Heya everyone! Sorry it took a while. I just touched down in Europe today and fixed my families wifi here, so now I'm able to write and post during the month or so I'm here. Okay, so this is the last chapter of origins for now. Now, we're heading back into the main storyline three days after the release of the first episode of volume 2. So for now, just sitback and enjoy this chapter that I've prepared for you all. I hope you like it, and see you guys in ten days or so.
Chapter 37: Dragonborn, the First and the Last
"So do we go to the Jarl about all these weird things? Or the guards?" asked Serana.
"One or the other I'd presume. Come on, we just need to climb the steps."
"Halt!" Said a voice behind Dante.
He turned around to see a male and a female dressed in the same robes and masks. The robes were old, almost tattered and had a golden color to them. Their masks seemed to be carved out of yellow bone, no nose or mouth. Just a pair of spiraling eyes and separated ends at the bottoms of the mask.
"Who the hell are you guys?" Asked Dante.
"We'll be the ones asking the questions! Are you the Dragonborn? The one they call Dante?"
"That's me."
"So we've found you then...get ready to meet your end, false Dragonborn! For Lord Mirakk!"
Dante didn't need his sword for this, for his first attacker tried to stab him with a dagger. Dante sidestepped the male attacker, grabbed his right arm and dislocated it, forcing him to drop the dagger. Dante then grabbed the dagger as it fell and stabbed the male in the head with it, then dropped his body to the ground. Serana had frozen the female in place with ice magic.
"Nicely done. Now...who the hell is this Mirakk?"
"Mirakk is the true Dragonborn! If I cannot best you, he will indefinitely smite you from this world!"
"Keep dreaming." Serana said.
She encased the rest of the female in ice and clenched her hands into a fist as the ice crumbled into pieces along with the female inside. Dante checked the corpse of the male attacker and found a note.
Orders. From this...Mirakk person. Troubling...
"What did you find out Dante?"
"From these cultists? They weren't self-motivated. They had orders to come here and kill me. Or us."
"So what do we do?"
"This note happens to mention some docks on which these guys came from. Not far from here if we fly."
"Then lets go."
They reached the watery docks that the cultists came from. Many ships were docked around Dante and Serana approached the ship number lists on its side and boarded. The found the ship's captain sitting on a bench, rubbing his forehead.
"Excuse me? Captain?"
"Yes what is it white-haired one?!"
"You came from the location..."
Dante checked his paper once more to see if he was going to say the name right.
"Solstheim right?"
"Solstheim? If you want to go there forget it! I am not going back!"
"Hey buddy, you brought over two cultists with orders to kill me, so don't you think you owe me?"
"What?!"
Dante handed the captain the note as he read it in horror.
"By the gods...but why would they want to kill you?"
Dante pointed towards himself.
"White hair, black sword...you're the Dragonborn!"
"Bingo."
"I'll get on it right away! Men! Set sail! We're going back to Solstheim!"
"Aye captain!"
The men set the sails and unhooked the ships bindings. Dante smiled with Serana next to him.
Here we go.
The ship approached rocky land. Not only was it rocky, but Dante could see some jungle and desert areas ahead of him. The town they were approaching was old, and the buildings looked like shells.
"Here we are Dragonbron...the area of Solstheim. And that town up ahead is know as Ravenrock."
"Thank you captain. Have a safe trip back."
Dante and Serana stepped of the boat, an were greeted by a dunmer, a dark green skinned race of elves. Intelligent, nice and brutal if necessary.
"State your business here human and vampire."
"How do you-?"
"Know she's a vampire? We've had peaceful vampires in our lands for many years, as well as in Morrowind."
"Okay..."
"Now, what business do the two of you have in Raven Rock?"
"Do you know of anyone named Mirakk?"
"Mirakk? I swear I heard that name before. It's as if I knew who he was, but I don't."
"Will anyone else say the same?"
"Unfortunately. We've been having many strange cases of people who daze off. Some have even gone to the earth stone nearby and have never come back."
"Earth stone?"
"One of the seven or eight stones located through Solstheim. It's nearby. If anything, you should over there to find more information."
"Alright thanks."
Serana and Dante rushed off towards the sandy path before them, only to be led into a snowy environment. Weird. Climate is very strange in this land. Dante saw a large arrowhead shaped stone, about thirty feet tall, coming out of a structure. He also saw people working on building an exterior structure around the stone.
Perhaps those are the missing people?
"Let's get down there. Carefully."
Serana and Dante slid down the snowy slope until they reached the ground. Everyone was speaking at the same time, saying the same words.
Praise Lord Mirakk, never forget... It's almost as if they were hypnotized.
Serana went to poke one of them but was stopped by Dante's hand.
"If this is the work of magic, I'd prefer you on be on my side."
"You're right. But I've never heard of a hypnosis spell. Nor of this Mirakk person."
"If anything, let me touch them."
Dante poked one of the workers. Nothing. He then walked to the earth stone and examined. He then steadily placed his hand on the stone. He felt an overwhelming force take over his body and a voice in his head. It was a deep voice, repeating the words the hypnotized workers were saying. Except Dante wasn't saying anything. His body grabbed a hammer and a chisel and went straight to work on the inner workings surrounding the stone.
