Chapter Twenty One: The World-Eater's Eyrie.
M'rassi was glad she was wearing her anorak. She wrapped her scarf around her nose to ward off the biting cold, similar to the way she used to protect herself from stinging sand back in Elsweyr. The wind was icy as she sailed through the skies of Tamriel, perilously perched on Odahviing's spiny neck.
The great red dragon was right, she was jealous of the dov, and with each mile they flew, her envy rose. It was magnificent to fly through the sky, completely free to go anywhere, do anything and see everything. Watching the landscape pass by below her, she marvelled at how fast flying was compared to walking. Within hours, they'd crossed both Whiterun and Eastmarch Holds and were flying into the foothills of the Velothi Mountains, a trip that would normally take several days. The mountains swiftly rose to craggy peaks covered in snow. Odahviing flew higher and higher until he crested the mountain range.
Below, M'rassi could see a temple hidden in a bowl-like valley, surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides. Odahviing was right again, she'd never have made it on foot. The Temple itself was a three tiered structure built in the same style as the ancient barrows that dotted Skyrim. She counted no fewer than four dragons lounging about, sunning themselves on the ramparts. M'rassi suspected there were more nearby. One of them roared a challenge as Odahviing flew overhead.
Odahviing trumpeted back, and the dragon acquiesced. Evidently word of Odahviing's defection had not yet spread around the dov. He spied his old lounging place and dived. He flared his wings and felt the Dovahkiin grip his neck tighter. He landed on the stones heavily, flapping his wings to stabilise himself. He leaned forward and bent his head to the ground.
M'rassi slid down off his neck, snagging her knapsack on one of his spines. Her legs felt weak and stiff, like she'd been riding a horse all day. She stretched them out and shook them, hoping the pain would soon disappear. She looked up at the temple and she spied Draugr stalking the walls.
Odahviing backed off a little, swinging his head around to address her.
"This is as far as I can take you. Krif voth ahkrin. I will look for your return, or Alduin's."
"Thank you, Odahviing. I will return. Zu vaat daar. I swear this." M'rassi bowed to him.
"Pruzah, Dovahkiin." Odahviing raised his wings and M'rassi backed away. The dragon leapt up and pushed down with his wings, launching himself into the air. With a roar he flew up and over the lip of the mountain, heading west, back the way they'd come.
M'rassi studied the temple she was supposed to fight her way through alone. She guessed Alduin's portal to Sovngarde was on the top, though she hadn't got a good look from Odahviing's back. Four dragons, at least a dozen Draugr... She needed a plan. Tail lashing, she paced up and down the stone ledge, wracking her brain for ideas.
Storm Call. She'd learned the first two words of the Shout before going to Blackreach. The Shout summoned all the power of a Skyrim thunderstorm, pouring rain, booming thunder and deadly lightning. The Thu'um rained sparking destruction on friend and foe alike. It was very, very dangerous. Testing it out had almost killed Onmund, and M'rassi had not used it since. But Onmund was not here, and by now Odahviing should be far enough away.
"Strun-Bah!" M'rassi Shouted to the heavens.
Immediately the sky turned dark as great thunderclouds appeared. The flood gates opened and the rain came tumbling down. With a flash of light and a crash of thunder, a bolt of lightning cascaded from the whirling clouds, striking one of the dragons gazing at the maelstrom in confusion. The Shout was almost like Alduin's flaming rock Thu'um, only with rain and electricity.
M'rassi snarled as the thunder-struck dragon howled in fury and launched himself from the ramparts at her. She dived into an archway as the dragon sailed overhead and pulled around in a tight loop to land in the same spot as Odahviing. With a savage roar, she leapt out from the archway and poured the strongest lightning spell she had into the dragon. After two bolts the dragon perished, slumping to the stones with a howl.
Panting heavily, M'rassi waited as the dragon's soul flowed into her. Gods, that spell took a lot out of her, her magicka was drained completely. But it was regenerating faster than usual and M'rassi thanked her lucky stars that she'd enchanted each of her earrings. The simple enchantment helped bolster her magicka reserves and made them fill up faster. She even had her gold and emerald circlet enchanted to make her destruction magic easier to cast. Onmund wore a matching one, the pair had been a wedding gift from Jarl Idgrod. But even still, something else was aiding her. She pulled out her husband's amulet and examined it.
Sure enough, the silver medallion, stamped with a sheaf of wheat and a scythe, carried a powerful enchantment; one that was beyond either of their abilities. He must have got Sergius Turrianus to enchant it while they were back at the College, before Blackreach. It certainly had not carried the enchantment when she'd intimidated Enthir for it, all those months ago. No wonder Onmund had given it to her.
Silently thanking her husband, M'rassi licked the rain water from the amulet and slipped it back down beneath her soggy clothes. She dashed across a narrow bridge in the torrential rain her Thu'um had summoned, her leather boots kicking up great splashes of water.
She tossed a fireball at a Draugr archer that was firing off arrow after arrow, sending him flying off into another of the undead creatures. With a crack of thunder, the storm dropped a massive lightning bolt on the pair of them, reducing them to ash.
She loped along a narrow road looking for a way into the bastion and was surprised by a Draugr that stepped out from behind a fallen tree. Three quick fireballs later, the desiccated corpse fell and M'rassi carried on her way.
She went up a broad flight of stairs and ran into more Draugr. Ducking and dodging their spells, she skidded across the slick stones and Shouted.
"Iis-Slen!"
The Draugr were encased in a slab of ice and M'rassi gave it a shove. The ice slid down the gentle slope and into the lake forming in the bottom of the valley.
