A few days later Tyranius speaks to Viperish Night, his arms crossed over his chest. "The Maormer would have words with you, Viperish Night," Tyranius says. "Seems our attack on Summerset caught their attention. They seek to benefit from it."
Viperish Night throws his head back and laughs from his seat upon his throne. "So many fall in line behind me. Do they not know their fate will be the same?"
"For a chance to crush their enemies and seize power?" Tyranius laughs. "Keep taking advantage of it Viperish Night. It will keep our enemies off our backs why you raise your army."
Viperish Night sets the chain down and rises. As she is every day, Jeziasi sits by his throne. His eyes slide to hers for a few moments. Still unresponsive. He turns them from her to open a portal, crossing into it with Tyranius.
Zirasha watches as the two cross over into the portal and as soon as the portal snaps shut she darts out of the throne room in a burst of vampiric speed and are back in seconds with something clutched in her hand. She stalks towards Jeziasi and stands before her. Viperish Night keeps her by his side most of the time, putting her in the room when it's time to rest. She eats when told and all that but it's all automatic. Zirasha kneels by Jeziasi's side and grips Jeziasi's face roughly with her right hand. "Wake up," Zirasha hisses. There is no response and Zirasha huffs. "I was like this once, briefly!" she says. "Trapped in my head, not wanting to come out. But I figured something out, people could hurt me more this way. No defense, no nothing! Think about that! You're among your enemies. Do you even know that?" Zirasha's eyes flare and she moves in back of Jeziasi. "I could slit your throat in a moment and drink your blood. Why don't you see that? Why?" Confusion colors Zirasha's eyes and she hisses again. "Idiot." she brings the item she clutches in her left hand, it is a simple hairbrush. Zirasha starts brushing Jeziasi's hair, trying to untangle it. "I do not remember how to braid it," Zirasha grumbles. "Wake up if you want your pretty braids back."
"You want Summerset, Ikhil." Viperish Night repeats as he stares at the Maormer commander sent to negotiate with him. Pale pearly skin, nearly white. White eyes with no pupils and extremely short white hair.
"And the Altmer dead," Ikhil says. "We'll help you with your war, for that."
Tyranius chuckles. "This will put us closer to being able to take on the Dominion. Zirasha will be pleased, she dislikes the Altmer.
"Acceptable," Viperish Night says, and before he continues his eyes move to Tyranius who gives him the look that Viperish Night has come to be used to. Tyranius disagrees with Viperish Night's policy of being open with his desires to end all life, even that of his new allies at some point. But he will not deceive them, he will not be like his former mentor or Swims-In-Silence in that regard. "This lasts for the war," Viperish Night continues. "My war is on all the living. I am willing...to save my potential allies for last."
"You can try," Ikhil says. "We are willing to take this chance. You may come to see the advantage of keeping your allies alive in the end."
"Then we have an allegiance. The dead will not attack any Maormer in turn for your aid in the war. Summerset will be yours when the Altmer are cleansed from it."
Viperish Night and Tyranius return to the tomb and as Viperish Night walks to his throne he turns to Tyranius. "We will strike at Bangkorai tomorrow. I have a small settlement in mind. Find some sort of mount for my pet, she will come with us tomorrow. She could use a walk." Viperish Night reaches his throne and glances at Jeziasi, tilting his head before looking at Zirasha who's sitting at the table playing with a hairbrush. She focuses her eyes on him and hisses softly. Viperish Night laughs. "Your right, Zirasha. One must groom their pets." Viperish Night sits and runs his claws through Jeziasi's hair, free of tangles.
That night Viperish Night leads Jeziasi to her room and sets her on the blankets on the floor and kneels beside her. Viperish Night reaches out to her, his claws gently tracing her face. "Egg-mother, where are you?" he asks puzzled. "What dreams grip you even as your eyes are open?" There is no answer, there never is an answer. "I just want to know why you gave up everything for me. It makes so little sense. I am the monster you kill, the threat you always hunt for Nirn." Viperish Night quiets and rests his forehead against Jeziasi's for a time before rising. He looks at her one last time before he leaves.