"Dante?!"
Serana grabbed his arm and Dante stopped moving. He dropped the chisel and hammer and felt his aching head.
"Okay... Don't ever touch these things. Ever."
"Are you okay?"
"Just fine. My body was controlled momentarily, but I resisted enough and you kinda helped when you held me back."
"So what are we going to do about them?"
"I don't know..."
Dante summoned his long sword and unleashed a ten foot energy wave at the stone. Once it hit, the energy wave Dante unleashed splashed like water against the stone.
"Well that didn't work."
"Anyone?! Please! Say something to me! Resist!"
Dante and Serana turned around to see a blonde haired woman, about their age, dressed in strange silvery armor with fur, running around, trying to snap the people out of it.
"Please!"
Dante sighed with regret as he dematerialized his sword.
"That's not gonna work."
She turned to face Dante.
"I touched that 'thing' and got momentarily possessed."
"Momentarily?!"
"I broke free in ten seconds."
"If you're resistant to it...then I think you can help."
"What?"
"Please. If you can resist the powers that have corrupted the stone, I will need your help. I need to free not only these strangers, but my people as well."
"Your people?"
"The Skaal. We have lived for thousands of years as an ancient tribe separated form the world. In the recent years, people have come and colonized Solstheim, but they know very well to leave us alone."
"Not too friendly with the outsiders?"
"That's the thing. We feel that outsiders will corrupt the land. But if you are an honorary member of the Skaal tribe, you have the ability to speak and interact with people."
"So in order words, I can't speak to your people nor they to me unless I become an honorary member?"
"Correct. Unless under the authority of the shaman...or his family member."
"Daughter of the shaman huh? Okay...so what do you want us to do?"
"First, help me inside this place."
"Sounds easy enough, let me consult the lady first."
Dante took Serana to the side and held her by the shoulders.
"So is it alright that we work with her for a while?"
"If it's fun."
"Alright."
The two approached the Skaal.
"You have my sword." Said Dante.
"You have my magic and sword."
"Thank you. Both of you. Your names will be remembered forever."
"Which reminds me, what's your name?"
"Frea."
"Alright then Frea, lead the way."
"Who would have thought that this much stuff would be under a large standing stone?"
The ruins were large and immense. Not to mention the deadly traps Dante missed so dearly.
"What's under here?" Asked Serana there was a large stone complex with many roots and plants covering it.
"Stand aside ladies."
Dante smashed his foot into the large metal door and knocked it down in one go.
"Impressive." Said Frea.
Dante walked inside first and checked the room for traps. Surprisingly there were none. He saw what was in front of him, a black book.
"A book?" Asked Serana.
"Not just any book! This is a forbidden black book! They belong to the daedric god Hermaeus Mora. Knower of everything and seeker of all knowledge."
"So this is a book from a god. Question is, why is it here?"
"Scattered I would assume."
Dante reached for the book, but was instantly stopped by Frea.
"Don't read it!"
"Why not?"
"Just don't!"
"Sorry, not good enough."
Frea let go of Dante's arm as he grabbed the enormous book and held it with both hands. He opened the book and gel like he was being sucked in. He sat down on the ground, leg under leg with the book in his legs. He closed his eyes and was drawn in.
"Dante? What's happening to him?"
"From the stories I've heard, his mind is being drawn into Hermaeus Mora's realm."
"Can he come back?"
"Let's hope so. Is he always this reckless?"
"Trust me, this isn't even the start of it."
Dante found himself lying on the ground. Slimy ground. He rose to his feet and looked around him. The sky was dark green with black clouds in the sky. Pages of books and notes,flew around and were littered across he floor. Tall enormous bookshelves could be seen everywhere. Then the voice. A familiar voice.
"Almost...when the time comes, I will be able to return to the living world!"
Dante turned to see a man dressed in blue robes with golden patterns, golden gauntlets and a golden mask. The masks ends were like the cultists he encountered before, except the ends looked more like and octopuses legs. The tops looked like the bottoms, just black. He had slits where his eyes were and a small nose bone carved into the golden mask. Two grotesque creatures were at each of the mans sides dressed in black robes. The man turned around and noticed Dante.
"Ah...so we meet at last. The first Dragonborn and the last Dragonborn. Exciting."
"When you say first-"
"I mean myself."
"So it's safe to assume you're Mirakk then?"
"Very good. I expected you to connect the dots sooner or later. By the way, job well done on slaying Alduin. But of course I could have slain him myself if only I walked in the living world."
"So you're dead."
"Not dead. Nor alive. Only trapped in this realm of my former master, Hermaeus Mora."
Dante smiled a bit.
"What's your game Mirakk?"
"Simple. I wish to return to the living world and rule Skyrim. Then...all the worlds."
"So you too know that there's different worlds besides this one."
"I have no time to waste with talk. Take him."
He creatures floated towards Dante and shot bolts of lightning towards Dante. Dante simply stood and took the attack. He brushed his shoulder off and smiled.