M'rassi dashed along the outer wall of the fort, the rain soaking her to the bone. She came up to a large plaza and heard a low growl. Panicking, M'rassi dove forward, rolled in a puddle and scrambled to her feet.
A dragon Shouted a jet of flame where she'd been running. She whipped around as the great lizard's jaws snapped shut, and charged at it's wing. With her claws punching holes in the thin membrane, she dragged herself up onto the dragons back. She grabbed one of the spines that ran along it's spine and poured electricity into its body. The dragon shook its massive body, and M'rassi was thrown off. She landed on her feet, tail lashing, sending water flying in all directions.
"Skuldafn fen kos dinok!" The dragon roared as it launched itself from the stone plaza.
"Get back here, dragon! Coward!" M'rassi roared her challenge after it.
She howled in pain as an arrow hit her in her arm. A Draugr was standing on the next tier up, lining up another shot. With one hand she flung a spear of ice at the undead Nord, impaling him and sending him flying off. M'rassi didn't see where he landed, she was in too much pain. Sticking the strap of her small apothecary satchel between her jaws, she snapped off the fletched butt and pulled the arrow through her arm. The arrow had gone between the bones of her forearm, which was lucky, but blood poured from the wound. With her free hand, M'rassi wrapped her woollen scarf around her arm, and fished a healing potion from her pack.
A crack of thunder sounded alarmingly close by, and M'rassi saw a bolt of lightning arc down to incinerate a Draugr that had been running down the stairs right at her. The Draugr's sword fell to the base of the stairs, landing in a puddle with a soft splash. Lucky.
M'rassi hissed as she pulled the scarf away from her arm, peeled back her sleeve, and she poured the potion directly onto the wound. Her arm immediately went numb, and M'rassi worked her healing spell to close the injury. The golden threads of her magic melted the skin together, leaving a small scar.
Without warning, the second dragon returned, slamming to the plaza right behind her. M'rassi staggered as the ground quivered, and with her good hand she flung a spear of ice at the dragon, but missed. With a snarl, she dove under the dragon and shot another ice spear directly into it's soft belly.
"Wuld!" She Shouted before the dragon could crash to the ground on top of her, and she zipped to the bottom of the stairs.
The serpent howled in anguish as it's own weight forced the column of ice deeper into it's body. Thick red blood poured from the wound, mixing with the rainwater. M'rassi stepped in close and slit the dragon's throat, putting it out of it's misery.
As the dragon's soul flowed into her, she sank to a crouch, one hand on the ground, and the other clutching her stomach. Her arm was still numb from the potion, and because she'd only had enough time to heal the skin of her arm, the muscle beneath still had a hole in it. Her fingers only had enough strength left in them to grab the pocket of her anorak. It would take time before she could use the arm again, so she resolved to find someplace to wait for the potion's effects to wear off, and complete her healing. With her eyes narrowed, ears back, and tail lashing, M'rassi surveyed the plaza. She spotted her apothecary satchel laying in a pool of water, which was growing larger by the minute. She snatched up the small leather pouch, it's strap was broken, sheared through by her sharp fangs.
She jogged away from the remains of the dragon and collapsed to the ground in the lee of a large column. For now, she was out of the rain, and there didn't seem to be any Draugr close by, so she examined her numb arm. Although her arm appeared healed, she knew the flesh beneath the surface was still damaged. She focussed her magicka and worked on repairing the injury.
M'rassi fished out a stamina potion from her pack, she was very tired from the fight with the two dragons. She didn't have many of the energising potions, something both she and Lydia had overlooked. Her arm started to tingle as the feeling came back into it, and she stretched it to help the blood flow better. Once she could use it again, she tied the sheared strap of her apothecary satchel around her waist.
With the stamina brew coursing through her veins, M'rassi pushed herself out from her dry spot, and back out into the rain. She slipped a magicka potion into her pocket, just in case she needed it later, and she ran up the stairs.
"Fus-Ro-Dah!" She Shouted at a Draugr as she crested the top. Her Thu'um went wide and the Draugr staggered briefly, then advanced again. "Aiiish!" M'rassi swore, conjuring a ghostly sword, the pale weapon as deadly as any steel one. She brought it up in time to block a blow from the Draugr.
"Dir volaan!" The Draugr rasped.
"I don't think so!" M'rassi growled, using her free hand to weave a spell to turn her skin as hard as stone. With a savage snarl, she charged at the undead Nord. She brought down her pale sword, missing the Draugr as it twisted aside at the last second. Unused to a large blade, conjured or otherwise, M'rassi stumbled, then slipped on the stones. Somehow, she managed to keep a hold on her sword.
She leaped up and feinted as the Draugr came at her, landing a blow with took the creature's left arm clean off. The Draugr didn't even notice the loss of it's limb, whirling around on the rain-slick pavestones to bash M'rassi with it's shield. The shield struck her between her shoulders and she fell to the ground, dropping the sword, which dissipated the moment it left her fingers. M'rassi quickly rolled over and readied a fireball, but before she could loose it a bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky, incinerating her opponent with a loud report.
"Khenarthi, that was close!" She huffed, panting heavily. Her fur was trying to stand on end with the residual charge in the air, but the heavy rain slicked it back down again. She heard an arrow clatter on the stones beside her and she spied a Draugr at the top of a large flight of stairs leading up to the temple proper. She flung a bolt of electricity at it and the Draugr flew back out of sight.
