down in time to see a Draugr coming up between his legs, blue eyes blazing, mouth gaping open, hissing.
Stabbing down through its head, Arn ended its undead existence before bashing another on his left with his shield.
"FUS RO DA!"
Arn sent the wave of force straight down, blasting the writhing mass below him into powder and at such close range that the rest were thrown to the sides of the chamber and Arn was momentarily pushed straight up in the air for a few seconds before coming back down in a clatter on a mess of body parts and ash on the floor.
Gaining his feet, Arn looked around to see Jordis getting to her feet before stabbing a half draugr crawling towards her.
It didn't take long to finish off what was left of the undead in the room after the word of power took most of them out.
Opening the next door, revealed a long burial chamber with a throne at the end and ornate chests on either side.
"This is it" Arn muttered, looking around then back at the room they just came through "Once we're inside, shut the doors and make sure they stay shut. I have a hunch she's going to try to bring those back" he whispered to Jordis, nodding at the body parts everywhere on the floor.
Jordis nodded as they crept further into the main room.
Shutting the doors behind them, Arn expected something to happen, but nothing did.
After awhile, they ventured further and further in. When they were in the middle of the room, Potema struck.
"WELL DONE MAKING IT PAST MY MINIONS, BUT WILL YOU MAKE IT PAST MY INNER COUNCIL!" she screamed through their minds.
Instantly, the rocks broke away from the tombstones. Draugr, vampires and skeletons began emerging from seemingly everywhere.
Immediately, Arn was firing. He'd downed five in a row before he heard Jordis scream a warning as he heard her clash of steel behind him.
He leaped up and to the left, nearly cleaved by a great axe that came down where he'd been. Turning, he put an arrow through the head of the Draugr wielding it and turned left in time to kick a skeleton away from him.
Amidst the melee, Arn spotted a large Draugr in black armor with horns rising from a crypt just in front of the throne, wielding an obviously magic greatsword.
Not good, but Arn had no time to dwell on it, putting arrows through several skeletons before turning to nail a vampire leaping at Jordis from behind.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a killing shot, only enough to knock it off trajectory and it glanced off her left shoulder, causing her to duck and hop to the right, barely avoiding getting a leg taken off by the draugr she'd been fighting.
Arn armed and fired again, this time nailing the vampire through the head, but realized his mistake as he heard a loud hiss and a wave of force hit him from the left, throwing him and everything and everyone in the vicinity across the room like a rag doll.
So that's what that feels like.
Arn impacted the wall sideways with a painful CLANK, thankful he'd put in the time he had on his armor, but worried what condition Jordis was in.
Scrambling to his feet, he realized he'd lost his bow in the blast. Switching to sword and shield, he began finishing off whatever was near him that was too slow to get up or out of the way.
Kicking a Draugr aside before he finished it off, he caught side of Jordis flailing around on her hands and knees for her sword and shield. She hadn't been wearing a helmet and an ugly gash was bleeding down the back of her head.
He didn't have time to help her look for them, though. She needed cover until she could find them.
Turning around, the remaining draugr, skeletons, and at least one vampire closed in on him. They were all in front of him.
My turn, mused Arn, waiting until they were close and about to strike him before unleashing the word of power.
"FUS RO DA!"
The explosion of power ripped forward, tearing apart the nearest ones and sending the others hurling back.
While it cleared the way out, the big draugr in black that had used the thu'um before was too far away to be affected and charged forward now.
"THAT'S RIGHT! COME ON!" yelled Arn, bashing his shield with his sword, tauntingly.
Then the Deathlord was on him, swing after swing with the Greatsword, faster than a mortal man would be swinging it.
It was all Arn could do to block it or get out of the way as he pivoted and leaped back toward the middle of the room, baiting everything away from Jordis, who finally found her sword and shield and was just getting to her feet.
Arn had a sixth sense in combat and felt the other ones getting up and closing on him.
Forcing the Deathlord back with a shield bash, Arn moved forward and turned around with another Unrelenting Force shout.
"FUS RO DA!"
It pulverized three of them and sent the remaining three flying, two of them flying apart on impact with pillars.
Arn spun back around to find the Deathlord making a heaving motion with his chest and fixing to shout right into Arn's face.
Reacting quickly, Arn sprang forward and bashed the Deathlord with a powerful shield bash on the chin, knocking its face skyward as the shout erupted toward the ceiling, but he didn't stop there.
Bringing his longsword up, he stabbed under the chinstraps of the Deathlord's helmet and up into its head, it's blue eyes fading out and body growing limp as it shuddered and fell to the floor.
Arn turned back just in time to see a vampire lunging at Jordis in a guarded position. His heart caught in his throat for a split second until Jordis used her guarded position to launch a powerful shield bash to knock it aside and stabbed it through the head before it could rise again, hissing and shriveling as it died.
He grinned and nodded at Jordis as she turned and nodded back, taking in the carnage surrounding them.
"YOU THINK YOU'VE WON! YOU FOOLS! YOU WILL JOIN ME AND BE THE FIRST OF MY NEW ARMY, BUT YOU MUST DIE FIRST BEFORE RECEIVING THAT HONOR! COME AND RECEIVE IT! Potema screamed as a bright bluish purple light erupted in the chamber, lighting everything up brightly as Arn tried to shield his eyes and his ears, though that did nothing to keep her voice out of his head.