"My turn."
He summoned his sword and lashed out once. The creatures turned to dust that fell into a pile on the floor.
"Impressive...but..."
Mirakk disappeared and reappeared in front of Dante at instant speed.
Did he just-?!
Dante dodged Mirakk's dagger, but was then jolted with electricity. Mirakk then slashed Dante across the chest, but Dante retaliated with a slash across the Mirakk's chest, who,held his chest while chuckling a bit.
"Until next time, Dragonborn."
Dante was then blasted with more lightning and sent back. He opened his eyes to find the slash on his body still present.
"How was it in there?" Asked Frea.
"Terrible. Ugly and terrible. But I did find Mirakk."
"Mirakk?!"
"Yep."
"You met the first Dragonborn?"
"And fought him. So I guess he wasn't lying then."
"Are you-?"
"Yes yes. I'm the Dragonborn."
"I think he may have taken an interest in you."
"Now can we meet with your people?"
"Of course."
Skaal village was small, at least twenty huts and one long house. He saw a group of four people in a circle, hands in the air, their eyes closed. That's when Dante looked around and noticed the barrier surrounding the village.
"We've been expecting you Dragonborn."
"You know me?"
"We know of you. We've heard the stories about you."
"And that's why you need me."
"Take over."
One shaman approached the man speaking to Dante and took his place. Dante made the assumption this man was the shaman of the village. He took Dante's hands and shook them.
"Welcome."
"So what's the plan?"
"We need to purify the stones. More importantly, release the innocent people hypnotized by its effects. We've been keeping this barrier up to protect our village from its effects."
"So that explains the barrier. But how do we purify the stones?"
"I have this for you."
A man approached the shaman and gave him a scroll.
Dante took the scroll and read it.
Dragon language... It's been forever since I've read one of these things. One word only though. Gol. Which means earth.
"So this is a shout that will help me cleanse the stones?"
"Yes. We believe that if you cleanse the stones, you will release the people of this evil spell."
"Alright. I need a map of all the stones in the area."
The final stone, perfect.
Dante breathed in and shouted, "Gol!" and the structures surrounding the stone shattered like all the rest.
And like all the rest, the people working on the stone were confused. And like all the rest, black goo then grew underneath them. A large creature, made of black and green roots and goo, taller than the thirty foot stones rose from the ground. This was easy, the creature extended it arms as roots and goo swiped away the people and went for Dante. Dante dodged and slashed one of its arms, then Darkstepped in front of it, slashed its left shin and then stabbed it in its right knee. The giant lowered itself down and Dante leapt into the air, turned his blade upside down and stabbed the creature in the head, breaking through the wood. The creature then grabbed Dante and tossed him off. Serana and Frea hit the creature with gouts of fire and bolts of lightning which did something. It smashed its fists into the ground as roots and goo instantly sprouted from the ground. Serana and Frea jumped out of the way as Dante rushed his target once more. The creature tried slamming its fists into Dante, only for him to roll under the creature to its backside. Dante then stepped onto the monsters back and stepped higher until he leapt into the air once more and stabbed it in the head, this time piercing through it all the way. Dante stabbed it once more just for good measure. The beast fell into he ground as Dante walked down its corpse like stairs.
"That's all eight." He said to Frea.
"Thank you Dragonborn. You've not only freed my people, but cleansed the land. For that, the Skaal are forever grateful."
"Please. You're too kind. Lets get back to the village."
"I see you've returned Dragonbron."
"All the stones have been cleansed."
"But the threats not over."
"Say what?"
"I can still feel Mirakk."
A roar in the skies was heard as a dragon descended towards the village.
"Settle down!" said Dante as he straight tossed his sword towards the dragon, which pierced its skull and caused it to fall to Dante's side.
Dante then removed his long sword as he prepared himself for the dragons soul.
"Not this time Dragonborn."
Everyone turned in surprise to find a ghostly image of Mirakk behind Dante, extending his hand and drawing the dragon soul to him.
"Good."
"You know...if you were here, I would totally kill you right now."
"And I the same. You're so quick to rush into fights. So powerful enough that you fail. Just like your father."
"What did you say?"
"I look forward to our final meeting."
Dante lashed out with his sword roaring, only for the image to vanish.
"Son of a-! You damn coward! I will find you!"
"Dante-"
"What?!" He screamed at Serana.
He realized what he had done and felt terrible.
"I'm sorry. It's just-"
"I know. You don't need to tell."
"What now?" Dante asked the shaman.
"I know of a place you can find a black book. The main black book."
"Where?"
Dante and Serana traveled all the way to the forest like structure of Tel Mithryn. The structure itself was strange and made from what seemed to be a tree. Inside of the structure was a small pad in which Serana and Dante stepped on. They soon levitated all the way to the top level, where they both saw a dunmer dressed in gold and red robes hard at work.
"Excuse me? Are you Neloth?"
"No, no autographs today."
He turned to face Dante and seemed to know him.
"So the last Dragonborn is only a child. Interesting. And with him is a Daughter of Coldharbour."
"How do you-?"