M'rassi dashed up the stairs, and did a fast head count of the Draugr stalking the ramparts. There were nine left. The storm still raging must have taken care of the rest. They all knew she was there, and she ducked as half a dozen arrows skittered across the wet flagstones around her. M'rassi clutched a fistful of lightning and peeked out from cover. She loosed the electricity and jerked back behind the column as her spell arced from one Draugr to two more. Six.
With a savage cry she burst from her hiding place, tossed a lightning bolt at the nearest Draugr. The undead Nord staggered, and M'rassi leapt at him, wrenching his sword from his desiccated fingers and cleaving his head from his shoulders with it. Five.
"Aav dilon!" Shouted another, flinging an ice spear at her.
M'rassi blocked it with a Ward, countering with a gout of flame. The Draugr laughed hoarsely as the torrential downpour extinguished the flames. The laugh was cut short when lightning plunged from the maelstrom into the mummified corpse. For an instant M'rassi could see the creatures very bones before even they turned into ash. She dived behind another slab of stone, slowly making her way toward the Temple proper. Four.
"Zul-Mey-Gut!" M'rassi whispered the Thu'um.
"Hey jekosiit!" Came her disembodied voice, from somewhere further around the building. With any luck, the Draugr would fall for the trick. M'rassi peeked from her hiding space, watching as two of the Draugr sauntered off in the direction her Shout had come from. Good enough.
Keeping low, M'rassi edged along the slab as the two remaining Draugr fired arrow after arrow at her. The projectiles bounced harmlessly off the wall. She listened carefully, and when she heard the sound of a sword being drawn, she vaulted over the wall, conjuring her own magical sword as she went. Surprised, the Draugr whipped around, but not fast enough as M'rassi kicked its leg out from underneath it. The undead Nord went down like a sack of potatoes and M'rassi leapt on him, lopping off his head with the razor sharp ethereal blade.
The second Draugr charged at her and she parried his blow with her ghostly sword. Using her free hand, she grabbed the Draugr's arm and poured raw magicka into the creature. The Draugr screeched as she lunged in close, closed her teeth on his throat and with a savage shake, she tore out his throat. The Draugr laughed silently as M'rassi jumped back, spitting out the mummified flesh in disgust. She should have known that a normally fatal injury would not stop something already dead.
"Faas! Pook! Dinok!" The Draugr whispered the taunt before it dove at her in a frenzy of flashing blades.
"Feim!" She yelped, and the sword passed through her ethereal body. Focussing her magicka, she formed a spear of ice in her hands and tried to use it to sweep the Draugr's feet from beneath it. The undead Nord jumped the column of ice and punched her in chest. M'rassi rolled her shoulder, deflecting most of the force of the blow, using the motion to flick out the end of her ice-spear, catching the Draugr beneath his withered chin. It was an old trick she'd picked up on the streets of Orcrest. Mustering all her strength, she pushed on the spear, forcing the Draugr back to the wall of Skuldafn Temple. Pinned, the Draugr tried to struggle, but M'rassi channelled electricity down the spear and into the Draugr.
"Fus-Ro-Dah!"
A Thu'um slammed into M'rassi from the side. She sailed across the terrace, slamming into the stone and rolling over and over. She tried to push herself up, but collapsed. Her arm was fractured, and trust her luck, it was the same one that she'd pulled the arrow from. With a cuss she hoisted herself to her feet with one hand and her short tail, hastily unbuttoned her anorak and tucked the injured arm into her robes.
The two remaining Draugr were closing, fast. M'rassi threw a hasty Frost Rune on the ground, turned, and ran. Her boots were soaked through, and the rain continued to pour down. She heard the Frost Rune explode behind her, the undead Nord torn apart by jagged shards of ice. M'rassi kept running, right at the Temple doors. If she could just make it. Something slammed into her wounded shoulder and she went down with a yelp, twisting her ankle. She heard the arrow shaft snap as she hit the stones.
"Aav dilon!" The Draugr taunted, and M'rassi's keen ears picked up the sound of a bowstring being drawn.
Twisting around as fast as she could, she gave a mighty Shout. "Fus-Ro-Dah!"
Her Thu'um hit the Draugr with the force of a rampaging mammoth and the creature shot back and out over the void. He never even hit the ground. With a loud crash, lightning forked down and incinerated the creature.
Breathing heavily in the rain, M'rassi collapsed to the stone in exhaustion. She was in a bad way. Her arm was broken, and the same shoulder had half an arrow jutting from it. Her foot was sore and her fingers ached from the amount of magicka that had coursed through them in such a short amount of time. Her eyes watered in pain, and she winced when she touched the broken arrow shaft. Grunting in pain, she shuffled as best she could and leaned against the Temple door, taking care to not jerk her arm or shoulder. Onmund's bow and quiver were digging painfully into her back, but they were as nothing compared to her arm.
Carefully, she reached into her pack and fished around for a potion. Judging by the amount of broken glass she found, and the soupy liquid dripping through the cloth of her sack, many of the potion bottles had shattered when that Draugr blindsided her with his Thu'um. A waste.
Using her teeth to uncork the bottle, she carefully poured the potion onto the arrow wound, and down her arm to the break. Hissing and snarling in pain, she gently rubbed the potion into her fur and skin. Slowly her whole arm became numb. Grabbing the hem of her robes, she balled them up and stuffed it into her mouth.
She had to get the arrow out first, and healing the wound afterward would not be easy. She'd suffered arrow wounds before, but Onmund had always on hand to heal her, knowing full well that healing required concentration, something that was difficult to achieve looking like a pincushion. And now she was alone. Seriously injured and alone. She'd been too over confident and reckless, and now she was paying the price.
