The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Story of Octavian
First Awakening
We arrived back and dropped off our burden. I stopped by to see Martin and ask what the next objective was, but I was so put off by his appearance that I had to get him away from that book.
"Martin, you should take a break." I said, sitting down
"No, I can't. we need to get the Amulet back as quickly as possible." He replied.
"Normally I'd agree, but you're, well, Martin you're grey."
"What?" he asked, startled, and took a look at his reflection in a cup of water. "By the Nine!" he exclaimed, dropping the cup to the ground where it shattered. "What's happened to me?" His skin was as grey as a storm-cloud, his flesh was beginning to crack and his eyes were dull and lifeless.
"Artifacts of Daedric Knowledge demand a toll. Books written by Daedra Lords are far worse," Jongard interjected, "The human body can only take so much buffeting by Oblivionic or Aetherial forces before it begins to wither. Given time, it will recover, but if the damage is too great it may take years."
"Very well." Martin said, closing the book with enormous mental effort and rising. "I honestly haven't eaten in days. I think I'll go to the mess hall."
He slowly hobbled over and got himself some food. He was noticeably improved when he returned, the spring had returned to his step, his eyes had regained their color and his skin was already losing its pallor. The Dragon Blood was truly resilient. "Now, I did manage to translate the next section of the Xarxes before you returned. We need a great Welkynd Stone."
"Why can't we just use a bunch of normal Welkynd Stones?" I asked.
"Because all the Welkynd Stones in Cyrodiil couldn't rival the power of a single Great Welkynd Stone," Jongard again interrupted. "The cities now look like tombs, but once the Ayleids were a powerful force, strong with Magicka and technology. The Great Welkynd Stones were priceless gems that powered and lit the entire city."
"He's right." Janus said. "There's only one we could find, if I'm right."
"Miscarcand." Martin said. "The last stronghold to fall to Alyssia's slave revolt in the First Era. They say that it is still haunted by the spirit of its king."
"So we go in, kill an overblown ghost and take a big jewel?" I asked. "Sounds simple enough." We were about to set out when Jauffre stopped me.
"Octavian, wait. Jongard said something about vampires to me earlier, he told me that he heard rumors of a strange coven gathering near Skingrad. Perhaps after Miscarcand has been sufficiently looted you could examine it? If they are hostile, you can handle yourself, if not, your vampirism protects you from the danger inherent in a mortal's journey to such a place." I nodded and we left.
Miscarcand is fairly near Skingrad, so before we could search for the Order's lair we were off again, traveling by night until we found the ruin. I was first to open the door, and when I did, Janus and I were thrown back with the force of a hundred blows.
"The Stone." Jongard said. "Welkynd Stones are of Aetherial Magnus, Vampires can't touch them. A Great Welkynd Stone is so powerful that if exposed it can cause harm by virtue of it's being in the same city. I'll fetch this, you two go to see the vampires."
Jongard entered and shut the stone door behind himself. Janus and I caught our breath and went off to the cave where this coven was apparently meeting.
Before we entered I could already tell that something was wrong. A strange stench, familiar yet not, hung in the air. We stepped into the cave and followed it to a colossal central cavern. Vampire corpses, already decomposing to ash, littered the ground. Before us stood six people. Five of them in black robes and hoods, bearing a standard with a Black Hand on a flagpole. The sixth I knew all too well.
"So," M'Razzar said in a strange, booming voice that was not natural by any account as he looked around, "you have shown me that you can, in fact, slay my kind. Your assassins are skilled. Not least of them you, Speaker Lachance. I hear that already that fly and you have a history."
One of the robed figures, Lucien Lachance, who I had hunted for so long, stepped forward. "Yes. Our patroness asked us for a certain stone. He now has it, and without him it would cease to be. You assure us that you know the means of creating one?"
"Yes, it is truly a simple matter. I have already imparted it to your Listener. In exchange, I want the blood of Octavian Bacchus. Kill him, and bring me some of his ashes in this vial." He said, and handed it off to the man I hated so much.
"I will kill him myself." Lucien said.
"Then you'd best see to it now." I said, stepping out from the shadows.
"You!" Lucien said, paling. Open combat was not his specialty by any means.
"Yes, me," I said, drawing my swords. "Are you ready to die?"
He wasn't and M'Razzar knew it. Before he could leap to his new ally's aid, Janus also emerged. "M'Razzar, I think we have a score to settle." He said, drawing his decorated blade.
"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered.
"Avenging myself and my wife." He said.
"You'll die. You haven't taught me everything yet."
"I've taught you enough. Seek out Malendil, she can help." He then cast a fire spell that caused the tunnel to collapse around us, cutting myself and the Black Hand off from him and M'Razzar, but cutting himself off from any hope of escape. I felt something strange happen to my body. It felt like I was being torn to pieces from within, and each shard was expelling outwards. My hand burned as though the sun was shining on it, and then I burst with power, launching myself first at the assassins, who fled, then back at the wall. I tore at it with my inhuman strength, breaking rocks with my hands and blades. I finally made some headway into the artificial wall, when it burst outwards and M'Razzar strode out, laughing.
"Murderer!" I yelled with a voice that resembled his own. His laugh could have chilled fire into ice, but I could sense a touch of fear. I could tell what I had become.
"I really did give too much of myself to you, fool. Never mind the Brotherhood, I'll kill you myself and take back what's mine!"
He, too, burst with a pair of wings and launched himself out of the cave. I followed him up into the chill night sky He lunged at me with his claws, but I dodged and he took nothing but a pawful of pure white feathers. I flew straight at him and bit into the blackened leather of his left wing and took yet more of his blood. He screamed and fell, catching himself midair and bucking me off. The black smoke surrounding him launched at me, following me as though it had a will of its own. I spun the Aetherial Blade before myself and deflected the bolts. I then countered by focusing my own power and launching a pure, celestial beam at him.
"Such power is wasted on one such as you!" He yelled and dodged, but the splash of the shockwave knocked him down, but again he managed to stay aloft. He flew straight at me, I barely had time to raise my swords before he was at me, slashing with his claws and beating at me with his wings. I spun, the elbow of my left wing connecting with his jaw, and my left-hand blade cutting into his chest. I rocketed straight up and he followed, until we were so high that it seemed we could see all of Cyrodiil. At the last second I stopped and kicked downwards, breaking M'Razzar's nose and yet again knocking him down. This time I dove right at him, slashing with the Void Blade and ripping the tendon in one of his wings beyond use. He plummeted to the ground, and I dove straight down, slamming right onto him, pincering him between the force of my attack and a boulder.
I stood up, panting. His wings began to fade. He began laughing again as the sun rose. I started up at the first beam that I saw, but realized that I was now immune. I looked back and M'Razzar was gone. Disappeared like mist. My wings turned into pure white smoke and dissipated themselves, along with my unnatural silver glow, as Jongard arrived with a leather sack under his arm. "So it won't hurt you and Janus." He said. "What was that glow? Where is Janus anyway? And how are you out here in the sunlight?"
I collapsed. In my normal voice I croaked, "What am I, Jongard? What kind of hero am I if I can let someone like him die?"