"Know? Well, lets just say I've done my homework on you and her kind."
"Okay, well...we're here for-"
"finding the main black book of Hermaeus Mora? I will gladly assist you."
"Okay-"
"like I said. I've done my research. I suppose we can start in the ruins of Nchardak. And yes of course I will lead the way."
Man...this guys annoying.
After an hours walk, traps and contraptions to figure out, they reached the black book. It's glass case rose from the ground and opened up, revealing the black book.
"Hermaeus Mora. Daedric god of knowledge. Known to seduce many men with knowledge."
Dante looked at Neloth then Serana.
"Well, I hope it was worth it. Please...be my guest. You deserve the first look. Besides, it could be very dangerous for me. These books are known to drive people insane."
Dante grabbed the book hesitantly and held the large book with both hands.
"Do be sure to say hello to Mora for me when you see him."
"You're an asshole."
"I'm simply an intellectual Mage. Take care now."
Neloth then walked away towards the exit as Serana giggled at the fact that Dante was made a fool of.
"Oh har har."
"You have to admit it was funny."
"It wasn't. Any last words for me?"
"That's not funny."
"I know. So he's allowed to make bad jokes and I'm not?"
"There's a difference. Besides, what you're doing is risky."
"It's necessary to save Skyrim and the worlds. I don't need an extra villain out there making things more difficult for me."
"When has anything been too difficult for you?"
"Everything."
"Good point."
Dante sighed as he tapped his fingers on the book.
"Well, see you in five minutes or more."
Dante opened the book and was instantly dragged in.
He saw the blackened and sickly skies of the realm of Hermaeus Mora. The question that bothered Dante was, what was he looking for? A deep voice laugh sounded in the sky above Dante as he looked up.
"So...another Dragonborn has come to serve me..."
"Serve you?"
"Is that why you are not here?"
"Nope. I'm pretty sure if I'd want to work for an octopus, I'd work in a sushi shop."
"I see. Despite your rude comment, you are here for Mirakk. My...champion."
"Just who the hell is Mirakk exactly?"
"Mirakk...the first Dragonborn. Once...a long time ago, during the dragon wars, he served under dragons as a dragon priest. Surely you've encountered one or two by now..."
"I have."
"Then this will be easier to explain. Mirakk betrayed his masters, killed them and took their souls. He wished to gain more power, so he came to me."
"And he became your servant?"
"Not anymore. When Mirakk died, his soul came to my realm."
"Because his soul belonged to you when he pledged his allegiance."
"You are intelligent as they say. Mirakk has plans to escape me. Return to the living world. He has no...use to me anymore."
"Are you going to help me stop him?"
"Of course. But, in exchange for something, you must give me something in return. But first..."
Dragon words appeared in front of Dante, carved into the ground and glowing golden.
Mul... Qah... Strength and armor...
"A gift...from me to you."
"And what is it that you want in return?"
"The Skaal. They have...eluded me for centuries. Their secrets. I desire their secrets. I must know what they hide from me."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Don't keep me waiting...Dragonborn."
Dante closed his eyes and found himself standing with the black book closed and under his arm.
"Are you alright?" Asked Serana.
"I am. We need to get back to the Skaal."
"Why?"
"Hermaeus Mora promised me knowledge to stop Mirakk. I need that knowledge."
"You do realize he is a daedric god? One that is extremely good at tricking people?"
"I know but...I..."
The snowy village of the Skaal was busy now that Mirakk's magic wasn't affecting their land. It was a good sight. Dante approached Frea and her father.
"I assume you've found the knowledge to beat him?"
"Not quite. Hermaeus Mora was rather...difficult. He won't give me that knowledge until I give him something in return."
"The Skaal's secrets."
"How do you-?"
"Hermaeus Mora has been after our secrets for many years. It is not surprising that he would try again. But this time, it's either the knowledge, or Mirakk's control. Give me the black book."
"Father no!"
"Hush child! I must do this! If the Dragonborn is to succeed in defeating Mirakk, I will gladly sacrifice my life to help him in doing so."
"There has to be another way." Dante said.
"There is none. This is the only way. Give me the book. Let serve my people...one last time."
Dante held out his hand reluctantly and summoned the book. The shaman grabbed the book and opened it. Black tendrils sprouted from the book and ensnared the shaman as a green eye with a slit pupil appeared with tendrils surrounding it.
"At last! Your secrets are mine!"
The shaman disappeared into the book as it landed with a soft thud in the snow. Frea fell down to her knees in front of the book.
"As promised Dragonborn."
"You son of a-!"
"Though I forgot the details on how to obtain my knowledge, you still brought me what I requested. I will hold my promise. As I always do."
A beam of energy shot from the eye and wrote two more words in dragon language on the ground. The eye disappeared and Dante read the words of power.
Ha Dov. Mind and Dragon.
He understood now. This shout will allow him to manipulate animals and humans to do his bidding. But now that the shout was complete, he was allowed to control another thing. Dragons. Since Mirakk has possibly devoured many dragon souls and probably enslaved many of them, the only way to beat him is controlling more dragons. But another thing puzzled Dante. The other shout he learned wasn't complete. It was missing one final word. Dante needed to leave. He needed to stop Mirakk before anything could happen. He then grabbed the book and smiled, as Dante smiled opened the book and let his mind drift inside.