After a brief few moments of energy swirling around them as they tried to shield themselves from whatever was happening, the energy all gathered in one place to form the figure of a woman floating in the air, facing away from them.
She was tall, beautiful and naked from the tips of her toes to her shoulders. From the shoulders up was the headdress of a wolf.
As she floated in the air in the chamber, she glowed a transparent blue as she slowly turned to face them.
While Arn had been momentarily transfixed by the ethereal beauty of her as she first formed, as she turned around, it all went wrong.
There was no beautiful face, not even any lips or eyes, simply the face of a skull looking out the wolf head's mouth, grinning wickedly at them as she floated toward them.
"NOW DIE AND JOIN ME!" she screamed.
Immediately, she began to summon creatures. Daedra appeared out of nowhere, the things they'd just killed floated back up in the air and had life again. More draugr and skeletons seemed to appear out of nowhere.
This would not stand.
"WULD NA KEST!"
In a flash, Arn was across the space and had impaled the Wolf Queen with his crackling longsword, eliciting a shriek of pain as he pulled it out of the ethereal form and began slicing and hacking, not letting up for one moment.
She had tried to put up a shield barrier but Arn battered through it in seconds, the lightning from his longsword continuing to sap her of any magicka as she shrieked and spasmed.
Just as he felt presences around him from her minions closing on him, Potema shrieked loudly and began to morph, her essence exploding outward, dissipating and along with it everything she'd summoned either collapsed or vanished, leaving Arn and Jordis alone, gasping for air, staring around them in surprise.
After checking around the room, Arn ascended to the throne and removed the skull and other bone on the burial platform.
Picking up the skull and looking at it thoughtfully, Arn put the other bone in his pouch before frowning at the skull.
"Stay dead this time" he growled at it before they gathered their things and departed.
Ascending out of the crypt, they were surprised to find Styrr, Falk Firebeard, Legate Rikke, Tullius, and several other priests huddled in some sort of conversation.
"Don't trouble yourselves. It's over" Arn muttered, removing the skull and other bone for them to see before handing them to Styrr.
"We heard such awful noises all the way up here!" exclaimed one of the priests.
"Well, can't say it was fun, but it's over" groaned Arn, moving around slightly to check himself for any aches or pains he hadn't noticed before while glancing over at Jordis to see if she was showing any signs of injury.
Jordis had grabbed the back of her head, which had started to bleed again.
Arn was about to put his hand on it and exert his own healing spells when a priestess stepped forward and offered Jordis assistance to healers.
"Is this truly going to work? or should we be grinding those to powder and spreading them to the far corners of the Empire?" mused Arn as Styrr took the bones and reverently began plodding with the others back up to the sanctuary.
"Once the bones are blessed, she will be unable to use them for any unholy purposes" several of them assured him as they departed.
Once they were gone, that just left Falk, Rikke, and Tullius all eyeing him with concern.
"What?" Arn asked, puzzled.
Rikke finally cleared her throat before speaking.
"Not to sell you short, Arn, but if you'd heard the things we heard up here, you'd be surprised anyone came back out of there too."
"Yeah, well, it's becoming a normal thing for me" Arn muttered slightly angrily as he sauntered out, not liking the look he was getting from Tullius and not wanting to rehash any of Rikke's previous discussion.
The cool early evening air felt good as Arn emerged from the Temple and made his way back toward the Festival.
He needed to find either Elisif or Sybille and let them know, then head back to the healers to double check and make arrangements for Jordis.
After checking alcoves and alleys and only finding a couple too eager to rut each other senseless to find a room anywhere, Arn figured he wouldn't find Sybille anywhere near the festival and looked for Elisif.
He spotted Bolgeir Bearclaw still by the drinking tables with two wenches on his lap. Lydia was still happily dancing with...her friend.
Arn spotted Lysi chatting with some other girls amongst the audience by the Bards' stage, and he finally spotted Erdi just coming out of the square, winded from dancing, gasping and fanning herself smiling as she giggled with another townsgirl about something, but no sign of Elisif anywhere.
Making his way there, Arn waved and got her attention as they made their way out of the throng of people in the square.
"Have you seen Elisif or Sybille?" Arn queried.
"Sybille had to leave. She got a hold of Lysi earlier and said she had to get away from the town for the night. Something to do with a ritual. Didn't say anything else" Erdi replied innocently.
"What about Elisif?"
"She was just..." Erdi replied, looking around and looking around some more.
Arn looked around too, but after a few minutes of not spotting her, Arn grew more worried.
"If Lysi, Bolgeir, and I are here and Sybille's gone...?" Erdi spoke the question mark Arn was already thinking.
"Don't worry, I'll find her. Get Lysi to go to the temple and look after Jordis, she sustained some minor injuries. Make sure she gets home safely. You and Bolgeir keep looking here for Elisif. If you find her, send someone up to the Blue Palace because that's where I'm headed to look."
"Right" she nodded as Arn turned and hastily walked out of the crowds before sprinting his way toward the Blue Palace, hoping nothing had happened to Elisif.