Chapter 53: Fallen
The smoke cleared as everyone got back onto their feet, having been scattered when Parven attacked. Jiub raised his sword, brandishing it at Parven. "You can throw whatever you like at us... but you're still outnumbered, Parven! You can't kill us all on your own!"
Parven just smiled. "As much as I may hate to admit it, you have a point." He said, removing one of the long wraps of cloth off his back and pulling it open. "That's why I had a couple of my minions get this for me."
Harnaten's eyes widened. "That staff... that's-"
"Yours? I suppose it is, in a sense. I have more use for it now, though." Parven examined the staff for a moment, then swung it downward. There were a series of flashes below, countless bonewalkers and skeletons appearing out of the light. "Kill them all!"
Trelana screamed as the undead appeared, ducking behind Nem. He sighed, wondering why it had to be something she was afraid of. And why he didn't realize until now that he never took the time to find the weapons Rodran had taken from him. He swore, taking Trelana's staff from her as a skeleton wielding a sabre swung at him, barely giving him time to block it with the staff.
Parven simply watched as the group below fought with the undead, scanning for a good target. He caught sight of three people clumped closely together and grinned, taking aim.
Mossanon thrust his bound longsword through one of the bonewalkers as Fargoth shot arrow after arrow into its torso, Miles crouched behind both of them, waiting to heal anyone that needed it since he wasn't good in a fight. None of them noticed the orb of flame descending toward them until it was too late to move. There was a deafening blast and the trio was slammed into the wall. They all slumped onto the floor, laying motionless. Parven turned to the others, wondering who to deal with next.
"Damn you!" Harnaten shouted at Parven, hurling a fireball spell at him.
Parven turned and waved, clearly thinking nothing of the spell soaring at his head. It was clear why once it struck the reflect spell surrounding him. The fireball flew back at Harnaten, striking him in the chest and sending him flying before he fully understood what had happened. Keeping an eye on the chaos below, Parven looked for his next target.
"Stay dead this time!" Trelana shouted from behind Nem as he crushed the skull of one of the skeletons coming after them.
"I'm sure they'll listen to that, Trelana." Nem said sarcastically, taking a swing at a bonewalker when it got too close. A flicker of red from above caught his eye, and he looked up just as Parven sent a fireball speeding toward them. Nem swore loudly, blasting the bonewalker with a shockball spell and quickly positioning himself between the spell and Trelana, taking the full blast.in the chest. He struck Trelana as he was thrown backwards, both of them slamming into the wall with a loud crack.
Parven removed his ring, dropping it into a pocket on his robe and pulling out a different one. He scanned the remaining fighters as he slid the ring onto his finger, noticing the flurry of sparks surrounding one of them.
Valen took aim at a bonewalker, shooting an arrow into its right eye and out the back of its head. It dropped to the ground and he turned to Razelus, who was pummeling undead left and right with fire magicka. Valen shook his head, looking around at the remaining undead and wondering why his brother didn't just buy a short sword for times like this... or at least learn a bound spell. A sudden glow above made him look up. It was coming from Parven's right hand, and he was looking directly at Razelus, who was too focused on the bonewalker he was burning to notice.
Parven suddenly dove at Razelus, and Valen ran to intercept him, raising his bow as he went. He took a shot at Parven, but didn't have time to aim properly and missed. Though it was close enough to grab Parven's attention, since he shifted his focus to Valen. Parven punched Valen in the chest, arcs of lightning tearing through his body as he screamed in agony.
Razelus turned at his brother's voice, just in time to see the lightning fade and Valen slump onto the ground. Razelus shouted, a mixture of fear and fury in his voice. He rushed Parven, who soared high enough to go over him when he got too close, but low enough to slam his boot into the back or Razelus' head and knock him out.
Ruby glanced at Parven long enough to get an idea, but not enough for the skeleton that was after her to strike. She dashed out of the way of its axe, getting behind it and jamming her dagger into the top of its spine, causing its head to fall to the ground, followed shortly by the rest of it. She looked around for someone to help with her idea, but didn't get far before two more bonewalkers were blocking her path.
A barrage of throwing knives struck the bonewalkers, killing both of them. Barbarius ran up from behind where they had been standing, pulling the knives out of them and grinning at Ruby. "That's the downside of being undead, nobody watching your back."
Barbarius turned to continue attacking the undead, but Ruby stopped him. "Hold on, we have to stop Parven.
"That's what we're trying to do, remember? These undead are our main problem right now."
Barbarius replied, hurling a throwing knife at a bonewalker that was attacking Schimmel.
"You're wrong!" Ruby snapped. "I've been watching... the undead aren't doing anything serious, they're just a distraction! Parven's the only one doing any damage to our side. We have to take him down!"
"And how do you suggest we do that? He's a little out of reach." Barbarius gestured to Parven hovering in the air.
"Don't you remember what Jiub said? Parven can't use magicka." She reminded him. "The only reason he can use spells like he has been is because of all the enchanted equipment he carries."
"So if he didn't have that..."
"Plotting my downfall, are you?" Parven inquired, now floating directly over them. They were only able to take two steps back as Parven landed between them, blasting Barbarius away with a flash of lightning from his right hand and grabbing Ruby by the throat with his left.
"Ruby!" Mortifer yelled, charging at Parven.
Parven floated to the side as Mortifer brought down his sword, avoiding it. "This is a private conversation, if you don't mind." He said simply, hitting Mortifer with a charge of electricity as he had done with Barbarius and taking to the air.
He hovered just below the ceiling as he held Ruby by her neck, grinning. "Well, well... if it isn't the real traitor. Although after finding out Trelana was Jiub's sister, I think I was close enough when I locked her up."