This ends here...Mirakk...
Dante was back once again in the realm of Hermaeus Mora, hopefully for the last time. He traveled along the many rooms and crevices, fighting grotesque creatures and avoiding dangerous objects.
So many books... No wonder a knowledge seeker would be seduced so easily. All this information in one location would tempt anyone, even me.
He continued alone in the dark halls of the realm. The way he traveled to different levels was by opening books similar to the ones he found in the real world. Apocrypha. That's the world he was in. The name of Hermaeus Mora's realm. Dante knew what he had to do. He needed to kill Mirakk once and for all. And this time, he wasn't going to hold back. Neither was Mirakk. Dante had reached an area with a stone wall that had a dragon word written in it and glowed as Dante touched it. He read the word, Diiv. Wyrm. The full shout was Mul Qah Diiv.
Strength Armor Wyrm. Interesting...
Dante had never used this shout before. Nor did he know what it did. If it was a powerful shout, he'd better save it for Mirakk. He passed the stone wall and went forward to a platform. A dragon came down from the sky and roared loudly.
Dane, mockingly, cleared his thought and then shouted "Gol...Ha Dov!"
Black energy exerted from his shout and touched the dragon.
"My apologies master."
"It's fine. Can you take me to Mirakk?"
"Mirakk? So...you wish to end him."
"Those are my intentions...yes."
The dragon lowered himself until his belly touched the ground and lowered his head. Dante climbed on the back of the dragon and took off into the air. Seconds later, Dante was attacked by magic spells from the ground. Dante made the dragon spout gouts of fire upon the casters, burning them into ashes.
"An excellent hit my master." The dragon said.
They kept riding until they reached a peak that stood out from the rest of Apocrypha. The dragon flew overhead as Dante jumped off and landed on the circular platform. In front of him was Mirakk, standing in front of a blue portal, hands held behind his back. Dante slowly approached Mirakk, hand steadied as he held his sword. The dragon landed beside Dante with a loud crash and waited.
"Salokhar...are you so easily swayed?"
Mirakk then focused his attention on Dante.
"No matter."
He slowly approached a prepared Dante and stopped only five feet away from him and extended his hand.
"I bid you welcome, Dragonborn."
Dante only stood.
"I see I need to explain to you...why do you suppose I wish to escape?"
"Conquer the world?"
"My main reason."
Dante tried hard to think of a reason. He then remembered Hermaeus Mora's words.
"You want to escape him."
"Yes. Do not ever deal with him Dragonborn. You will only know torment."
"And you're going to retaliate against the worlds because of that."
"I only believe in the strong ruling the weak and I refuse to serve someone weaker than I."
"So you claim to be stronger than a daedric god?"
"I am a god! You have the same potential Dragonborn! The potential to be a god!"
"Sorry pal, but I'm not looking to rule anytime soon."
"Why?! Why do you refuse your rightful place?! Join me!"
Mirakk outstretched his hand. Dante could tell Mirakk was serious on a friendship if Dante helped him. Unfortunately, Dante was not a conquerer of worlds.
"I'm sorry. If I was like you, I would take your offer and be friends with you. But like I said, we're not the same."
"But we are! You are a Dragonbron! I am a Dragonborn! The last and the first!"
Dante only raised his sword.
"Then you leave me no choice..."
Mirakk shot lightning at Dante and forced him back. Dante recovered and dashed towards Mirakk full force. Mirakk side stepped and jumped out of the way. He then shot tendrils off roots and earth at Dante who sliced through them.
"Iz...Sleh Nus!"
Ice froze Dante's left arm as he used his only good hand to defend himself. Mirakk summoned a small sword covered in roots at the hilt and pointed in Dante's direction. Black tendrils tried to smash and stab Dante. Then he had an idea. It was stupid, but it was going to help. Dante used his frozen arms to block one of the tendrils and got his arm free. He then grasped his sword and crashed down on the ground, sending out a wave of energy Mirakk barely was to block. The dragon then tried to attack Mirakk, but he just stuck his arm through its head and took the dragons soul. Dante then tossed his sword towards Mirakk, who blocked it and sent the blade in the air. Dante Darkstepped above, grabbed his trusty sword and crashed down on Mirakk. Mirakk lifted his small sword and blocked with tendrils as Dante attacked with his black energy waves. Mirakk then trapped Dante with tendrils and stabbed and slashed Dante. Mirakk tried to slash Dante, but only managed to dent the armor on his left arm. The teen focused his attention back to Mirakk, who chuckled under his mask.
Serana and Frea could only see the wounds that Dante was receiving. They were angry about the fact they couldn't help him. "Will he make it?" Serana nodded. "I know he will."
Dante's top was completely gone with many segments of his armor missing, bleeding all over. Mirakk himself was injured, in many places, but not as much as Dante. The top left portion of his mask was gone, revealing his green eye. He held Dante in the air by the neck as he breathed heavily.