The forest is a lush green paradise and seems endless. Jeziasi crouch in a tree, prey scurrying all around in the forest below. Squirrels, rabbits, the occasional deer. Her eyes should be focused on these, but instead, her eyes are locked onto a divide that exists in this place. Both sides are forest, but the other side of the divide is utterly wild and uncontrolled. The howls of wolves and stranger creatures draw her to the divide, but it is a line she cannot cross.
"In a tree, so very wood elf."
Jeziasi's head snaps to the ground below, a Bosmer is leaning against the tree. He's rangy with brown hair and striking golden eyes. "See? I am a Bosmer but I am not in a tree." Jeziasi frowns at him. "Not amused?" the Bosmer asks her. Jeziasi growls. "Most definitely not amused," he says as he stares up at Jeziasi. "I am Arawn, and I understand you are in a conundrum. You want over there, but you should not yet. You're still alive." Jeziasi's eyes move back to the divide. "Even if you were dead, you know why you cannot cross, Jeziasi," Arawn says. Jeziasi slowly lowers her head. "Don't be like that," Arawn says. "You can always earn back our Prince's favor."
Jeziasi finally speaks. "I cannot kill my son."
Arawn raises one eyebrow. "Is he the one that made you prey?" he asks.
Fear crosses Jeziasi's face as she grips the tree tighter. "I cannot deal with that." she softly says.
Arawn frowns. "Then you will be trapped here forever between life and death. Never to wake, never to enter your Prince's Hunting Grounds. Is that what you want?"
Jeziasi's eyes close. "I don't care anymore," she whispers.
"Lies," Arawn says with a sigh. "You are a hunter, even if you are more like a rabbit right now. You need to remember." He moves to Jeziasi's tree and takes off his bow and arrows, hanging them from a branch. "Hunt while you linger here. Perhaps you will remember." Arawn turns to the divide and crosses it, vanishing in the wild woods.
Jeziasi opens her eyes once he is gone, one hand tracing the bow and arrows. They remind her of simpler times.
-Bangkorai-
Viperish Night sits upon his skeleton mount, blue necromantic energy coursing through its bones. They have come through a portal, but the town they have chosen this night is in Bangkorai near the northern border and Viperish Night wants to make an entrance for tonight the desire is to attract the attention of the Reachmen, much as they attracted the attention of the Maormer in Summerset. Viperish Night's eyes dart behind him, his allies sit on their mounts, along with Jeziasi. He thought perhaps being out might stir her, but she is as she has been since his former mentor brought her to them. Viperish Night hisses softly, refocusing on the task at hand. Soon, he would have undead armies waiting for him in nearly every territory in Tamriel, and then? Then they would march en mass scouring every land clean one by one. It would just take a little more time.
Zirasha turns her head to look at Jeziasi. "Sure she's not going to wake up and start yelling at you?" Zirasha asks.
Viperish Night's eyes narrow. He almost wished she would. Wake up and yell at him, look at him with those fiery pale eyes of hers. "Her wolf is bound as is her hands," Viperish Night says. "Even if my pet awakens, she's properly leashed."
Suddenly arrows start to fly and Viperish Night jerks his horse and leaps down behind it arrows burring into the skeleton horse as a large group of armed Redguards surges out of the woods nearby.
"They are starting to wise up, Viperish Night," Tyranius remarks as he leaps off his horse, arrows bouncing harmlessly off of his armor. He laughs as he reaches for his scythe. "Word is spreading. We'll have more of a fight on our hands with these dogs, pup."
Viperish Night just grins. "Let them try." His eyes move to the Redguards, these do not hesitate to charge him, they must be the Ash'abah, those who chose dishonor in order to fight the dead.
The howl of the undead echos, men and beasts alike. Zirasha laughs and bursts into mist and surges into the Ash'abah, reforming at will to savage them with her vampire fangs and claws.
"Damn," Tyranius remarks. "Can't let her have all the fun now," he laughs and wades into the melee, his scythe flying and Ash'abah falling before him.