"Thinking Trelana was the spy... just proved how incompetent you really are." Ruby choked.
"You do have a point, there." Parven said with a smile. "I should have just killed her then and saved some time. I won't make that mistake with you." He released Ruby and punched her toward the ground with a flash of lightning from his ring.
"No!" Schimmel cried, dropping his sword and running to catch Ruby. He was able to get under her, but acted as more of a cushion than a catcher, since he was thrown off his feet and struck his head on the ground hard when she landed on him.
"You're dead!" Ganus yelled, readying his sword and leaping into the air, somehow with enough force that he was streaking directly at Parven.
Despite his surprised expression, Parven moved out of the way and Ganus' sword only struck the ceiling. While he was falling back to the ground, Parven grabbed the other wrapped cloth on his back and darted after Ganus. There was a flash of metal and a burst of blue fire, and two objects landed on the ground with a sickening splatter.
"Ganus..." Jiub muttered, staring at his two halves now laying on the ground.
Barbarius sat up, rubbing his side. Parven hadn't managed a direct hit, but it was close enough to stun him. He got back onto his feet as quickly as he could given the numbness in his side where the lightning had struck, gathering the throwing knives he had dropped when Parven blasted him.
"My sword!" Bryenn exclaimed, distracted from the skeleton he had been fighting long enough for it to stab him in the arm. He yelled, cleaving the skeleton's sword arm off, along with its head.
"Actually, when I received it, this sword belonged to a dead man. I just have to make those conditions true again." Parven said, diving at Bryenn this time.
Bryenn was able to deflect the sword with the sabre he was using, but the flames that burst forth when the blades connected blinded him long enough for Parven to hit him with his lightning ring and knock him against the wall.
Nem groaned, beginning to wake up. His body was throbbing thanks to the battering both Rodran and Parven had given him. He reached up, sliding his left hand over his chest. His shirt felt singed, but it wasn't burnt through. Looks like my curse saved me again. Maybe the Atronach isn't so bad. He thought, grinning weakly. He barely heard Parven's voice over the ringing in his ears.
"I see taking one by surprise is the best way to use this." He said, moving back into the air for a better view. He spotted a bonewalker facing off with someone on the other side of it and dove, the point of Bryenn's claymore aiming at the bonewalkers back.
"Look out!" Jiub shouted, but to no avail. The sword tore through the bonewalker, impaling both it and the person fighting it on the blade.
"No... Aya!" Barbarius screamed, hurling countless throwing knives at Parven. None struck, but he had to release the sword to avoid them.
Rachel took the opportunity to get behind Parven and swing at his back. There was a loud snap as her sword connected, the blade breaking in half and landing on the ground nearby. She swore as Parven turned, sending a pulse of electricity through her.
Barbarius remembered what Ruby had said and ran forward, leaping at Parven as he started back into the air. He grabbed Parven by the boots, swung his body up and planted his foot on Parven's gut, pushing off with all his might as he kept a firm grip on the boots.
Barbarius landed on the ground, boots in hand, and Parven landed with a thud a short distance away. Barbarius quickly got to his feet, running toward the edge and throwing the boots into the chasm of magma. Parven got behind him as he watched the boots disappear over the cliff, feeling the surge of electricity course through his body as Parven punched him in the back.
Parven glared down at Barbarius, then turned his attention to Jiub, the only one left standing. Jiub cleaved the final bonewalker in half as Parven ran at him. Jiub thrust his sword at Parven, who dodged, grasping the blade and electrifying it so that Jiub dropped it.
Parven swiftly punched Jiub in the face, flickers of lightning coming off his ring. He grabbed Jiub by the throat and held him up as he had done with Ruby, slowly walking toward the edge of the chasm.
"At last, our little fight is going to end. A shame it had to be with such little bloodshed. I was hoping for a challenge." Parven said with a smirk.
"Damn you, Parven." Jiub muttered, barely able to speak with Parven's hand clamped firmly around his throat.
"Brother... no..." Trelana said weakly, unable to move because of the pain in her body.
Nem was the only one that heard her. He muttered a healing spell, hoping it would give him enough strength to move. He couldn't do much at this point, but if he didn't try something, Parven would kill Jiub and probably finish off anyone he hadn't already killed.
"Now that I've finally got you, the question is how to end it? Facing off with you was quite enjoyable, I'd like it to end on such a note as well." Parven tilted his head, staring into Jiub's eyes and grinning. "Perhaps slowly breaking every bone in your body would prove entertaining."
Nem slowly got up, making sure Parven's attention was on Jiub as he started toward them.
"You're out of your mind, Parven." Jiub choked.
"You say that every time we meet... can you not think of something different? There are many better insults to be slung about in such a way."
"It's not an insult, it's a fact. And if you want to hear something new..." Jiub saw Nem running toward them out of the corner of his eye, but kept his focus on Parven. "...how about goodbye?"
Nem slammed into Parven, shoulder first, taking him by surprise. Parven's grip and balanced both faltered. Jiub landed on the ground as Parven's arm was jerked away from the chasm by the impact, but the rest of him was pushed over the edge. He grabbed Nem in a futile attempt to keep himself from falling, not realizing Nem had already begun to fall with him, too weak to try and stay atop the ledge.
Nem grinned at Parven as they plummeted toward the magma. "You got the name right... but now it looks like Forlorn is finished."
"W-What?!" Parven panicked, his normally calm composure finally gone as he looked from Nem to the magma below.
Nem's two words were the final ones Parven heard before landing head first into the molten rock. "Goodbye, Parven."