"It's over Dragonbron. Just like your pathetic father, you will fail."
Dante choked on some of his words as he coughed out blood.
"What was that?"
Mirakk loosened his grip.
"FUS...ROH DAH!"
Mirakk was blasted away by Dante's shout and nearly fell off the platform. He rose as he laughed manically and raised his hands in the air.
"RISE!" He shouted. Dragons exited the black waters below and encircled both Dante and Mirakk, but the dragons all faced towards Dante. Dante scanned the area around him and only raised his blade towards Mirakk slowly. He then placed his left hand on his right arm. Black energy flowed violently in currents around Dante ass the energy soon exploded and forced Mirakk through the portal, crashing into the snowy plains of Skyrim only a couple of feet from Serana and Frea. He rose from the ground, felt his body and felt the snow to make sure it was real.
"FREEDOM!" he shouted as he laughed.
Another person stepped out of the portal in front of him. He lowered his hands and fell with his knees in the snow.
"No..."
Dante stepped out, transformed in his shadow form.
"No!"
Mirakk shouted as he leapt to his feet. Dante instantly Darkstepped in front of Mirakk and rammed his blade through his body. He then drew his sword out of Mirakk's chest and kicked him off the snowy cliff. The teen walked back towards Serana and Frea, but the ground started to quake. Dante turned to see a monstrous hundred foot monster made of black tendrils and roots rise from the bottom of the cliff.
"I AM GOD!" Mirakk screamed.
"You're an asshole!" Dante screamed back.
He tried to crush Dante, only for Dante to leap above the arm and land on it. He stabbed his blade into the monster Mirakk's arm and dragged it up all the way to his shoulder, while waves of black energy tore through and destroyed the arm. The now monstrous Mirakk grabbed Dante with his right hand and threw Dante away. The white haired teen landed on the ground and looked at Serana's direction. Mirakk tried to pummel them, but Dante Darkstepped in front of the fist and blocked. He was pushed back to Serana but then lashed out, slicing three of the fingers and some black tendrils. Mirakk roared with rage and spewed black goo from his mouth towards Dante. The goo burned the ground as Dante flew around the Mirakk. Dante used the shadowy claws of his right hand and stabbed it into Mirakk's head, pulling his head down to the cliff so it smashed his brains. Dante then flew towards Mirakk and punched him with a great amount of force, sending him back a bit. The teen then launched a massive wave of black energy that lobbed off Mirakk's right arm, forcing Mirakk to roar monstrously, revealing his body inside the giant. Dante screamed as he made a mad dash for the opening until he entered inside and stabbed Mirakk's real body and forced him outside of the false giant one. Both Dragonborns flew back through Mirakk's portal while rolling and tumbling until they staggered to their feet, Mirakk breathing heavily and Dante simply smiling as he exited his shadowy form. A black tendril exited the ground and pierced Mirakk in his chest.
"You are mine now Mirakk."
"May you rot...and die!"
The tendril pulled Mirakk down into the deep dark depths below. Dante overlooked the area once more to be sure Mirakk was gone.
"Well then...sucks to suck Mirakk. Send me a postcard from hell telling me how hot it is."
Dante dematerialized his sword and stepped outside of the portal, waving goodbye to his fallen foe.
As he returned to the world of Skyrim, Dante was warmly greeted by the villagers.
"Are you okay?"
"Totally. Piece of cake."
"That didn't look like it. And you certainly don't look like your okay."
"What did you expect? Dude was an asshole pure and simple."
"Well, I guess a win is a win."
Frea then approached Dante and Serana and bowed, along with all the other Skaal in the village.
"We owe you our lives. For destroying Mirakk. Once and for all."
Dante only smiled.
"You owe me nothing."
He then bowed as did Serana. Dante then turned around as another white portal opened up. Serana and Frea got into a defensive stance, but Dante blocked their path with his arm.
"No need for violence."
He then began to walk towards the portal, but then stopped.
"This is my ticket out of here. I don't know if we'll see each other again, but..."
"You're going home...aren't you?"
"Unfortunately...once this opens up, it's required that I walk through no matter what. Otherwise, I'd stay longer. Sorry about this."
"It's fine...it's just...I'll miss you and all the adventuring we'd do together."
"Yeah...me too... I'm not one who likes to say goodbye...so I'll say this instead...see you next time."
The portal closed as Dante said this, leaving Serana and Frea in the cold winter air.
As Dante walked the long hall of light, he met with the one person whom he always saw after traveling to a different world.
"You're here again mr. H? Don't you have something better to do? Like...paint a picture or read a book?"
"Hey, when duty calls, I try my best to be on time."
"And your duty is somewhat babysitting me through this process of going home right?"
"Yes and no."
"Perfect..."
Mr. He as Dante called him, followed the teen towards the tunnel of light.
"Can I ask you a question or two?"
"Now that you've gone through some necessary steps, go ahead."
"Are you from The Plane?"
"Geez...you're as smart as they say. Yes, I'm from The Plane. By the way, my boss gives his thanks to you for taking care of business here in Skyrim. Could've been a real mess if Mirakk actually succeeded."
