***Chapter 51***
*The next morning Adonato groans, cracking his joints before getting some vegetables from their carry sack, eating a carrot before handing Lilina two cooked potatoes. They continue north west unaware of the trio following them. They skirt around some ruins and enemies on the way wanting to minimise conflict on the way, quickly they get to their destination and hide behind some rocks as they see a similar dragon to one that Miraak had in that strange place*
Adonato: "I handle the drauger you get the dragon?"
Lilina: "Sounds like a plan."
*Adonato vaults the rock and easily takes out the drauger, hearing Lilina shouting at the dragon and Adonato wonders why a dragon slayer chose a melee weapon. Adonato raises his bow and looses an arrow into the shoulder joint if the dragon wing causing it to crash into the ground. Lilina jumps on it's back and uses a fireball to blind it before using her axe to severe it's spine. She jumps off and gets ready to receive the soul while the trio are nearby around a small fire and drinking tea*
Adonato: "Thought you needed some help."
Lilina: "Thanks."
*Lilina readies herself for the soul as the dragon starts to burn up, but before she could absorb it Miraak fades into view and takes the soul for himself*
Miraak: "Not this time dragonborn, this one's mine."
Lilina: "What? How are you doing this?"
Miraak: "I grow ever stronger."
Lilina: "I worked hard on getting that you prick."
*Adonato releases an arrow but it goes straight through Miraak*
Adonato: "Oh damn it."
Lilina: "What a parasite."
*Miraak laughs in triumph and disappears, Adonato rolls his eyes*
Adonato: "Let's get this word, I'm sick of this shit."
*Adonato walks to the word wall, leaning against it and pointing at the glowing blue word, Lilina walks up to it and reads the word"
Lilina: "Without that soul I can't use this word, not until I get the soul of a dragon that knows it."
Adonato: "Huh, so that's how it works, but we can't get a soul with him around, it was weird that I couldn't hit him."
Lilina: "We need to at least try."
Adonato: "Think your bound weapons could hit him."
*Adonato stands and rubs his sore shoulder*
Lilina: "I'm not sure, you ok?"
Adonato: "I'm good."
*Adonato pulls out his map*
Adonato: "There's a place just south-west we can check out, might have to loot we are running low on funds."
Lilina: "We are?"
Adonato: "We should have enough but it's better to be sure."
*Adonato puts the map away and they start heading south and soon arrive at a cave, shivering slightly as a cold atmosphere seems to be escaping the entrance. Lilina shrugs and walks in, confronted by dead bodies and a barred door, finding it curious that the bar is on the outside of the door. After taking the valuables they start walking into the cave, Adonato is going slowly while Lilina walks straight in, she almost stands on a large spider and squeals, getting fireball spells in each hand and basting it until the spider is ash. Adonato holds in his laughter as Lilina scowls at him. They steadily continue through the cave, this time Adonato leads and takes out any spiders in their path, shooting the explosive ones before they get too close. They find it strange when they see large yellow spiders controlling people, however they are still no match for Lilina and Adonato. Happily they manage to get a fair bit in the way of valuables, despite Lilina wanting to leave, before reaching the last area where they see a coffin in front of a Word Wall. Lilina sighs as she tells Adonato it's a dragon priest, drawing her axe and readying a fireball in the other and going down one staircase while Adonato crouches and descends the other set, bow at the ready. The temperature of the room plummets, lid suddenly slides off and a large cloaked figure with a white mask emerges, raising its left hand towards Adonato and summoning a strange tentacle creature that he remembers from when they saw Miraak. While Adonato is preoccupied the dragon priest advances towards Lilina, surrounding himself with a cloak of ice. The edge touches Lilina and she jumps back, sending a fireball flying but a ward stops it in its tracks. Lilina is now using footwork to avoid the cloak while using wards to protect against attacks. When she sees the priest's attack patterns she coaxes him into a corner, hitting the wall with a fireball and through the explosion she throws her axe, killing the priest and causing the creature to vanish. Lilina walks to the fallen priest and takes off his mask, putting it on her belt then rips her axe out before the body disintegrates, the crunch of bone echoing. Both of them are panting and Adonato sits on the floor leaning against the chest and facing the way they came in, Lilina reading the word on the wall before joining Adonato, he chuckles when he sees the Black Book*
Adonato: "Found another book we can read."
Lilina: "In a minute."
Adonato: "So, Alduin is no problem and a war against the Altmeri Dominion is no big deal, but slightly large spiders and you lose it?"
Lilina: "Shut the fuck up."
[The universe and characters of Skyrim belong to Bethesda and associate corporations, the only things owned by my girlfriend and I are the non-lore friendly characters, equipment, and actions that are required for the story to make sense.]