Viperish Night has the skeleton horses surround Jeziasi's and unsheathes his swords as he runs at the melee as well, even more dead rising as he does. A ghastly grin crosses his face as he dives into the Ash'abah.
Soon the contingent of Ash'abah warriors lies dead at their feet, though that does not last long as Viperish Night raises them with an evil laugh. He knows this is the most terrifying fate for any Redguard, to be raised in such an unholy fashion. And what he is going to have them do next? Viperish Night walks among them. "Kill the villagers," he orders them with a hiss, and they obey, surging into the village they had sought to protect in life, now they destroy in death leaving not a single soul alive. Viperish Night smiles when they are done. Silence, these living would no longer suffer or cause others to suffer. They would rise and join his army.
Tyranius cleans his scythe and Zirasha licks blood off her claws. Viperish Night hides the undead as he always does, and they will await his call in the coming days. He then moves to the skeleton horses, picking a few arrows from Jeziasi's. "Perhaps a walk was a bad idea," he muses. "I will need to make sure you have more protection if you will not protect yourself." Viperish Night opens a portal and they return to the tomb.
Later that night Viperish Night leads Jeziasi to her room and once more kneels at her side, his forehead against hers as if his mere presence will cause her to awaken from her dreams. "I thought that would wake you, Egg-mother," he whispers. "Seeing atrocity, being in battle once again. But even then, you refuse to wake." Viperish Night leans back and traces his claws gently against the side of her face. "Is being awake so bad?" he asks. "Is...being with me so bad? Do you even know you are by my side, Egg-mother?" Viperish Night softly sighs and as he does every night he gently pushes Jeziasi down and covers her with a blanket. "Zirasha will retrieve you later," Viperish Night says and walks out.
Zirasha watches from the shadows waiting for Viperish Night to leave. When he does and she can no longer hear his claws on the stone floor she darts into the room and lights more lamps. "Idiot just does not think," she hisses. "I like the dark now, but once..." Zirasha moves to Jeziasi and lies beside her, her back against Jeziasi's. "I like being alone too. But do you?" Zirasha hisses "You never answer. You need to wake up. I could get hungry one night and then what would you do?" Zirasha closes her eyes.
"She's right you know," Arawn remarks.
Jeziasi looks up from the fire where she's roasting a rabbit she caught. "She?" Jeziasi asks, frowning slightly as he walks into her camp. He will not leave her alone, it is all she wants. To be here and be left alone.
Arawn just shakes his head. "It is not smart to be this unaware. Look at your tree, Jeziasi."
Jeziasi glances at the tree and stands moving toward it. Her eyes are puzzled as her hands pull arrows from the tree and she turns to Arawn. "Why would someone shoot arrows at this tree?" she asks.
"The tree, or you?" Arawn answers as he turns his back to walk to the divide. "You have the strangest people calling you home, Jeziasi." He laughs slightly as he crosses the divide and vanishes into the Hunting Grounds.
Jeziasi watches Arawn go with a confused look on her face before she turns back to dinner. Who would bother calling her back? A hint of sadness crosses her eyes as she drifts back to the fire.
"The Reachmen are ready to talk," Mentor tells Viperish Night a week later as he stands before Viperish Night, who has always is sitting on his throne, the chain attached to Jeziasi's collar wrapped around his claws.
More who would come to him and serve at his feet, even though they knew he would try to end them eventually. The madness of the living never stopped, did it? Viperish Night slowly nods. "A portal then, if they are ready to meet now?" he asks
Tyranius snorts. "Reachmen need to be impressed. A show of strength. Time to let your dragon out to play, pup."
Viperish Night rises and holds out the chain to Tyranius. "Take my pet then, Tyranius. I will need my hands free for controlling the skeleton dragon. It may decide it has been too long in rest and fight me a little."
Tyranius moves to Viperish Night and takes the collar pulling Jeziasi up. "Guess it's time for a walk, wolfy," Tyranius says and walks out of the tomb followed by Zirasha.
Mentor watches them go. "Still utterly unresponsive? I would not think she would stay like this long," he remarks.
Viperish Night hisses angrily. "You are the one that broke her," Viperish Night says as he stands and walks past his former mentor to call upon his dragon.