"No kidding. So, who's your boss?"
"None other than The Creator himself."
"The Creator? Like...god?"
"Like the guy who made all the worlds."
"Woah..."
"Cool right? Wanna know something neat about your world?"
"What is it?"
"Your world is one of the first ten worlds he ever created. The first ten are known as The Prime Worlds. Yours is third in the order. Second is a world known as Remnant."
"And first place goes to?"
"The Plane. If my kind were to help The Creator, we obviously needed homes right? So he created The Plane first, Remnant second, your world third."
"And what's Remnant all about?"
"In due time. Not really supposed to answer questions on the Prime Worlds unless it's about The Plane or your world."
"Why does The Creator need me? Why can't he have one of you go do what I'm doing?"
"Each world needs a Prime Defender to ensure peace and order. If the case arose that there were more than one Defender, the second most powerful of the group takes the place of the Prime if he or she passes away, leaves, or is exiled."
"So in my world, I'm the Prime Defender? And if I were to do any of those three things, would Blanc be the next Prime?"
"Yep."
"What exactly is going on? These events can't be spanning over a long period of time. I'm fairly certain this crap is recent."
"Unfortunately you're right. Stuff like this hasn't happened for centuries now. The Creators doing his best to maintain order and peace within all the worlds, which are a couple million if you counted. That's why he chose you specifically to do what he needs done."
"Which is?"
"He's chosen you as the Wandering Prime."
"So basically I travel to different worlds and eliminate and evil that could be potentially dangerous to all the other worlds."
"Only one thing wrong with that statement. You only travel to any of the ten The Prime Worlds to take out any lingering evil that's potentially dangerous."
"And the regular worlds?"
"Their defenders are perfectly capable."
"But what about The Prime worlds? Can't their Defenders take care of any situation?"
"Some are either missing, dead, or not strong enough. You're lucky because you happen to be the strongest out of all Defenders. The strongest in history even."
"Yeah, lucky me."
"So, that's why The Creator appointed you as The Wandering Prime. It's one of the biggest honors you can get. That...and rising to Archdefender."
"And what's an Archdefender?"
"The strongest Defender of all. It's the highest office a Defender can obtain. You get it by proving yourself worthy in the biggest time of crisis. If ever accomplished, you get to either visit The Creator personally or he visits you. And with that, he gives you the official title. Your office that you have now, The Wandering Defender, is second to Archdefender."
"Wow...has anyone ever made it to Archdefender?"
"Only one person in the long span of time has been able to that. You don't know him, but-"
"it's confidential. I know. I've got some more work to do before I can know that right?"
"I don't make the rules. Heck, if it were up to me, I'd tell you now."
"I get it. Just doing your job. I understand. So what's the deal? Is there some kind of unknown threat going on?"
"It's not really known yet. The world after yours, the fourth Prime World, is the Dark World."
Dante stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing those words.
"So you already know of the Dark World..."
"And I can take a guess as to what's going on. You're suspecting something going on and they're responsible. Am I wrong?"
"Nope, completely right. Since I'm your Guardian, the thing that's been concerning me, but The Creator as well, is that you're their target."
"Me? But...why? Is it because I'm the Wandering Defender?"
"That...and because you're the second to have Dark Powers."
"The first being the Archdefender..."
"Correct... They will approach you. They will try to hurt you, even kill you. They will try to take everything you care about away. They will try to break you and bring you over to their side."
"So...the first Archdefender...did he-?"
"No. He wasn't the type to crack like that. He didn't have much to take away. And because of that, he beat them down. You have a lot to live for and a lot of friends backing you up whenever you need it."
"And because of that...if they get hurt or die...I might crack?"
"I don't know... Its all speculation until it gets to that point. One of my other jobs is to make sure that doesn't happen."
"If it were to happen...would you try to kill me?"
"No...I'd subdue you to the best of my ability and try to help you. Never did it say in the job description my duty was to kill you for any reason or purpose. And trust me, it never will."
"So I'm a target because of who I am...great... And you're here to help me right?"
"Right-o."
"And I assume you can fight?"
"If I need to."
"If you can, whenever I'm not around, please...help my friends first. They mean more to me than my own life."
Mr. H slung his arm over Dante's shoulder.
"Of course I will! We're gonna be working together, so whatever you need, I'll help you out with anything. Within reason of course."
"Thanks. Knowing that I've got a friend who'll help me out makes me feel a little more relaxed. It's just...all this...it's so much to take in."
"Don't worry about it kiddo! The Archdefender was just like you when he started. Trust me, you'll do okay. Maybe even better than he did."
"What makes me uncomfortable is the fact you said was."
"He's been missing for the past five hundred years. No one knows where he went. There were some rumors he found an interest in a certain lady, tied the knot with her, then had kids and just... disappeared."
"You don't say..."
The exit portal was in sight as Hanekoma gave Dante a pat on the back.
"Here's your stop. I'll be seeing you around kiddo."
"Thanks mr. H. Till next time."
Dante entered through the portal and exited to see New Wellington in his sights, his home.