Clamping down with her sharp teeth, she fingered the arrow shaft. The barbed tip had gone right through, then snapped clean off. Reaching around, she felt the fletched butt still intact. Steeling herself, she snapped off the fletching and pulled the shaft out of her shoulder. She howled in pain, clutching her violated joint. Blood pouring from the wound, mixing with the rain which had soaked right through her clothes. Forcing herself to focus, she wove a healing spell, directing it to the wrecked tendons of her shoulder. Golden light shone from between her fingers as the wound closed up and the muscles knitted back together.
Once it was healed, she flexed her stiff fingers while her magicka recharged. With the balled up cloth still between her fangs, she carefully removed her broken arm from its hasty sling and laid it gently on her lap. Probing the arm with a thin thread of magicka, she found the break was clean. S'rendarr was smiling on her today. She used her magic to see when the bones were aligned correctly, and quickly welded the bone together. It took several minutes for the bone and marrow to melt back together, and during that time she had to remain completely still.
When she was done, M'rassi collapsed back against the door, her magicka spent. She was exhausted. If it weren't for the rain pouring down and soaking her to the bone, she'd rest up here for an hour of so. She'd have to be more careful. She couldn't just barge into the Temple like a Senche on the rampage. Look where that had gotten her.
M'rassi leaned forward, grasped her ankle and channelled her healing magic into it. Within seconds it wasn't sore any more and she pushed herself to her feet. Her recently injured arm was still tender, but she could use it. She turned out her pack, and sifted through the shards for any unbroken potions. She tugged on the heavy door, opening it just enough to slip inside and out of the storm still raging outside.
She shut the door carefully. She didn't want to attract the attention of any Draugr inside just yet. Using a variation of the Telekinesis spell, she forced the water from her clothes. The spell was difficult for her, she never could get the hang of advanced Alteration magic, even back in the Synod. When she was done, she chugged down a stamina potion, swiftly followed by a magicka potion and a sizable quantity of moon sugar. Within minutes she felt them flowing through her veins and she felt much better.
Rising to her feet, M'rassi readied her magic, drawing on the Illusion school. She cast a different spell with each hand, one muffling the sound of her feet, the other turning her invisible. With these two spells used in conjunction, she could go almost anywhere without alerting enemies. She'd first learned of this potent combination down in Blackreach, avoiding the Dwemer machines and Falmer with her chaurus thrall. She unclipped her husband's bow from it's strap and tested the bowstring with a gentle pluck. With this plan, using her magic would render her invisibility useless. The bow was silent and deadly.
Dust fell from the ceiling, landing with a soft hiss on the flagstones, as M'rassi slowly edged down the steps. She kept her invisibility spell ready in her right hand, Onmund's bow in the other. The advanced Illusion spell did not last long, and she'd have to reapply it frequently. Another reason not to use her Destruction spells. Keep her magicka reserves for her invisibility, just in case she got spotted and needed a quick escape.
The fane of Skuldafn was very much the same as other temples dedicated to the Dragon Cult of the Merethic Era. Unlike most barrows, Skuldafn appeared to have been brought back to life since the return of Alduin. It was well lit, hundreds of tallow candles crowded every available flat surface. Every nook, cranny, ledge, arch and statue sprouted their own miniature forest. Bright red banners hung in several places, depicting the fane's High Priest. Nahkriin, Vengeance, judging from the dragon script embroidered into the linen with black yarn. The banners moved a little in an unknown breeze.
"Laas-Yah-Nir!" M'rassi whispered the Shout.
A trio of red blotches appeared in her vision, slowly moving back and forth as the draugr stalked the temple halls. M'rassi pulled an arrow from her quiver, and crept forward. She kept her ears alert, twitching them this way and that, catching every sound echoing through the passages. She renewed her invisibility spell as she approached the patrol.
Soon, she found them. Moving silently, she crept along the passage behind them. Their ancient metal and leather boots thudded loudly in the narrow confines of the passage. She watched as they each shifted to the side, avoiding a particular paving stone. M'rassi echoed their path, dodging the trap. They eventually stopped and stood for a few moments before they turned around and headed back to her. She hurriedly got out of the way. Her spell would count for naught if one brushed against her.
Once they were past her, she edged away from the wall. Her foot slipped, and the bottles in her knapsack clinked softly as she regained her balance. With a dry rasping grunt, the last draugr whirled around, and M'rassi froze. Her heart leaped into her throat for several moments until the draugr slowly turned back and followed his mummified comrades.
M'rassi breathed a sigh of relief, taking care to not make a sound. She renewed her spell, the tickle of magicka telling her that if the draugr had lingered any longer, she would have been in trouble. Tail held rigid, she pressed on, further into the ruins.
She came to a large room, where a single draugr was pacing back and forth along a series of pillars. It was one of the rotating puzzles that the ancient Nords were fond of. The problem was, the columns made a lot of noise as they turned, and would instantly draw the attention of the draugr. She spied another pair, laying in recesses in the wall. Quickly, M'rassi formulated a plan.
She quietly settled the bow over her shoulder, snagged the arrow between her sharp teeth and slipped her lucky dagger from her boot. Renewing her invisibility, she approached one of the sleeping draugr, and carefully readied her weapon. With a quick, silent cut, she slit his throat, cutting deep enough to sever the spinal column. His eyes flew open, glowing an angry blue, which faded as he perished. Listening carefully, M'rassi heard the awake draugr still wearing a path before the columns. He had not heard her.