"It was not I," Mentor says before vanishing.
Viperish Night stalks through the snow to a raised round mound where his skeleton dragon rests. It raises its head to look at him, the blue of the necromantic energy shooting through it like lightning. It even fans out over the wing bones, allowing it to fly. Viperish Night tilts his head as the dragon flares out its wings and rises. Did the Band of T'zlich do that? Allow the dragon to fly when it should have been impossible? Viperish Night turns his head to see his allies walk into the snow with his Egg-mother in tow.
The dragon flies through the clouds where no one will glance up and see it until it reaches High Rock and then the mighty skeleton dragon dives down and lands amid the Razorhorn clan near nightfall. Viperish Night's eyes travel through those gathered and leaps down from the dragon. Zirasha reforms from mist by his side and Tyranius leaps from the dragon's back before turning to bring Jeziasi down.
The Reachmen chieftain walks up to the group and stops in front of Viperish Night. His people follow though they keep a wary distance from the skeleton dragon. "I am Chieftain Dravrefe of the Razorhorn clan. Impressive, but it will take more than a dragon to drag our enemies down."
Viperish Night smiles and an eerie howling sets upon the gathering. Glowing blue eyes emerge from the dusk. Werewolf and Minotaur skeletons surround the clan. "Join us and see your enemies suffer and die. All of them," Viperish Night says. "Spread word to the other clans if you wish, or keep all the glory for yours. I will accept any allegiance from the Reachmen of High Rock." Viperish Night pauses and his eyes seem to glow. "Just know that all the living are my enemies and I am just willing to have temporary allies have fun before my gaze falls upon them."
"Blunt, bloodthirsty." Chieftain Dravrefe says in an approving tone. "You know we may turn on you first then."
Viperish Night shrugs. "I am honest, but I am very used to deception. You can try," he responds.
Chieftain Dravrefe throws back his head and laughs. "Let us sit over a meal then why we work out the details." he turns to lead the group to the fire, where a feast has been prepared. Viperish Night follows the undead he raised slinking into the dark for now. Zirasha follows then breaks off to speak with a Reachmen woman with braided hair and Tyranius follows leading Jeziasi to settle around the fire for dinner. After dinner Viperish Night and Chieftain Dravrefe settle down to finish the allegiance arrangements.
"Show me how Fasi " Zirasha demands of the Reachmen woman she has targeted and had been speaking with throughout dinner. "She had her hair in all these braids. Half braids, half hair." Zirasha says.
"I have had stranger requests," Fasi says, staring in fascination at Zirasha. She seems interested in the creature that Zirasha is, and is content to do what she asks. Fasi moves to Jeziasi and touches her hair. "Watch," Fasi tells her and sets to work braiding Jeziasi's hair as Zirasha has demanded.
Viperish Night finishes speaking with Chieftain Dravrefe and his head turns to the women. He tilts his head slightly as he watches. Fasi glances up at Viperish Night as she finishes the braids. "Her soul is unmoored..." she trails off as if she wishes to say more, but dares not.
"I am aware she dreams without truly waking," Viperish Night says. "Do you know where she dreams?"
Fasi lightly touches Jeziasi's face. "Wilderness...not in but perhaps close to the Hunting Grounds. Mortals should not venture near there why they still draw breath." Fasi regards Viperish Night. "What pray tell drove her to such a state?"
"Fasi!" Chieftain Dravrefe snaps and she bows her head in apology. "We mean no offense, Viperish Night," Chieftain Dravrefe says.
Such deference, it is so very strange. Viperish Night slowly smiles. These kinds of people are drawn to power indeed. Despite the risk that they will fall to him someday. "Some truth that overwhelmed her," Viperish Night remarks. "Will my pet dream forever?"
Fasi glances at her Chieftain for permission to speak and then turns to Viperish Night. "It is up to her," she says simply.