"It's good to be back. Man...will everyone be pissed when they see me again."
Dante jumped of the building he was standing on and flew in the air towards Filia's home.
"It's seven p.m, so she should be up. Man, I wonder what she'll do..."
Hanekoma still stood in the tunnel of light watching Dante as he flew away.
"Good kid...raised him right if you ask me. So, was that everything you needed to hear?" Asked Hanekoma.
Another portal opened up as Horus stepped through.
"Yes... So do you think he can do it Hanekoma?"
"Do what?"
"You know very well what I mean. Do you think he can actually defeat Lucifer and Raum?"
"You know very well the answer by now Horus. He has to."
"But they are both the Original Four."
"You do remember Dante's in possession of The First's soul?"
"But will it be enough?"
"Do you even remember The First Horus? Did you forget his real name? His power?"
"I remember all too well of Abaddon's strength and might. It was said that his power rivaled that of the Original Darkness, the Ultimate Chaos, which gave birth to him and the rest of the three."
"Then have a little faith Horus. If Dante was able to subdue Abaddon and take control of his powers, he should be just fine."
"It's true that Dante mastered Abaddon and now has control over his powers, but you forget that Lucifer rules the Dark World and has Raum at his side. Raum is stronger than Lucifer, but he allowed him to rule instead, which is unknown to any of us. Either way, with the two of them fighting against Dante, he may very well meet his match."
"That's why he has the two of us, right? We're gonna ready him for when the time comes."
"How can you be so laid back about this Hanekoma?!"
"Here's the difference between you and I friend. You trust Dante and have confidence in his abilities, but there's a part of you that doubts him still. Me? I trust him and trust in his abilities completely."
Horus gritted his teeth, growling at Hanekoma's comment.
"Listen you...I don't care if you're from The Plane or not! I will kill you if you piss me off!"
"Easy there. No need to get violent with me. If you have an issue, take it up with Him. Just make sure you keep training Dante until the time comes when you don't need to anymore. He'll be fine when that time comes."
Hanekoma then waved goodbye as he walked away towards a portal he opened.
"By the way, you need to relax a bit more. Stress is bad for your health."
With that, the portal closed behind Hanekoma, leaving Horus in tunnel alone.
Damn him...this is exactly why I left The Plane! Laid back idiots like him are just..! Just..! Horus took a deep breath. In a sense...he's right... As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. I just need to do my part and help Dante to the best of my ability. And...and I need to trust in Dante's abilities a bit more. He has Abaddon now. And as I predicted, his power grew exponentially. All Dante needs to do now is to find new abilities and keep working on his current ones constantly. Everything's riding on him at this point. I only hope he will succeed where the Archdefender failed.
"So yeah, after that mess in the amazing world of Skyrim, I went back home to a very pissed off household. Which wasn't good for me in the end."
"Well if you leave without leaving a note, I guess I'd be angry too." Said Ruby.
"But since I learn from my mistakes, it never happened again."
"Yeah..."
Dante took up Ruby into his arms, who slung hers around his neck, as she rested in his arms as he walked to their room.
"So about Filia..."
"Don't worry, there's nothing you need to be concerned about. We parted ways long ago. Besides, I love you."
"And if you saw here again?"
Dante went quiet for a minute.
"I'd hold your hand and say I'm in love with you, not her. First crushes tend to go that way."
"But you two seemed so perfect. What happened that made you go your ways?"
"I...I don't want to talk about it."
"Come on!"
"No."
"Awwwww...you're no fun sometimes."
"It isn't a matter of fun Ruby. It's just...I don't like revisiting it."
"Okay then... Guess what?"
"What?"
Ruby pinched Dante's nose as he struggled to get free of her, eventually doing so.
"Seriously now, guess what?"
"What?"
"Since it's like, three in the morning, later today, I've got some real fun stuff planned out for all of us."
"Really? Well, I'm looking forward to whatever crazy awesome fun you have planned. Is it going to get us into trouble?"
"Maybe."
"Sweet!" Said Dante with excitement.
He silently opened the door to the girls side of the room and entered while walking towards Ruby's bed. The teen then put her in her bed and tucked her in, followed by a quick kiss.
"Sweet dreams Ruby."
"I wish I can say the same for you."
"What?"
"You never go to sleep anymore. And when you do, you get really bad nightmares."
"No I don't."
"We hear you screaming at night sometimes."
"Okay...so I do. But it doesn't matter since I don't need sleep Ruby. My body functions perfectly fine without it remember?"
"I know, it's just...how are you ever going to get good dreams if you don't sleep?"
"I don't get them Ruby. Not anymore."
"You should still try."
Dante only chuckled silently.
"One of these days I'll try again. Sleep tight."
"Where are you going?"
"Since I've got time, I'm gonna go sleep like you want me too. If it turns out I can't, then I'll work on my weapon for a while like you also suggested. If you wake up and need anything, you know where I'll be."
Dante opened the door and stepped outside before hearing, "Goodnight Dante."
"Goodnight Ruby." He said as the teen shut the door.
And sweet dreams for you always. Now then...let's get to work.