She repeated the process with the second sleeping draugr, slipping the dagger back into her boot. She drew her bow, training the arrow on the pacing draugr, who was still oblivious to the danger he was in. As he approached her, he stepped into a patch of light. M'rassi loosed her arrow, and it hit the draugr right in the forehead. For an instant, M'rassi thought she was in luck, she wasn't normally that good a shot. But the dead draugr pitched over, dropping his ancient metal sword on the stone floor. The clang echoed through the cavern, and she heard the patrol she'd passed earlier shout an alarm.
"Oh shit!" She swore softly. No longer caring about remaining silent, she dashed over to the columns, looked around for the clues normally found nearby. She manipulated the pillars into their correct configuration and yanked on a lever nearby. A portcullis at the far end of the chamber opened. Sinking back into a crouch, she renewed both her invisibility and the spell muffling her footsteps. She was almost half way to the exit when the patrol burst into the room.
They growled when they saw the fallen bodies and the open portcullis. M'rassi moved as fast and silently as she could and just as she slipped under the pointed door, the portcullis dropped. The draugr in the room laughed, a ghastly dry sound. They must think that she was still on the other side. Lucky.
With a deep breath to slow her thundering heart, she moved on. The khajiit were natural hunters, and stealth was second nature to them. This combined with M'rassi's magic, helped her get though the Skuldafn Temple without alerting any draugr. Eventually she came to a dead end.
It was a small room, with a single altar and sarcophagus. A draugr was leaning against the altar, pushing a soul gem to and fro across the surface. Knowing what she did about the Nordic ruins, the way out of this room would be through the sarcophgus, and it's occupant. This meant a fight.
M'rassi swore under her breath in Ta'agra. She absent-mindedly renewed her invisibility, and then suddenly she was focussed on her magic. Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? She wove the complicated silencing spell that she'd learned in Riverhold and sealed off the room. With the door shut and the silencing ward in effect, no one would be able to see or hear anything going on in this room.
She stood up, slipping the bow back over her shoulder, and readied her magic. The draugr heard the crackle of the sparks in her hand and whirled around, only to receive a bolt of lightning to the face. He back flipped over the altar, landing in front of the sarcophagus. The draugr inside kicked the lid off, crushing the first draugr. M'rassi had readied another thunderbolt and he was dead again before he even stepped from his tomb.
Satisfied, M'rassi shoved the body out of the way, and climbed through the sarcophagus into a series of catacombs. The thing that worried M'rassi however, was the copious amount of spider webs coating the recessed burial platforms. She hated spiders at the best of times, and right now she really loathed them. She couldn't sneak around the creatures like she could with draugr, they always seemed to sense if someone was nearby.
"Hrrra." M'rassi huffed a growl. She would have to use her magic and hope for the best. Focussing her magicka she weaved a spell similar to a ward, but with a destructive twist. M'rassi rarely used her flame cloak spell, anything that got close to her would burst into flames, friend or foe alike. Now that she was alone, she didn't have to worry about setting Onmund ablaze. She readied more of her fire magic.
She found the first of the creatures around a couple of corners. She charged at it, streaming gouts of flame from her palms, pushing past the gigantic arachnid as it expired. She ran into another around the corner, then another, and another. She drowned each and every spider she come across with her fire magic, her flame cloak keeping her mostly safe. She couldn't do anything about the poison they were spitting at her. Everywhere it splashed her limbs felt like they were made of stone.
Soon she'd carved her way through the spider's nest, and reached a door. She collapsed before it. Sitting up, she wove the last of her magicka into the spell that forced the spider venom from her clothes, like she'd done with the rain. She panted, and stretched her legs, gulping down another potion as she did so. Her fingers ached from the amount of magicka that had flown through them in the last few minutes and she stretched them too.
The door flew open without warning, and M'rassi jumped up.
"Aav dilon!" The draugr taunted.
"Fus-Ro-Dah!" The khajiit Shouted. Her Thu'um slammed him back into a revolving column, leaving the imprint of a hawk in the draugr's bare back. She ignored him, catching sight of two more draugr in the chamber. She flung a fireball at one of them, aimed an ice spear at the other, and finished each of them with a bolt of lightning. She quickly solved the second puzzle, wrenching a lever to lower a drawbridge. She slipped through the door at the other end as silently as she could, renewing her invisibility and muffling spells as she did so.
And not a moment too soon. A draugr was standing at an altar with his back to her, so she shut the door silently behind her. M'rassi slowly approached the draugr, skirting around him and the altar up a small flight of stairs. Another pair of draugr were stalking the catwalk across the chamber. M'rassi would have to time it right to get across undetected. She waited until the first one was off the bridge, and snuck up behind the one still on it. She followed as the draugr unintentionally led her off the bridge. As soon as she was able, M'rassi sidestepped past him. As she did so, her tail accidentally flicked out and brushed across the undead Nord's leg.
In an instant, the draugr had clamped his icy fingers down on M'rassi's tail, breaking the invisibility spell.
"Fuck!" M'rassi squeaked, and she shot off, ripping her tail from his grasp.
The three draugr gave chase as she tore down the passage towards a room with a circular staircase. She skidded on oil as she dashed into the room. As she righted herself, she spied a lamp hanging from the ceiling. Thinking quickly, she launched herself at the staircase and tossed a small icicle at the lamp. The draugr burst into the room and skidded on the oil as she had, just as the lamp was struck by the ice and began to fall. It exploded, spraying flaming oil everywhere.