Viperish Night and the others return to the tomb in the early morning hours and Viperish Night walks Jeziasi to her room. When she's sitting down he sits beside her, expression thoughtful. "The hunting grounds..." Viperish Night quietly says. "Hircine's realm. Do you dream of wolf-like dreams or mer, Egg-mother?" Viperish Night rises soon after. "I wish you would tell me," he says and walks out, pausing right outside. He knows Zirasha is watching. Knows she enters Jeziasi's room when he leaves. Knows she never harms Jeziasi, just lights extra lanterns and sleeps beside his Egg-mother. The why of it puzzles Viperish Night but he knows better to ask. Monsters do not point out non-monster like behaver. It shines a light on what can be considered a weakness. And it is why he treats Jeziasi as a pet in public, but as someone, he needs to care for and protect in private.
Arawn strolls over to Jeziasi's tree and looks up at her. "Your hairs braided today," he remarks.
Jeziasi reaches up to touch her hair. She had stopped braiding it when they threw her in the cage. She had not thought of it here either, like so many other things it seemed not to matter anymore. "Arrows, now this." Jeziasi finally says.
"Questions!" Arawn explains. "Kind of? It is a good sign." Arawn leans against the tree and runs a palm over it. "You healed your tree from the arrows as well."
Jeziasi frowns. "I did not know I could do that," she says. "It just came to me."
"Here all paths are possible," Arawn explains. "You are what you were, could have been, or might still be." Jeziasi just looks at him. Arawn sighs, he's not losing her again, is he? "Your mind is aware on some level of what's going on around it. Some of it leaks through here."
Jeziasi looks utterly confused for a moment. Why would arrows be shot at her? Why would someone braid her hair? But just as quickly as these thoughts come, they fade and Jeziasi leans back and closes her eyes.
"I thought that would last longer," Arawn laments.
"Just go away," Jeziasi says tiredly.
"Cannot do that," Arawn says. "My Prince would have my head, most literally. He usually does not take as strong an interest in a particular mortal. You must be special, Jeziasi to warrant this kind of attention from him."
Jeziasi opens her eyes and stares up into the leafy branches above her. Her eyes have an utterly lost and hopeless expression in them. "I am not. I am just a fool. Just prey. Tell the Prince he's wasting his time with me, I am not worth it."
Arawn is silent before responding. "It is true that you are prey, for now! You can always change that, Jeziasi. Be the hunter you are meant to be."
Jeziasi looks down briefly before turning from Arawn, her eyes going distant. Arawn turns to the divide and makes to leave. "Your right, Jeziasi. If you chose to stay this way, you are a fool." Arawn bounds across the divide.
The next day Viperish Night is on his throne, waiting for the others. Waiting to leave this tomb and set upon another town. Though this day...his thoughts consume him. Viperish Night knew the truth, he was not blind to the fact that necromancy did corrupt, did change a person. And the Band of T'zlich did the same, even more so. The power was more than he could have ever imagined. Viperish Night had thrown away much of what he once was, cast it aside, or buried it deep within his rivers depths. What little remained of his old self was eroding away day by day. Viperish Night could almost see something in the depths, something about himself he did not yet know. The more the power consumed him, the closer he was to the very depths and what lurked within.
Viperish Night turns his head to look at Jeziasi. Something of who he once was remained and it was she who kept that infinitesimal part alive. She, the Egg-mother he had never known, she who pledged to end him, she who against all reason let him go, she... who would not return to him, lost in a place far beyond his reach. Viperish Night understood breaking. To have your world torn asunder and never be able to return it to the state it was before. How it damaged you, changed you, threatened to drown you. Something had broken his Egg-mother, something so very bad she ran and hide and refused to return, leaving herself utterly defenseless among enemies who by all rights should kill her, or hurt her at the very least. Viperish Night turns his eyes from her and shudders softly. By all rights, he should end her. Anything that made him weak...but he found he could not bear the thought and so he would continue thus.
Viperish Night rises as the heavy footsteps of Tyranius enter the throne room followed by Zirasha who makes no sound at all with hers. They will go destroy another town. Perhaps two or three this night, Viperish Night wants these thoughts gone from his head, and swimming in the river always helps. Always makes it so very easy to do the most horrific of things and laugh about it.