M'rassi climbed the stairs on all fours as fast as she could. The draugr were already dead from the flames, but it was only a matter of time before the stairs themselves caught alight. M'rassi crested the staircase, unaware that she was still visible. She heard the dry croak of a draugr behind her and spotted him hiding in a small bolt hole through a hole in the wall. She spied the sheen of lamp oil on the ground behind him. Smiling savagely at him, she dropped a fireball through the hole and ducked down.
She covered her ears to block out the rasping screams of the draugr in his confined space. He had not been alone, judging from the additional voices crying out. Once they were silent, she went into the small room. She ignored the awful stink of charred man-flesh as she yanked on a lever, opening the way forward. She sunk to a crouch, reapplying her invisibility spell as she continued on.
She crept along a wide corridor slick with lamp oil. Why on Nirn would there be so much lamp oil splashed about? Perhaps they meant to trap me? Good thing I can use them to my advantage, M'rassi thought.
She dodged and weaved around the trap triggers, rigged to drop the lamps hanging overhead into the oil. She reached the corner, and peeked around. At the far end of the corridor was a draugr, guarding one of the puzzle doors that were common in Nordic barrows. He was heavily armoured and had a great-sword strapped to his back. He'd also heard the commotion caused by M'rassi's fire and was waiting for her, glaring along the corridor to where M'rassi was watching him back.
M'rassi huffed quietly. She moved right out into the middle of the corridor. She felt the tickle of magicka as her spell began to wear off. She stood quickly.
"Hey! Jekosiit!" She yelled at the draugr as she suddenly appeared.
"Fo-Krah-Diin!" The draugr Shouted at her, his icy Thu'um rushing at her.
M'rassi dove aside, running on her toes back down the corridor. She skidded to a halt near one of the trap triggers and waited until the draugr rounded the corner in pursuit. She snarled loudly at him and he started down the slope toward her. M'rassi jumped at the trigger and bounced off, diving to safety.
The draugr tried to stop as the lamps began to fall, but he slipped on the oil, feet flying out from beneath him almost comically. The lamps hit the floor and exploded, the oil went up and the draugr was engulfed in flame as he slid down the corridor. She hastened his demise by slinging lightning bolts at him. By the time he reached M'rassi, he was little more than a charred mess of mangled fresh.
M'rassi extinguished him with her frost magic and checked to see if he had the claw key for the puzzle door she'd seen. He did. Tucked under his armour was the key shaped like a dragon's talon, made of solid gold, except for the claws, which had been lovingly carved from the most beautiful diamonds. It must have taken a very long time to make such a thing.
She marched back up to the puzzle door and opened it, matching the symbols on the door with the symbols on the claw. As the door sank into the ground, M'rassi stuffed the beautiful claw into her knapsack and readied her magic. She couldn't see any more draugr in the passage ahead, so she slowly advanced forward. The passage opened up to a large chamber, a Word Wall prominently placed at the far end.
"Laas-Yah-Nir!" M'rassi Shouted, but no red splotches appeared in her vision. She was alone. Sighing in relief, she made her way to the Wall, where a Word of Power glowed expectantly. As she approached, the Word bored it's way into her mind. She saw the Word, Qo, Lightning, in her mind. She felt the soul of one of the dragons he'd killed outside rise up in her mind, seize the Word and pour it's knowledge into it. M'rassi understood the Word and she could see how it fit into her Storm Call Shout. It was now complete.
When the whole process was finished, she sagged and sat down, leaning against the Wall. Gods she was tired. And hungry. There wasn't much she could do about the latter. She looked around, triple-checking there were no more draugr around. Once she'd confirmed she was alone, she spotted a door. She crept up to it and pressed her ear against it. She could hear thunder crashing. The door lead outside. She placed a Rune at the door, then retreated back to the Word Wall. She placed several more Runes, as well as the other wards she and Onmund usually did when they slept in dangerous places. Once satisfied that she would be woken if draugr did chance upon her, she shucked off her gear, bunched up her anorak and laid down, pulling her outer robes over her like a blanket.
Sleep did not come easily though, never mind her weariness. She was too wired from her trip through Skuldafn, too worried about the road ahead. It was also the first time since Blackreach that she'd slept alone. She missed Onmund terribly. She missed the way he'd curl up with her, arm snaked around her waist, his warm breath on her neck. She missed his familiar scent, the pine and frost of his magic, as well as his own unique and utterly male odour. She missed the way he laughed, and made her laugh. She even missed his snoring. She chuckled a little at that thought. She hoped he was alright, back in Whiterun.
Fingering his amulet, she soon drifted into a fitful slumber.
###########
M'rassi growled and stretched, she'd barely even gotten more than a couple of hour's sleep. Still, it would have to do. She clambered to her feet, using the carved letters of the Word Wall to heave herself up. She pulled the stopper off her last stamina potion, gulping down the bitter liquid greedily. She pulled the jar of moon sugar from the pocket of her bunched-up anorak and greedily licked the sweet drug from her fingertips.
She took a moment to think, the sugar dissolving slowly on her tongue. She was almost at the top of Skuldafn. She'd almost run out of potions. She'd just have to make do. She slipped a magicka potion into her pocket to save for later, having used the other one after the spiders. She might need it in Sovngarde, if Sovngarde even existed. Gathering her things into her pack, she stood up and slung the bow and quiver onto her back. Retreating a safe distance, she set off her Runes. Once the path was clear, she made her way to the small door and opened it just enough to peek out.
It was dark now. Her Thu'um induced storm had dissipated and M'rassi could see the aurora dancing across the night sky. In the pale yellow light, She spied several Draugr stalking the ramparts, and though she couldn't see them, she could hear the second pair of dragons, somewhere above her. She quietly shut the door again. Thinking quickly, she formulated a plan.
She took a deep breath, ripped open the door and Shouted, "Strun-Bah-Qo!"
That got the attention of every Draugr in sight. They whipped their heads around as they were plunged into darkness and the aurora vanished. With a crack of deafening thunder, the rain came tumbling down. M'rassi flung a Lightning Rune at her feet, then slammed the door shut. She heard thunder clash outside, followed swiftly by her Rune exploding.
She tore the door open again, bellowing, "Fus-Ro-Dah!"
Her Thu'um exploded outwards, scattering the half-dozen Draugr that had rushed the door. Sparks flying from her fingertips, she burst from the doorway. She aimed a bolt of electricity at the nearest Draugr, striking him down where he lay stunned. M'rassi pirouetted fluidly, and slung a javelin of ice at another Draugr, slamming him back and off the terrace.
Thunder boomed overhead and M'rassi glimpsed a black shadow flash bright white as a dragon was struck by her storm. The serpent gave a roar of pain, and flew off, it's wings twitching as is nerves misfired. Blinking the shape of the dragon out of her eyes, M'rassi returned to her deadly dance with the Draugr. One came at her, swinging a great battleaxe. M'rassi bellowed in fury, casting the spell to turn her skin as hard as stone. She ducked the blade as the Draugr swung it down. It hit the stone with a clang.
Seizing the opportunity, M'rassi grabbed the handle of the large weapon, and send a surge of electricity up the metal to the Draugr, who convulsed and dropped it. M'rassi gripped the haft and drove the pommel into the Draugr's desiccated gut. She heard a raspy voice growl above the noise of the rain and she twisted around and drove the head of the great axe into another Draugr, charging in from behind. He staggered, and M'rassi tossed the axe at him, following it with a ball of flame.
"Fo-Krah-Diin!"
M'rassi heard the Shout and threw up her Ward at the last second, deflecting the dragon's Thu'um to the Draugr around her. She slung a desperate bolt of lightning at the draconian shadow. The great beast howled and flew off. M'rassi frowned, the shadow was different than the other one. Both of the serpents must have joined the fray. Almost as if it' had heard her thoughts, the first dragon landed heavily right behind her, crushing a Draugr under its talons.
"Skuldafn fen kos dinok!" He bellowed, and tried to snatch her in his teeth.
M'rassi dove out of the way, and snatching up the Draugr's axe, she gave a Shout of her own. "Tiid-Klo!"
Time slowed to a crawl and M'rassi stepped close to the dragon, easily avoiding its fangs as it tried to make another grab at her. A bolt of lightning was forking down at the dragon, outpacing the torrential rain easily. M'rassi swung the axe as hard as she could, the blade biting deep into the dragon's jugular. She felt time start to speed up, and let go of the handle a split second before the dragon was struck by the lightning. As the dragon collapsed, dead, she jumped back, narrowly avoiding another Draugr.
"Dir volaan!" It howled in rage.
It lunged at her, and though she tried to dodge, it smashed it's mace into her side. Her Stoneflesh spell took the brunt of the blow, but it still hurt. She staggered and the Draugr punched her muzzle. She barely even noticed the dead dragon's soul flowing into her, infusing her with it's strength.
"Fus-Ro-Dah!" She bellowed, her Thu'um pushing the Draugr back. She quickly whipped a Frost Rune onto the paved ground between them. She snarled a challenge as the undead warrior came at her once again. It ran right onto the Rune, which exploded and the Draugr fell, desiccated flesh shredded. M'rassi pelted it with fireballs until it was little more than a pile of ash. Panting heavily, she looked around, water dripping from her face. She could taste blood on her tongue.
"Argh, fuck." She cursed, holding her sore ribs with her hand as she channelled her healing spell into the badly bruised flesh. "Gods, that hurt." She scanned the sky for the second dragon, drinking down the last of the magicka potions in her sodden pack. That jekosiit was still out there, somewhere. She could hear him roaring, but with the bowl of the valley, the odd shape of the Temple and the pouring rain, she couldn't pinpoint where. Lightning was still forking down from the maelstrom, but something was drawing it to the top of the Temple, away from the circling dragon. There.
"Joor-Zah-Frul!" She Shouted at the dark shadow gliding across the only slightly paler sky.
"Dovahkiin! Nid!" The dragon howled in anguish as M'rassi's Thu'um forced the unimaginable idea of mortality into the dovah's mind. He pulled around, and flared his wings, trailing purple light. He slammed into the stone, gouging a great channel in the paved ground. The torn up paving stones flew in every direction, a much more deadly rain that the storm raging overhead. M'rassi circled around him as the great lizard pulled himself from the rent.
"Skuldafn fen kos dinok!" He taunted, pulling himself around to face her.
"It hasn't killed me yet!" She snarled, flicking her tail in defiance.
"Pahlok mey. You will never leave this place alive!"
"Paak!" M'rassi spat her answer in kind, charging a ball of electricity in her hands. It was the single most powerful spell she knew, and she'd only be able to use it once. 'Make it count' she thought, glaring at the dragon as he seemed to shake with rage at the insult.
With a savage roar, the dragon lifted his head, and opened his maw wide. He thrust his neck downward and M'rassi fired her spell right down his gullet. A raging torrent of electricity arced from M'rassi's splayed fingers to the dragon's tongue, surging through his teeth and skull and down the length of his body. The dragon's jaws snapped shut inches from M'rassi. She held her ground, as the dragon collapsed to the ground, twitching and groaning lowly. Soon it fell silent.
M'rassi panted, letting the rain wash over her. She was almost at her limit. She sagged, palms on her knees, short tail hanging limp. She still had that magicka potion in her pocket, but decided against using it. As she caught her breath, she left the dragon's soul flow into her. She felt his strength permeate through her body, bolstering her own reserves.
With a deep sniff, she straightened, her joints stiff. She stretched quickly, hoping to limber up, just in-case there were more enemies between her and Alduin's gate to Sovngarde. Her magicka would recharge but it would take time. She unclipped Onmund's bow from her back, remarkably undamaged from her journey through Skuldafn. She checked the bowstring, making sure it wasn't too wet. M'rassi plucked it gently, and it twanged softly. Satisfied, she made her way around to the front of the building.
She climbed up a wide staircase, and as she crested the top, a pillar of frigid air came at her. She dived to the side, just as the thing hit the top step and exploded. Ice shards sprayed in every direction, tearing up her robes even more. She ducked behind a pillar, and peeked around.
On a raised podium stood a Dragon Priest, Nahkriin, the High Priest of Skuldafn, an immensely powerful creature what was half-draugr, half-lich. Behind him was a fountain of light, shining impossibly bright on the black clouds. As M'rassi watched, lightning forked down from the sky and stuck the priest. The creature staggered, and M'rassi smiled triumphantly.
"Zu'u Nahkriin! Zu'u uth nall thurri dein daar miiraak!" The priest taunted, looking right at her hiding place. He snatched up his staff and the fountain of light vanished, plunging them into the dark of the stormy night.
M'rassi listened hard through the rain, and ducked back into cover as another spell exploded right on the other side of her pillar. Steeling herself, she nocked an arrow and drew the bow tight. Moving like she was on the hunt, she ducked down a couple of pillars and whipped around.
She trained her bow on Nahkriin, slowly edging out from cover. He was slowly gliding towards her old hiding place. He had not seen or heard her move. This was good. She loosed the arrow and immediately jumped behind the podium. Nahkriin howled in rage, whirling around and shooting another spell. It burst into dozens of ice shards right where M'rassi had been standing.
She peeked her head around the podium. Sure enough, the dragon priest was floating in her direction. He sneered as she pulled her head back. M'rassi drew her bow, peeked out her head and whipped it back once again when Nahkriin fired off another spell, fire this time. As soon as the smoke cleared she stepped out, fired the arrow, and dove back into her hiding spot.
"Wuld-Nah!" She Shouted, zipping across the terrace to another set of arched pillars. Nahkriin spotted her, pausing only momentarily as a deafening crash of thunder sounded and he was hit by a peal of lightning. M'rassi repeated her tactic, and another arrow jutted out from Nahkriin's body. She moved to the next pillar, and nocked another arrow. She poked her head out to see where her foe was, and withdrew her head once again as the priest blasted another spell into the stonework. Nahkriin was almost right on top of her. She quickly drew the bow, whipped around the corner and-
TWANG!
-the bowstring snapped.
The arrow fell uselessly to the ground, and the snapped string lashed her face, making a stinging cut on her muzzle. M'rassi cursed in Ta'agra, dropping her husband's bow and reaching for her lucky dagger. She jumped out from behind the pillar, right into Nahkriin's grasp. The undead priest had lurched forward when her saw the bowstring snap, hoping to surprise the khajiit.
M'rassi choked a groan, his icy fingers were wrapped around her throat, trying to crush the life from her. She glared into his malevolent glowing eyes, reached up to his hands and with a small amount of electricity flowing from her fingers, she pried his thumb loose. It was enough to gulp down a breathe of air. Enough to use her Thu'um.
"Let go." She growled.
Nahkriin simply laughed at her.
"Fus-Ro-Dah!" She Shouted.
A wall of sound hit Nahkriin and he flew into the night sky, dropping his staff. Another bolt of lightning from her Thu'um induced storm finished him off, the ashes blown away in the wind. M'rassi dropped to her knees, clutching her neck. She could still feel his vice-like grip on her throat. He'd almost had her.
She forced herself to her feet, and limped over to the podium. On the top, there was a circular motif, with a small hole. His staff had been there, before the fountain of light vanished, she remembered. Before she could turn to look, she spied the motif on the plaza before her. Inside a circle was a relief of two dragons, each chasing the other's tail, locked for eternity in their dance. In the dark, M'rassi could only make it out because of her superior khajiiti eyesight. If Onmund were here, he wouldn't be able to see it at all.
She left the podium and found the dragon priest's staff, as well as her bow and dagger. Ascending the platform once again, she jammed the butt of the staff into the hole. As she watched, the dragon motif cracked and bulged upward. A second later it collapsed and began whirling above a black, blue and white light. White light poured up into the sky, illuminating the maelstrom overhead. This light fountain was Alduin's gate to Sovngarde.
Dread crept into M'rassi's heart. If she went in there, she might never come out. The Scroll had not revealed anything beyond this point to her. She took a handful of moon sugar and stuffed it into her mouth, shuddering as the sweet taste melted over her tongue. In a pinch, moon sugar worked almost as well as a stamina potion. Steeling herself, she looked back over the fortress she'd fought her way through, to the mountain range masked by the downpour.
"Lok-Vah-Koor!" She Shouted, and the storm slowly dissipated. The golden aurora danced across the twin moons in the sky. She thought of that night under aurora at Ustengrav, and smiled. If this was going to be the last time she ever saw Tamriel, she wanted it to be a happy memory.
"Gods give me strength." She breathed, and before she had a chance to talk herself out of it, she sprinted at the fountain and jumped into the light.